Jacarini fledgling?

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toothlessjaws
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toothlessjaws wrote: 25 Apr 2017, 12:19
starman wrote: 24 Apr 2017, 11:34 tlj, have you checked every nook and cranny in the aviary?.....
Thanks Starman, the night before last I heard my birds panicking in the holding aviary just as i was getting ready for bed. turned on teh light and saw a large rat scurry away along the fence line. Seeing a rat is nothing new - The house directly behind is a large weatherboard home which is uninhabited (and has been for years) and much to my chagrin, is a constant source of rats. However they never ordinarily bother the birds - I have never had any evidence of them in the holding aviary (the breeding aviary i build myself and is vermin proof) and they seem to just fight it out with the possums and bats for the rights to the large orange tree that grows up the back. I relatively regularly bait them. But i found it odd that one appeared to be bothering the birds. so i followed your suggestion today and sure enough found the orange breast fledgling - wedged in some bushes a partially devoured orange breast that can only be the work of the rat!

He's either getting in through 10mm wire or slipping under gap around the door frame which is slightly larger. Its definitely not digging under as i have 6mm wire floor underneath. The OB fledglings are prob 2 weeks old now - wondering if i should just remove all the birds and place in cabinets until i have the time to do some major renovations (or just build a new) aviary. The chicks are still begging for food but are quite large now and very well feathered. pretty sure parents are feeding mostly seed. As they have lost interest in the maggots.

I find rodents intolerable and to date have never had a problem with them in any of the cages i've built myself.

in other news baby Jacarini is doing fine.
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starman
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toothlessjaws wrote: 25 Apr 2017, 12:19
starman wrote: 24 Apr 2017, 11:34 tlj, have you checked every nook and cranny in the aviary?.....
- wedged in some bushes a partially devoured orange breast that can only be the work of the rat!
tlj.....not exactly the fairy tale ending we were hoping for but I think that if that rat could get in once he can certainly do it again. It may be wise to move the birds until you can find its point of entry rather than risk further loss.

Good luck,
Sm.
Avid student of Estrildids in aviculture.
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Tiaris
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Suggestion re door opening: On exterior aviary doors I usually rivet or screw some galvanised 90deg angle iron around the interior of the doorframe as a flat door jamb onto which the door can close with no gap.
I personally believe the greater than 10mm door gap with extra width would allow smaller rats entry by squeezing through. Also don't underestimate their ability to push open unfixed joins between laserlite sheets, aviary mesh & the like too. Good luck.
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toothlessjaws
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Tiaris wrote: 25 Apr 2017, 19:27 Suggestion re door opening: On exterior aviary doors I usually rivet or screw some galvanised 90deg angle iron around the interior of the doorframe as a flat door jamb onto which the door can close with no gap.
I personally believe the greater than 10mm door gap with extra width would allow smaller rats entry by squeezing through. Also don't underestimate their ability to push open unfixed joins between laserlite sheets, aviary mesh & the like too. Good luck.
great suggestion for an easy fix Tiaris. i'll do that.
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