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
How Do Rats Use Pheromones To Communicate?
Releaser Pheromones:
Rats communicate using releaser pheromones to send information to other rats that they are in their own territory. Rats often urinate in areas to send information that they are ready to nurse or that a specific area where their nest is located is their own. Rats use these releaser pheromones to claim territory and to make sure that other rats will stay away.
Primer Pheromones:
Primer pheromones are designed to be excreted during the peak of fertility and this is the type of pheromone that sends sexual signals to males in the area. These scents are released in order to attract males and to make sure that the female is going to mate during a time where she is more than likely to conceive.
Primer pheromones are some of the main types of communication tools used by rats and it's one of the most powerful ones that can be sensed in the area. These responses are triggered by the area of the brain called the Vomeronasal and this refers to the overall sense that an adult male gets of the pheromone.
Information Pheromones:
These types of pheromones are designed to be useful for identifying something about the animals or about the area. Rats often use these to convey fear or to share information about an area. Certain species of rats can share information about a food source, safe space, and more with these types of pheromones. Most of the time informational pheromones are designed to identify the smell of other species and to warn other rats of dangers in the area.
Scientists are continuing to study rats to determine the total number of ways that they are able to communicate by pheromones alone.
