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OMG! Rat in the cage!!!

faislaq

I have macaws and don't post enough pictures
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I'm still in the catch-and-release anything whenever possible camp (except human intruders, those are fair game) but neither approach does any good if you don't find out how it got in and make the necessary repairs to prevent others from coming.
 

AviMom

Sprinting down the street
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We had rats last year due to a messy, um, gross roommate. We got cats, got rid of the roommate, and no rodents this year.
If you know someone with a cat, or snake, get their used litter, sprinkle it around the outside of the house. It'll keep rodents away. Ammonia or peppermint oil on cotton balls inside works too. Spray ammonia on baseboards, not near birds. Put bay leaves behind appliances or furniture where other pets won't get them.
 

Dartman

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IF they have over run the place to the point they are willing to come out in the daylight and jump in to the cage you have a very serious rat or mouse problem. I have been there before and once it gets that bad you need to kill off the population. They breed and have babies very quickly once they find a nice warm place with food and water. I use the T rex jaw traps and they usually are a very quick kill because they don't understand what they are. IF I find one that gets lucky and is just caught I release it and hope for the best that it gets smart and goes somewhere safer for it. If their head can fit the rest of them will follow and we've had a bunch of mice recently so we started looking for their ways in and found several holes in the floor that were made to pass up cables and things, plus a big hole under the kitchen sink that whoever installed the plumbing made way too big so the mice come in through those. I used expanding foam insulation to block most of the holes we know of and put peppermint scent things around their favorite runs and haven't caught, seen, or heard any for a while. I also put some bait stations under the house by where I know they were coming in and hopefully it gets them before they get a huge population going again as they are always scouting for good homes with food. I have had pet mice and rats and loved them but I wont let them takeover my house and hurt Dobby or destroy my food and chew things up everywhere which they have been happily doing recently.
 

Budgiebonkers

aka Pandapaws23
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Sorrry, all of you super kindly folks. I don't have one whit of sympathy for a darned mouse/rat. I have reasons, but you would never be able to understand (nor would you try) since you have been so sheltered that you think killing a rat is bad.

Kill the darned rat/mouse or give your bird to someone who cares more for it.
I can't believe people relocate a rodent...so now that relocated rodent now whips out someones flock of chickens and starts over populating another area and gives others diseases its possibly carrying I trap them and used them as bait to catch foxes that like sniffing around my poultry. My birds come first. A rodents only purpose is to depopulate other animals and people due to diseases
 

Leanna

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This is all seems just a bit dramatic to me. It's just a rat, no need to panic.

I would just relocate Shine to a safe room that you can ensure the rat can't get (like the bathroom). Make sure that room is secure, keep that door shut with rolled up towel over the bottom of the door so it can't possibly get in. Then trap it however you wish because Shine will be safe in that room. Find out how the rat got in and secure it. It doesn't matter what happens to the rat as long as you protect your bird.
 

Sylvester

Hit the Road
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I can't believe people relocate a rodent...so now that relocated rodent now whips out someones flock of chickens and starts over populating another area and gives others diseases its possibly carrying I trap them and used them as bait to catch foxes that like sniffing around my poultry. My birds come first. A rodents only purpose is to depopulate other animals and people due to diseases

Taking it way out into the country is not passing on the problem. There is still plenty of undeveloped land that this rat can be safely relocated to.
 

Sylvester

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Sorrry, all of you super kindly folks. I don't have one whit of sympathy for a darned mouse/rat. I have reasons, but you would never be able to understand (nor would you try) since you have been so sheltered that you think killing a rat is bad.

Kill the darned rat/mouse or give your bird to someone who cares more for it.

I have hardly been sheltered. I have been in service and have seen combat, so I think killing anything is the LAST resort. Its take a little bit more effort and time, but catching anything alive is well worth any inconvenience.
 

Budgiebonkers

aka Pandapaws23
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Taking it way out into the country is not passing on the problem. There is still plenty of undeveloped land that this rat can be safely relocated to.
there are still houses in the country I live in the country and do not want peoples dump off problems if they are not a problem to the original person then leave it in your own yard...
 

webchirp

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Bleach 1:10 ratio is the only disinfectant should the mouse carry a virus (or rubbing alcohol). Make sure you rinse after. Research hantavirus people. I have had a mouse(s) get in the house and he is driving me crazy...I've sealed everything including any of my toy parts, papers, food etc. I can't keep the birds super clean and a mouse in their room scares the bee jee bees out of them. They end up very spooked/skiddish and Maui screams her head off when I pull papers from under her cage while just cleaning. There is a crack in the slab of my birdroom between the slab and foundation that I keep sealed with duct tape. I've been stuffing with steel wool where they chew through. Grrr, I wish I would have filled it before we moved in but we didn't have enough time to off gas. We did catch one. I had to use dark chocolate (electronic mouse trap). What is with these city mice...

They will eat your wiring and cause a lot of destruction. At the old house, we found several areas where the had chewed through wiring. One when we were replacing the roof and just happened to have to replace the rotted plywood under the shingles. The house could have burnt down. The wiring to the entry light was chewed and had a black ring around it where it was obviously sparking.

If you trap and release, make sure you are at least two miles from your home and anyone else's home. They'll be back if not.
 

Mohit Gaur

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Sorry everyone, there was a technical issue maybe, so I couldn't post. Site was logging me out again and again, cleared cache and now it seems to be fine. A few things...
1. It was a really little rat, cute and still I regret being soft with her!
2. It was caught and released in a distant land (Miles away)
3. No more rats as of now, will keep looking for them...
4. I wasn't taking it lightly, maybe I just presented it in a light way...It was really frightening to see that little rat close to shine!! I'll make sure I'm more serious and a bit cruel (kind of, but that doesn't mean animal cruelty) next time.
5. I'm still reading some of your posts :)
 

Brittany0208

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Actual dark chocolate? You could have caught me! :chocolate:
Ooo, especially the 70%-80% cacao! My favorite! Even if it does taste like earwax :roflmao:
 

Sylvester

Hit the Road
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there are still houses in the country I live in the country and do not want peoples dump off problems if they are not a problem to the original person then leave it in your own yard...
I don't know where you live, but I live in the Midwest, and there is plenty of open space and plenty of woods. Oh well, we will have to agree to disagree on this one.
 

Sylvester

Hit the Road
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Sorry everyone, there was a technical issue maybe, so I couldn't post. Site was logging me out again and again, cleared cache and now it seems to be fine. A few things...
1. It was a really little rat, cute and still I regret being soft with her!
2. It was caught and released in a distant land (Miles away)
3. No more rats as of now, will keep looking for them...
4. I wasn't taking it lightly, maybe I just presented it in a light way...It was really frightening to see that little rat close to shine!! I'll make sure I'm more serious and a bit cruel (kind of, but that doesn't mean animal cruelty) next time.
5. I'm still reading some of your posts :)
You did the right thing. The rat wasn't killed and your bird is now safe. Just find out where she got in and fix that.
 

webchirp

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faislaq

I have macaws and don't post enough pictures
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I'd keep you...no release for you!
Hey you have dark chocolate, a ton of cheekies, and live in a Luv Bug free environment. You'd have trouble making me leave! In fact, I'll even catch your fancy city mice to earn my keep. :laugh:
 
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