What Is the 5-7-9 Rule for Squirrels?
The 5-7-9 rule is a bird feeder placement guideline. It says to hang a feeder at least 5 feet off the ground, at least 7 feet away from anything a squirrel can jump from, like a tree trunk, fence or deck rail, and at least 9 feet below any branch or roof edge above it. The numbers are meant to keep the feeder outside the distance a squirrel can jump up, across and down.
Where the Numbers Come From
The rule is built around three directions a squirrel can come from. The 5 covers a squirrel jumping straight up from the ground. The 7 covers a squirrel leaping sideways from something next to the feeder. The 9 covers a squirrel dropping down from above. Keep the feeder outside all three and a squirrel has no launch point. The rule is meant as a rough guide, not a guarantee, and determined squirrels still find ways to test it.
What the Rule Tells You About Your Roof
The same jumping range that gets a squirrel to a bird feeder gets it onto your roof. Tree limbs hanging over or close to the roofline give squirrels an easy path, and from the roof they go looking for a way inside. The University of Kentucky’s extension guide on managing tree squirrel problems recommends trimming any limbs within eight feet of the building. Bird feeders right next to the house also bring squirrels in close, and a squirrel that’s already working your yard is closer to your roofline.
Where the Rule Stops Helping
Trimming trees and moving feeders cuts down on easy access, but it doesn’t fix a house squirrels are already using. Squirrels gnaw through soffits, roofing material and push their way through vents. If there’s already a hole at a soft roof connection where the soffit meets the shingles, or a vent a squirrel has pushed through, that opening has to be sealed. And if squirrels are already in the attic, they have to come out before anything gets closed up, or one of them may end up chewing out through a ceiling instead.
How We Handle Squirrels Already in the Attic
The Critter Team provides squirrel removal services for homes where squirrels have already made it inside. We humanely trap the squirrels out, clean up the nest, replace damaged attic insulation, repair damaged soffits, fascia boards and roof openings, and secure vents with hardware cloth and custom metal fabrication.
So What Is the 5-7-9 Rule for Squirrels?
The 5-7-9 rule is a bird feeder guideline: hang feeders at least 5 feet up, 7 feet away from anything a squirrel can leap from and 9 feet below anything it can drop from. It’s useful for bird feeders, and the same idea explains why trimming limbs away from your roof helps. It won’t keep squirrels out of an attic they’re already in. That takes removal followed by sealing every entry point.