i use wasp/hornet spray in a can. it shoots 25 ft!

I totally agree. I didn't buy my house to accomodate the squirrels that keep running across my roof and have torn the screens on my birdcage. The previous owner of our house owned a couple of Shih-tzu's and she fed them in the birdcage. She never removed the food - just let the dogs eat when they felt like it. (Dumb thing to do!) Needless to say the squirrels (rats w/bushy tails) ripped the screen to get to the food.

Even though the previous owner (and her dogs) have been gone for several years the varmints still come around from time to time - - and they can be aggressive. I'll try the plastic hawks but if that doesn't work I will definitely try the bee spray. I enjoy wildlife, don't hunt or harm critters but when they become invasive and destructive I will protect my property.

You can trap the squirrels and move them to the woods. The farm supply near Brownwood on 44 will have traps.

Good Luck........Squirrels will out think you no matter what you do. As long as you don't have any dog/cat food, bird seed, etc in your birdcage, they will not eat through it. Just running around on top of it will not hurt it. But paying for traps and relocation will never work..............you will just get more. Best you can do is learn to live with them.

Many, many years ago, my father decided to trap the squirrels in his yard and move them to the woods several miles away. 43 re-located squirrels later, he declared success. We were surprised by the numbers of squirrels he trapped. BTW, his yard was a little bigger than the average sized TV yard but with many pine trees..

You can always hope your neighbors put up some bird feeders and lure the squirrels away from your birdcage.

I had bad luck with the have a hart traps
 

I tried the have a hart traps when I lived in Atlanta and when I caught a squirrel it got stuck and all beaten up by trying to get out it didn't look humane at all. I was trying to get rid of them because unlike in the colder regions where I have lived, (New England and Seattle) in Atlanta they got in the attic and chewed the electric wires which would kill them and then they stank not to mention having to have an electrician come in and fix the wireing. He said it was common in that area. He installed a plug with a motion detector and plugged in a sonic repeller it seemed to work. My neighbor use to put his cat in the attic for the night once a week.

Don't know if either solution worked long term as we moved away a few months after we had the high pitched things installed.