Quick Answer: Perky-Pet is worth buying for budget-to-mid-range feeders across nearly every category — the all-metal Squirrel-Be-Gone II hopper holds 8 lb of seed for $35–$47, and the brand’s catalog runs from $9 glass hummingbird feeders up to $30 decorative copper hoppers. Founded in 1958 as the inventor of the first commercial hummingbird feeder, Perky-Pet is now owned by Woodstream Corporation (since 2005) and is itself the corporate parent of More Birds (acquired 2022) and, through that deal, Droll Yankees (which More Birds bought in 2017) — three brands reviewed separately on this site that all report to the same owner. Perky-Pet backs its line with a 12-month limited warranty, longer than Woodlink’s 30-day guarantee but short of Brome’s lifetime coverage.
Perky-Pet shows up constantly across this site’s other roundups — the Squirrel-Be-Gone II, Copper Panorama, and Dual Mesh Seed Feeder have all made appearances in our hopper feeder, copper feeder, and large capacity coverage — but the brand has never had its own dedicated review, the same gap this site already closed for Woodlink, Roamwild, and More Birds. Here’s what Perky-Pet actually sells, what it costs, and who really owns it.
Perky-Pet by the numbers
- Founded 1958, invented the hummingbird feeder. Perky-Pet started as a Denver pet-supply distributor and, per the company’s own history, built the first commercial hummingbird feeder by adapting the design from medical IV bottles — the entire hummingbird-feeder category traces back to that one product.
- Acquired by Woodstream in 2005. Woodstream Corporation, whose broader portfolio includes the Victor mousetrap brand, Safer pest control, and Zareba electric fencing, bought Perky-Pet Products Company on August 22, 2005 — a pest-control-and-fencing conglomerate is an unusual parent for the brand that invented the hummingbird feeder.
- Perky-Pet is the actual parent of More Birds and Droll Yankees. This site’s own More Birds review already reported, via PitchBook’s acquisition records, that Perky-Pet Products Company acquired More Birds in October 2022 — and More Birds had separately acquired Droll Yankees in a 2017 buyout. That makes Perky-Pet the owner of both brands, not merely a “sibling” under a shared parent.
- 12-month limited warranty. Perky-Pet’s feeders carry a 12-month limited warranty from purchase date, on top of a separate 30-day return window for unopened or defective products — longer coverage than Woodlink’s 30-day-only guarantee, though still short of Brome’s lifetime warranty on the Squirrel Buster Plus.
Perky-Pet Squirrel-Be-Gone II
- All-metal, chew-proof body keeps squirrels from gnawing through like they can with wooden hoppers.
- 8 lb capacity means fewer refill trips than most budget hoppers.
- Not weight-activated — squirrels are excluded by the metal body, not a closing mechanism, so a determined squirrel can still perch and feed unless the feeder is also on a baffled pole.
Waiting on a new feeder to arrive before the squirrels find your current one? Try Amazon Prime free for 30 days and get it there by the weekend.
What Perky-Pet does well
The catalog covers every price point and category. From a $9 glass hummingbird feeder to a $30 decorative copper hopper to a $35–$47 all-metal squirrel-resistant model, Perky-Pet is rarely the premium pick in any single category — but it’s almost always present, which is why it turns up as a budget or mid-tier option across so many of this site’s roundups.
It’s the brand that started the hummingbird-feeder category. The 1958 IV-bottle-inspired design isn’t a marketing footnote — it’s the literal origin of the product type, and the current 203CPBN Pinch-Waist glass feeder is a direct descendant of that original idea.
All-metal construction on the squirrel-resistant line. Unlike wooden hoppers that squirrels can chew through over a season, the Squirrel-Be-Gone II’s metal body simply can’t be gnawed open, even without a weight-activated mechanism.
A real warranty, not just a return window. The 12-month limited warranty is a genuine step up from a brand that only offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, even if it doesn’t match a lifetime promise.
Where Perky-Pet falls short
- No weight-activated squirrel defense. The Squirrel-Be-Gone II keeps squirrels out with metal construction alone — it doesn’t close its ports under a squirrel’s weight the way the Brome Squirrel Buster Plus or Woodlink Absolute II do, so a squirrel that can perch on it can still eat from it.
- Price spread between retailers is wide. The Squirrel-Be-Gone II alone runs from $34.99 at Walmart to $47.49 on Perky-Pet’s own site for the identical model — worth comparing before buying rather than assuming the brand’s own store is the best price.
- Warranty still trails the premium tier. 12 months beats Woodlink’s 30-day guarantee, but it’s nowhere near Brome’s lifetime coverage on the Squirrel Buster Plus.
- The brand’s own site rarely discloses the More Birds/Droll Yankees ownership. Shoppers comparing “three different brands” across retailers are often comparing three products from one company without realizing it.
How it compares to the alternatives
| Feeder | Best for | Mechanism | Capacity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perky-Pet Squirrel-Be-Gone II | Best all-metal squirrel-proof | Chew-proof metal body | 8 lb | $35–$47 |
| Perky-Pet 351 Copper Panorama | Best decorative | None (open circular tray) | ~2 lb | ~$30 |
| Perky-Pet Cedar Wild Bird Feeder | Best budget starter | None (open hopper) | ~3 lb | ~$22 |
| Perky-Pet Dual Mesh Seed Feeder | Best hot/humid climate | Powder-coated metal mesh | 2.85 lb | ~$15 |
| Perky-Pet 203CPBN Pinch-Waist | Best hummingbird / heritage | Glass + yellow bee guards | 8 oz | ~$9–$11 |
| Brome Squirrel Buster Plus | Best warranty (lifetime) | Weight-activated shroud | 5.1 lb | $129.25 |
If budget and category breadth matter most, Perky-Pet covers more ground than almost any brand on this site. If a weight-activated squirrel mechanism and a lifetime warranty matter more than price, the Brome Squirrel Buster Plus still leads — see our Squirrel Buster review and best bird feeder brands roundup for the full field ranked side by side.
Who should buy Perky-Pet
Buy the Squirrel-Be-Gone II if you want a chew-proof metal hopper at a fraction of the Squirrel Buster Plus’s price and don’t need a weight-activated mechanism. Buy the Cedar Wild Bird Feeder if you’re setting up your first feeder and want to spend under $25. Buy the 203CPBN Pinch-Waist if you’re starting with hummingbirds specifically — it’s the direct descendant of the design that started the category.
Skip Perky-Pet’s squirrel-resistant line if squirrels are a serious problem in your yard and you want a mechanism that actively closes under their weight — Brome and Woodlink both do that; Perky-Pet’s metal body only stops chewing, not access.
The bottom line
Perky-Pet earns a spot in nearly every category on this site because it’s almost always the budget-to-mid-range option, backed by a real 12-month warranty and a catalog that traces back to inventing the hummingbird feeder in 1958. What’s easy to miss is how much of this site’s “brand variety” actually converges on one owner: Perky-Pet is the parent of both More Birds and, through that acquisition, Droll Yankees — three names, one company, since Woodstream folded them all under Perky-Pet Products Company. For buyers who just want a reliable, affordable feeder in any category, Perky-Pet remains one of the safest budget picks on the market; for buyers chasing genuine brand diversity across a multi-feeder setup, it’s worth knowing how much of that “diversity” is really the same corporate family.