Some of the most popular home-made feeders are done with a test tube or vial with a stopper (red plastic is popular or teflon with a hole, and there are places that sell them) - sometimes even with a little plastic flower in the stopper (they sell these as replacement flowers for the feeding ports on some commercial feeders) and some large gauge copper wire that is then wrapped around the tube. Excess wire at one end is left to hang the tube. Some will then place some red jewelry ornaments (eg., red beads or red tear drop crystals such as those used for bracelets or earrings or necklaces) on the coiled wire. I have seen many cute feeders done this way and the hummers do use them.

I have some photos of hummie feeders I've made out of insulin bottles and test tubes on my member page. They are near the bottom of the page...but it's a long load as I have lots of pet and flower photos on there too.

Or do a search on this forum for the word insulin - there should be a couple of posts from last year showing some of my photos...that will probably be quicker.

~ Cat

Love it, but where can you find the supplies? Do you have any internet links to share?

I have friends who save their insulin bottles for me. Also have purchased polystyrene test tubes from ebay. The feeder ports are from other feeders I canibalized and also from perky pet replacement parts also purchased on the internet. I also found a local garden center that sells those yellow flower perky pet replacement parts.

~ Cat

Cat
I have been meaning to ask you how do the flower ports stay on the insulin bottles. Stan sent me some of the test tube replacements with the red stopper from WBU as we don't have them up here and my juvies just loved their little test tube feeders so much that I will be ordering more online.

Penny

I have a hummingbird feeder here that I bought in Arkansas while on my honeymoon last June. I put my feeder out early this year and unfortunately a breeze caught it and the base broke. The glass part is fine. Does anyone know of a place where I can buy a replacement base? I'm including a link of the feeder design. Thanks for any help!

Jenn
Ontario, Canada

Here is a link that might be useful: