Tree Rats in Ward C

Over the weekend, weary from watching squirrels inhale the contents of entire tube feeders on a daily basis, I dredged out a wire cage I used this past winter and armored one of the tubes. It's working just fine, as it did in the winter to block squirrels from a peanut butter feeder. But it also turned the squirrels into sociopaths. They've attacked all of the other feeders at the station (when I was away) and destroyed a window box. This may be a difficult "experiment" to continue. Will the rats eventually tear the cage apart? will they develop a taste for bitter (and pricey) safflower seed? I'll be watching each day. If things get out of hand, ... well, we'll see what we do next.