I have a few of those critters myself!
But they can’t reach our birdfeeder, and we don’t have a vegetable garden, so we haven’t seen any downside to them.
I highly recommend the “Squirrel Buster” feeders. The perch ring is spring-loaded, so that when heavier criters like squirrels, crows, and such get on it, the perch drops and closes shutters over the feeding ports. Works like a charm, and the spring preload is even adjustable if you want to fine-tune the max bird weight.
The only time I had a problem was when raccoons managed to unhook it and drop it to the ground. That cracked the feed tube. I contacted the manufacturer, and they sent me a new tube free of charge.
