Hillsborough County, Tampa Rat Control Situation:
To Whom It May Concern: How can I find out what could have gotten into my screened in porch, up on a table and into a closed bird cage and killed my canary? The flooring has boards that are at the most 1/2 inch opening. The rest is fully screened with no holes anywhere. My canary was covered in its cage and when I took its cover off the next morning, he was lying dead on the bottom, so I picked him up and looked at him. There were feathers everywhere and he had been partially eaten from the bottom. I wrapped him in a napkin and laid him outside the cage, planning to bury him later. I was so shook up. The next morning I went to get him and put him in a box to bury and he was gone but the napkin was still there intact. I found the remains of his feathers beside an upright freezer I have on the porch. If you have any idea what kind of creature could access a 1/2 inch space to invade my porch and kill my canary, or know anyone else I could contact to find out, please reply. I am really stressed out over this whole ordeal. My canary has had free run of my porch for at least 6 months. He was a beautiful singer and always went to his cage at nightfall to be covered until morning. I need to know what I am dealing with. I would appreciate your reply ASAP. Bonnie
Hmm, my best guess is a Norway Rat, although this is still an unusual case.Hi David, Thank you for your response to my dilemma. I live in the Tampa Bay Florida area. Can this rat climb through a 1/2 slot? Also, I realized that my screen door is flexible as it is made of a plastic material. My sister told me to push on the bottom of the screen door and see if that is where they might have gotten in and sure enough, it pushes in a few inches. Someone else told me it may have been a mink, as I live a few yards from a river. Does that sound feasible to you, David?
A mink or weasel! I hadn't considered that, but that's a better guess than a rat.
Thanks David! How big do these rats get? I have bird seed on my porch and I noticed something has been shelling the sunflower seeds inside the bag and also I found several shells in the corner of the porch.
I don't think I have any real help to offer you. Try sealing off the opening, I guess.
Tampa Rat Control Tip of The Week
Why Do Pest Control Companies Do A Bad Job With Poisons When It Comes To Removing Rats?
Aside from not being able to get all the rats, there are many reasons why we don't feel satisfied when a pest control company uses poison in removing rats. At times, things end up worse than they were, with other issues coming up. Using poison on rats brings about more jobs for you as a homeowner.
Think of the poisoned rats that die in the open - what happened to them? The poisons used by pest control companies lead to massive internal bleeding. The affected rodents often end up bleeding out and dying anywhere the poison takes full effect. Imagine getting rid of the rat, and later having to deal with a bloody rat lying on your kitchen counter or your carpet?
This makes you feel like the pest control company has done an incomplete job. You will be forced to put on your gloves, grab a collection tool, and a plastic bag to collect the dead rats.
Aside from that, there might be some blood splotches to clean up. This needs to be done properly, as they pose a health risk to the household. After going through all this, you are faced with the problem of how to safely get rid of the bag - having a dead and decaying rat in your dumpster may bring other kinds of pests. You end the rat infestation with poison only to start a different problem with different pests.
Aside from the stress that comes with cleaning up after a dead rat, what happens if the rat does not eat the pest control company's poison? They can't force the rats to eat it.
When the rats do not eat these poisons, it can harm anything else that comes in contact with it including, children, pets, and other wildlife creatures.
Using rat poison as a method to remove rats leaves you wondering, is such a precarious pest control method worth it?