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
Are Dogs Good at Keeping Rats Away?
Having rat problems automatically comes with the need to get rid of them. If you have a similar challenge in your home, chances are that you are already thinking about getting the natural enemy of rats to help keep them away. While cats seem to be the most commonly used animal when it comes to keeping rats away, dogs can also play a similar role and even do it better.
There is no denying the fact that cats are great at keeping rats away, but these animals are opportunistic hunters, which simply means that they only kill rats when they see one. Also, as they become older, they begin to develop a lackadaisical attitude towards the hunting and catching of rats.
But in the case of dogs, their hunting spirit becomes fiercer each passing day, and they can be quite aggressive hunters. Also, when dogs become familiar with you, they become territorial and will do everything possible to satisfy you. The moment the dog figures out that you want it to help keep rats away, it will work tirelessly to get this done and will always be on the lookout to catch a passing rat.
To take advantage of the supreme hunting skills of dogs, all you need to do is to get a breed of dog that is very active and train it to follow your commands. Once you can do that, the dog will help keep rats away from your home.
