Predators And Pests

[Ratemymate 0]

hi all

 

wondering what predators and pests you have to deal with and how you go about managing the issue

 

here predator wise i get the following

- hawks (goshawks mainly)

- cats

 

pest wise I get mice from time to time, feral doves and have had rats in the past due to a neighbour clearing his yard, they were dealt with but and dont have a problem with them now

 

hawk wise ive put bird netting over mine lately since they have been hanging around a bit, we have quite a few feral doves here and the hawks normally get stuck into them but a few weeks ago we had a hawk kill one of my pieds, he was really game and not scared of ppl at all, i went out at night and flicked on a light and he flew down past the birds and landed on the kids swings!!! My guess is he is a rescue bird.. havent had him bothering me now for bit now so hopefully things go back to normal

 

cats, well they are self explanatory

 

the doves used to be shocking, when we first moved here there were litterally hundreds of them, they are the introduced one, wasnt uncommon to see hawks about a few times a day chasing them, had one take a dove about 12 inches above the missus head one time, that was awesome to see, had another dive into a big bush and come out with one etc

 

mice, well ive been hammering them, generally try to not use poison where i can and will trap before if i can, around the avairys i flood their home and kill them when the come out, its effective but you dont get all of them all the time

 

one thing i have found in the 20 odd years ive been into birds is that for mice control you need to take various methods in controlling them because they will figure out if somethings dangerous, the only thing i have not used is gas really

[Dave_McMinn 0]

My dogs means there is no cat problems.

 

I had rat problems due to a neighbours shed but baiting seems to have overcome that.

 

No hawk problems, an often problem with noisy minors scaring the birds, but not harming them.

 

Mice are always a problem. I use live traps, pellets and a mixture of other solutions. I do not think there is a definitive way to overcome them, but I agree it is important to vary the strategies.

[GenericBlue 0]

wind is my biggest pest

[rachelm 0]

So far MICE. I have an old aviary with a couple of tiny gaps where they were getting in. All fixed now and no sign of mice for a while now. I also have a live trap inside aviary.

[Ratzy 0]

I have no pest except maybe the sparrows that come and chirp at them. And the wasp that was in the cage ( my budgies kept trying to grab it mid air and eat it ) but I don't think that was really harmful. Mice can't get into the cage as it is suspended.

[**KAZ** 0]

You can stop mice getting in by having tin up the sides of the aviary...floor upwards to a height of at least two feet ( 60cms ), Check all crevices at roof level as they will come in where the metal corrugations have bumps.

Bear in mind any mouse can get through standard aviary mesh as they can get through any hole thats around 10mm diameter. The average wooden baitbox for mice uses a 10mm hole so that tells you mice can easily get through a gap that size. Anything a mouse can get its head through, the body will easily follow.

Mice can climb up any mesh, wood or bricks to get to a place they can get in. They can walk upside down and drop into seed dishes suspended from a wire ceiling. They can get into any seed dishes hung up off the wire sides of an aviary.

Solution......dont hang seed dishes off the wire sides of an aviary. Dont have seed dishes on the floor of an aviary.

Best way to serve seed in an aviary that mice cant get to is on a pedestal set up ......a shiny metal leg setup that mice cannot climb. Bricks or wood they will climb.

Rats run along fence lines and get on any aviaries that are up against fences.

Rats and mice will dig into or tunnel into any soil floor aviary. First sign of mice in an aviary is often sick birds from contaminated food sources. First sign rats have got into an aviary is sttressed and sick birds and carcasses of dead birds with heads ripped off and their chests eaten out.

Solution ? Concrete floors or paving slabs.

Snakes snakes can and do get into aviaries and breeding rooms. They can be found inside the breeding cages of various breeding rooms .....often in the process of swallowing a family of budgies.

Solution.......seal all gaps. Control mice and rats. Make sure all seed debris is cleaned up.

Hawks.............. an external layer of bird netting spread wide around an aviary affected by hawk attacks. Hawks will slam into the aviary wire and can kill a couple of birds in one hit as their talons pierce the birds on the wire. They can then pull the bodies or parts of them through the wire.

Cats

cats rarely go onto a yard or at aviaries when there are dogs in the yard.

Solution..........keep a dog in the yard.

 

My thoughts.

Edited June 13, 2010 by KAZ

[Taboo 0]

Yep my dog loves cats

I bait all year round for rats and mice.