Penguinlady's Full Review: Perky Pet Products 211 Hummingbird Feeder
This is yet another entry in the continuing series of reviews of hummingbird feeders. I’ve been cross-referencing the reviews, but it’s getting tiresome as the list grows, so I invite you to go to my profile page for the complete list.
One review I will shill, however, is my essay on the fundamentals of hummingbird feeding. This one isn’t a product review, but contains what I hope is some helpful information for people who want to embark on this fun pastime
OK, this one is about the Perky Pet 8-oz. Hummingbird Feeder #211.
FEATURES
• The Perky Pet 8-oz. Hummingbird Feeder #211 has an 8-oz. capacity. Surprise!
• It’s made of heavy-duty plastic, top to bottom.
• It has three feeding ports, each identified with a yellow plastic flower.
• It hangs from a sturdy red plastic-covered wire that attaches to a loop at the top.
• It sells for about $6.99 and is available in mega-marts, pet stores, and online.
WHAT I IKE ABOUT IT
• The capacity is just right for the home feeder. While it’s tempting to go for the bigger feeders, nectar gets contaminated easily and ferments fast, especially in the summer sun. So hummingbird feeders need to be taken down, emptied, thoroughly cleaned, and refilled every two days in the summer. That means that, unless you have massive numbers of hummers, you’ll waste a lot of nectar in a larger feeder. The Perky Pet 8-oz. Hummingbird Feeder #211 holds just the right amount for the hummers to empty in a few days.
• The pinch-waist design is easy to hold. Cylindrical feeders, large or small, can be hard to grip, especially when they’re wet. Pinch-waist designs are always preferable in bottle feeders.
• You can easily replace parts. Just go to the Perky Pet website, www.perkypet.com. For some reason, you can’t order the complete feeder from Perky Pet, but the parts are readily available, as follows:
Bottle Only = $2.75
Feed Base w/Flower = $4.00
Pack of 9 Yellow Flowers = $2.49
Red Straight Wire = $0.30
That’s it. There’s not much to recommend about this feeder. Read on...
WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT IT
Where to begin?
• This feeder is all plastic. It’s very important, when emptying and refilling feeders, to get them completely clean. Feeders full of nectar function as very efficient Petrie dishes and grow huge amounts of bacteria, especially when they’ve been hung in the sun. That makes it doubly important to get them completely clean before refilling them. With glass-bottle feeders, you can do that with hot soapy water and bleach. With plastic ones like the Perky Pet 8-oz. Hummingbird Feeder #211, you can’t. Even though it’s heavy-duty plastic, you can’t use the same hot water or bleach on them.
• It has no perches. Hummingbirds spend more than 80% of their lives in the air. They need to consume at least half their body weight each day to survive. It doesn’t make sense for them to be using up their energy as they’re refueling. So it’s important to provide a perch for the little guys to take a break while feeding.
• The yellow flowers that mark the feeding ports attract bees, wasps, and yellowjackets. They do NOT attract hummers, which can’t see yellow, only red.
• The Perky Pet 8-oz. Hummingbird Feeder #211 lacks a bee-guard. Only two Perky Pet models have them, but as long as they’re going to put yellow on the feeding ports, they should also provide bee-guards.
• The company claims that the bottles are shatter-proof. Well, I beg to differ. I’ve had my feeders drop from the second-storey balcony railings and while the glass bottle feeders didn’t break, the plastic ones did. In addition, plastic is weakened by prolonged exposure to direct sun. So after a while, they become brittle.
• Plastic bottles are also likelier to get cloudy and scratched than glass ones. If you manage to get a brush into the bottle at cleaning time, you’ll eventually wind up with a cloudy bottle. Not only does that create breeding places for bacteria, but it also makes it harder for the hummer to see what’s inside.
• And finally, as is the case with all my Perky Pet bottle feeders, the base is next to impossible to get really clean. It’s not open inside, but has little barriers for some reason, and there’s no way to clean around them. Since the base is plastic, you can’t boil it or bleach it, so all you can do is scrub as best you can and hope you’ve got all the gunk out. You haven’t.
A FEW IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT FEEDING HUMMINGBIRDS
I include this information in all my hummingbird feeder reviews, so forgive me if you’ve read it before. I think it’s pretty important.
• Make sure you empty and clean your feeder thoroughly every couple of days, regardless of how much nectar is still in it.
• Use commercial nectar mix or make your own with one part sugar to four parts water and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved. Never use honey, molasses, maple syrup, corn syrup, or artificial sweeteners - just plain sugar. Some people boil their home-made nectar to kill bacteria and then cool it to room temp before filling the feeder. Red food coloring is optional - the jury is still out. The diehard feeder-folk preach against it, but as far as I know, there are no studies of the long-term effects of red food dye on the birds. Just make sure there’s some read somewhere on - or in - each feeder.
• Carry it to where you want to hang it, quickly flip it right-side-up, and “burp” it to remove the air bubbles that form at the feeding stations. I do that by gently tipping it in all four directions until I see the bubbles rising in the nectar. If you don’t do this, the birds won’t be able to access the nectar through the bubbles. But you’ll spill some nectar, so do this over grass or a hosable surface.
• Once you decide to start feeding the hummers, be consistent. They will get used to feeding from your feeder and will come to depend on you. So don't let them down.
• Hummingbirds are terrifically territorial and aggressive, so you'll see incredible aerial dive-bombing fights around your feeder. I have seven feeders right now and they still fight over them. I think they take pleasure in their amazing flying abilities, so don't worry about it.
SUMMARY AND VERDICT
Perky Pet is a leader in the bird-feeding biz and sell a goodly number of hummingbird feeders. This one is not one of their finest efforts. It’s plastic, has bee-attracting yellow flowers, lacks perches, and is hard to clean. You can do better.
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