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
City Subways And The Presence Of Rats
Rats, like pigeons, badgers, and foxes thrive in urban environments, even moving to these places. Cities are full of garbage dumps, abandoned lands, and sewers that can provide a cozy burrow for rats to live in and raise their families. Human beings have provided the perfect conditions for the well-being of this species.
Sewers And Rats
Sewers can provide everything needed for an exponential multiplication of rodents. The problem is that the more rats there are, the more they need food, so to get it they will be severely aggressive towards each other. This aggressiveness and the search for new food sources can cause serious damage to the city.
Rats Are The Real Infection
These rodents are known for carrying bacteria that cause infectious diseases leading humans to death. Something similar occurs with rats when they spread through sewers, subways, garbage dumps, and train tracks.
Rats survive thanks to the mountains of garbage in the city and play a vital role in reducing this waste. However, wiring or holes and infrastructure problems can be just some of the catastrophic consequences for the city's subway system.
Super-rats
Humans love junk food and in big cities, high-calorie garbage has given the rats that eat it the energy they need to grow exorbitantly even creating resistance to some rat poisons.
The well-being of citizens begins with professional pest control combined with a mind-set of not throwing garbage into the environment. Briefly, if there is neither food nor garbage, there are no rats. The fewer rats there are in places like the subway, the fewer rats will be able to reach homes. The more we take care of the city, the fewer health problems or economic damage there will be.
