Hummingbird Feeders

[dems4me]

Has anyone put hummingbird juice in their feeder and then literally over night have the color sucked out of it? One stayed the same color and the otherone looks clear as water... what caused this? :shrug: This isn't the first time this has happened.

 

[cattitude]

Raccoons...

oh wait, the liquid is still there?

Could be the heat. When it's this hot, you need to change them daily if the liquid isn't gone every day.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

Could the color have settled to the bottom of the feeder?

 

[Sharon]

Look around

It was probably an immature male cardinal that stole the color.

 

[Bonehead]

Once the hummers find the feeder the colored stuff is just a waste of money. We use a 1/3 cup sugar to 1 cup water solution microwaved until it boils allow to cool and fill the feeder. Works fine.

 

[dems4me]

No, its not on the bottom or anything... this is twice its happened, I think its empty go to fill it and its clear as water... Maybe its the heat because it was during last heat wave this happened... Not sure what's doing it. There's only two or three hummingbirds out where I live so they are not draining it but I always try to keep it full for them, just never heard of them sucking the color out of it. Not that it matters much, but just thought its weird where its red one day, and then clear the next when I get home. Maybe its a bad batch or something. I buy the mix you get at SouthernStates.

 

[dems4me]

Raccoons...

oh wait, the liquid is still there?

Could be the heat. When it's this hot, you need to change them daily if the liquid isn't gone every day.

I've been doing it once a week. Both of them are usually 2/3rds full at the end of the week. I keep hoping to entice more hummingbirds, but I just have the two or three.

 

[cattitude]

Once the hummers find the feeder the colored stuff is just a waste of money. We use a 1/3 cup sugar to 1 cup water solution microwaved until it boils allow to cool and fill the feeder. Works fine.

The mixture should be 4 parts water to 1 part sugar. Of course, if you want to keep away bees you can do a sweeter mixture for one feeder...that will draw the bees.

 

[Ray]

Red food coloring added to the sugar/ water mixture (only need a few drops) eliminates the need to buy nectar althogether. I bet if you used food coloring that you would not have the problem.

 

[Fubar]

No, its not on the bottom or anything... this is twice its happened, I think its empty go to fill it and its clear as water... Maybe its the heat because it was during last heat wave this happened... Not sure what's doing it. There's only two or three hummingbirds out where I live so they are not draining it but I always try to keep it full for them, just never heard of them sucking the color out of it. Not that it matters much, but just thought its weird where its red one day, and then clear the next when I get home. Maybe its a bad batch or something. I buy the mix you get at SouthernStates.

Do you bleach the feeders to get rid of any fungus or mold? Maybe you didn't rinse it enough? Just a thought. :shrug:
I thought the red food coloring/dye wasn't good for the little hummers?

 

[Cowgirl]

Red food coloring added to the sugar/ water mixture (only need a few drops) eliminates the need to buy nectar althogether. I bet if you used food coloring that you would not have the problem.

Adding food coloring is not recommended. Sugar and water is perfectly fine. You don't want to give the birds something they don't need.

 

[joedancer]

Has anyone else had squirrels eat those little plastic yellow flowers where hummers eat through?

Joe

 

[FireBrand]

what caused this? :shrug: This isn't the first time this has happened.

Flesh Eating Badgers

 

[Rael]

I've always read 4 to 1 water to sugar as well. Most hummingbird feeders I've seen have a red color which attracts them, so no need for red water then.

There was another urban legend that the red dye weakened their eggs also, but I've never read that to be fact. I have read not to use honey as part of the mi, though, since it causes bacteria (No eez good). I believe this, too.

Changing their feeder mixture in this weather is important this time of year, though (if they don't empty it quickly enough) to keep it fresh.

 

[dems4me]

Well I found the answer to my question if anyone is interested. Last time it did this it was gradual after about a day or two it turned a little yellow and then gradually clear by weeks end. This time was literally overnight. I found the culprit. It was a rat. A River Rat to be more precise. This creature went and dumped my stuff out one night and wanted to see if the humingbirds would come to clear sugar water. This would explain why I wasn't getting many hits when I goggled this phenomenon.

 

[johnjrval424]

I tried the red solution and I have had just as good, if not better, results with the clear water/sugar solution. One cup sugar to 4 cups water works well and much, much cheaper.

On a side note, has anyone had a problem with the hummers fighting over the feeders? I don't mean just the swoop and smack, but actually going for a couple rounds in circles? I've been watching a group of 4 this morning (2 females, 2 males) and they are really aggressive. The females are the ones who are terrorizing each other and not letting the other get to the feeder. It seems as though the male sits in the tree, watches and when he gets tired of seeing the females duke it out, swoops in and tries to break up the fight. However, the females turn on him and he flies back to the tree.

Now, I'm assuming that these are females because they do NOT have the ruby throat like the males. Would this be correct?

And in response to an earlier post, I only had a couple hummingbirds last year and now I have about 4 more this year. I think they will increase as more birds realize you have feeders.

 

[sparkyaclown]

Has anyone else had squirrels eat those little plastic yellow flowers where hummers eat through?

Joe

No but I often see them hanging on mine drinking every drop of it out before the first hummingbird has a chance at it.

 

[Kain99]

And I was thinking the sun bleached the color out.

 

[Fubar]

I tried the red solution and I have had just as good, if not better, results with the clear water/sugar solution. One cup sugar to 4 cups water works well and much, much cheaper.

On a side note, has anyone had a problem with the hummers fighting over the feeders? I don't mean just the swoop and smack, but actually going for a couple rounds in circles? I've been watching a group of 4 this morning (2 females, 2 males) and they are really aggressive. The females are the ones who are terrorizing each other and not letting the other get to the feeder. It seems as though the male sits in the tree, watches and when he gets tired of seeing the females duke it out, swoops in and tries to break up the fight. However, the females turn on him and he flies back to the tree.

Now, I'm assuming that these are females because they do NOT have the ruby throat like the males. Would this be correct?

And in response to an earlier post, I only had a couple hummingbirds last year and now I have about 4 more this year. I think they will increase as more birds realize you have feeders.

http://www.birds-n-garden.com/how_to_attract_hummingbirds.html

PROBLEMS WITH AGGRESSIVE HUMMINGBIRDS
Certain hummingbirds, especially males, will defend their source of food. Your feeder may become a battle ground.

There is nothing you can do to change this behavior in hummingbirds.
It is an important survival trait.

Since we can't change the hummingbirds, we have to search for other solutions. Add extra feeders, out of sight of each other and at least 30 feet away. This will give the other hummingbirds a better chance of getting a meal. If you have more than five hummingbirds, they will probably share feeders that are placed closer together.

 

[Lugnut]

Has anyone put hummingbird juice in their feeder and then literally over night have the color sucked out of it? One stayed the same color and the otherone looks clear as water... what caused this? :shrug: This isn't the first time this has happened.

Jabbajawz likes to do that as a practical joke. She thinks it's funny but all it does is confuse the poor little birdies.