Date: 5/9/25 2:48 am From: Fred Kaluza <fkaluza...> Subject: Re: [birders] Time for Thinking Caps
Simple, elegant and quite probably squirrel-proof. Raccoon-proof? I’m not so sure. I’ve heard the way to think about these things is in “levels of complexity”. A simple latch is one step. A latch that must be rotated first, and THEN slid is two steps. I’ve heard that deliberate attempts to circumvent a one-step locking mechanism are pretty common among non-human animals whereas defeating two-step locks is a skill left to primates and corvids. I’m sure other animals have the mental capacity but lack the physical dexterity (fingers and opposable thumbs etc.) to become good burglars. I’m guessing raccoons are pretty good at both. Couple that skill with enough diligence and random luck and it’s only a matter of time before they get in.
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From: Dody Wyman <dody...>
Sent: Thursday, May 8, 2025 11:57:50 AM
To: Su Clift <coffeebeansu...>
Cc: Fred Kaluza <fkaluza...>; Birders <birders...>
Subject: Re: [birders] Time for Thinking Caps
I can’t remember where I got this, but it was a couple of decades ago! It takes only a little effort to force the handle to lock the top in place. I’ve never had anything break into it. I’ll poke around and see if I can find one online… If they made them “back then”, and it still works for me, “they” must be still making them…
Dody
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On May 8, 2025, at 10:46 AM, Su Clift <coffeebeansu...> wrote:
On May 8, 2025, at 10:33 AM, Fred Kaluza <fkaluza...><mailto:<fkaluza...>> wrote:
Any ideas here? For years I’ve been a proponent of storing seeds and nuts and “Crow-Kibbles” in galvanized trash cans outside. Put a little silicone caulk around the places where the lids and sides are pierced for handles and they make nice solid (if not attractive) storage bins. They don’t rust for a long time and can’t be chewed-through but…I accidentally left the lid off of one of them last week and about a dozen squirrels exploded out of there when I approached in the morning. The worst part was that a Raccoon had learned that this is where I keep “his” food. Since then it’s been a battle to keep him from standing on his hind legs and pushing the lids off at night. He’s gotten to the point where he can force cinder-blocks off! I don’t want him to get hurt so I need a better idea. I can’t believe no one sells metal trash cans with locking lids. I’ve used bungee cords in the past only to find them chewed-through. For the last week I’ve lined-up the cans (6 of them) side by side and rotated the lids so I can slide 10’ sections of concrete reinforcement rods through all the handles at once but it takes about six of them, is a real pain and will eventually scrape off the Zinc and they’ll start rusting. Maybe I have to bring them all into the garage or…build some huge bin with a hinged lid? I could probably scrounge enough pallet-wood and go with that idea. Might be a good project to do with the grand-kids this summer. What do I do in the meantime?
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