# Attack on Aviary



## Lain (Feb 16, 2016)

Hello everyone, I'm sorry I haven't been active for a while, I've been extremely busy with work. 
Earlier this afternoon I made a heartbreaking discovery. When I got home at around 3:50pm, I went to check on my outdoor birds as usual. Nothing in the world could have prepared me for what I found in the gouldian aviary. 
My poor birds had been attacked, all 4 finches and 2 quails dead. I will not describe the gruesome scene, however, there is no doubt that something had fed on them. 
I was and still am extremely distraught, and I immediately my roommate. 
He came home from work early and helped me to deal the trauma. 
It is still unclear what exactly was responsible but we do suspect rats. There are a few aspects of the ordeal that do not really point to rats buy in any case, we were hoping that, taking into consideration the following findings/ aspects, you could either confirm this theory or come up with a new one. *please note I have left out most details of the bird's condition, unless they are necessary as they may be too upsetting for some-if you do wish to know, and if everyone complies I will explain*

Birds not yet stiff
One finch appeared fine but was still deceased
This bird still warm at 4:40pm
Bones were consumed
Guinea pigs were not affected and seemed unphased(they have free range of the yard)
Cat was outside entire day
Happened between 1:55pm- 3:30pm
Roommate did not hear anything before leaving for work at 1:55
Would have had to have been fast to catch finches
Only main aviary was affected (this aviary is a double door aviary, and three quails are housed in the first compartment, these were fine)
Most likely would have needed to be able to climb
Quail Eggs were not eaten
Little disturbance in branches and bark
However a thick piece of bark was cracked as if something heavy stood on it
No faecal matter left by attacker
No teeth/gnaw marks present anywhere in aviary (that we can see)
Latches of doors were still done up
Neither door was open
Inside of aviary is lined with bricks, slats on wood rest upon bricks meaning that the aviary floor is raised around 7cmoff the ground
Only one small hole in corner approx 4cm x 2cm in size, but was covered with bark and sand
Seed was not eaten
Otherwise no other known entrances
If it was to come from that hole, would have had to burrow under aviary first
Side Gate was locked and yard is completely sealed
Live in coastal Queensland, Australia

We have ruled out cats, foxes, possums, bats and wild birds as there are no holes large enough for them to enter and exit again, our pet cat would also be spooked, and nothing apart from the birds have been disturbed. Also keep in mind it occurred during the day. 
We have also crossed off snakes, as entire birds were not swallowed, and after feeding, snakes become lethargic and do not move as they digest their meals, meaning that it would still be in the aviary. 

I am still upset and it is bothering me even more that things aren't adding up, and I'm determined to find out the culprit.

The two two photos were taken after removing all substrate. They are to show the possible entry and also if you're unsure what I mean but the avriay floor being raised. 
The others are photos I took only yesterday of the beautiful birds that were killed.
Also if anything I've said makes you uncomfortable please let me know and I will edit.


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## JRS (Sep 3, 2016)

Lain
So sorry that you had to come home to that scene and hope you can can get some answers soon to make things safe as much as possible.
I'm from England so very unfamiliar with your flora & fauna but just thought I add a suggestion - it might be a good idea to ask a reputable pest control company to come out and assess your aviary set up. They'll be the people who know very well the unbelievably small spaces that creatures can get through and have a lot of past experience to draw on.
Best of luck


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## Lain (Feb 16, 2016)

Thank you very much for your condolences. 
I think that you may be right and that I do need to get pest control to come examine the aviary and hopefully help me figure out what it was that is responsible. 
I will look for a trustworthy organisation in the morning.


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## FaeryBee (May 9, 2011)

*I'm very sorry for your losses, 
I hope the animal control and/or pest control organizations in your area can help you determine the cause and how to prevent any additional problems in the future.*


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## Lain (Feb 16, 2016)

Thank you again for your sympathies.
It really is horrible and it is still so surreal that 6 of my birds, including the two babies finches that were only just beginning to colour up are gone for good. It will feel so weird tomorrow to not need to go outside and feed them, and instead to see an empty aviary.


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## RavensGryf (May 8, 2015)

I am terribly sorry to hear of this tragedy . I can surely understand your emotions and shock over this. Please accept my condolences for your loss. I agree with the suggestions made above, and I hope that you will be able to find an answer. :hug:


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

I am so sorry you came home to this.

A similar thing happened to a big finch breeder friend of mine a number of years ago in the lower Blue Mountains near Sydney. He came home to find more than half his finches wiped out. He also could not see a hole big enough for a rat or anything to get through. It turned out to be a small carnivorous marsupial which I think was called an Antechinus which is a type of marsupial mouse.

But rats can get through an incredibly small space, can chew through the mortar between bricks and get through that gap. They can chew through concrete of at least 3 inches. I stopped that problem by breaking up glass bottles and putting them on the ground before laying the concrete. Rats cannot chew through the glass. And rats are not just around after dark. They will hunt in the daytime as well.


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## StarlingWings (Mar 15, 2013)

Lain, I'm devastated for you and your flock. 

I can't imagine how it must have felt to come home to this. I wish I could offer you more insight, but all I can say is how very sorry I am. You have my sincere condolences for this tragedy. 

I hope that soon you are able to get some answers as to what happened. ray:


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## Lain (Feb 16, 2016)

Thank you everyone for your kind words, it really means a lot to me. 
This morning when I went to check the aviary for any more signs, I did find some kind of rodent faeces inside. It seems as though the attacker returned, lucky I brought the other quails inside. 
Kate, would you happen to know if Antechinus are present in QLD ?
I called up a pest control groups also, and from the details I gave, they too thought that rats were the only things capable of an act like this one. 
It is weird though, we have not ever seen rats on our side of the fence, but ever since our neighbours got a snake removed, they've complained that the number of rats in their chicken coop have increased, so they've probably come from there. 
In any case, the pest control group explained that unfortunately not a lot cannot be done on their part, as the aviary is wooden and would soak up the chemicals making it potentially toxic for the quails, budgies, my cat and guinea pigs if we move them back in/ over that side of the house. 
They did say, however, that there were several things we could do ourselves that would not harm the pets, and have been known to successfully treat rat problems in most occasions.
The options they gave me were;
-trap them 
-snap trap them 
-bait them 
-plant mint around the area or scatter mint leaves
-gather cat urine, faeces or soiled cat litter and place it in containers inside and around the side of the house
-crush eucalyptus leaves everywhere in that part of our yard
-dip cotton buds into peppermint oil
-dip cotton buds into caster oil
-put citronella candles around the area
So we can see if it's working, we were also told to put some kind of food favoured by rats.
They then said that once all the rats were gone, we should try to fill any gaps with steel wool. 
As we do not particularly like harming animals (although it will be difficult we understand that we may have to), my roommate and I have opted for planting mint and collecting soiled cat litter in containers.
We will check in the morning to see if there are any fresher droppings and if the food has been eaten.

Fingers crossed it works, I would most definitely *not* like a repeat with the budgies and other quails.


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## JRS (Sep 3, 2016)

Best of luck Lain, I can appreciate that it's going to be tricky to repel the rats whilst still allowing your other pets freedom. Hopefully you can get your neighbour onboard too!


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## Kate C (Oct 15, 2007)

Yes Lain they are. And there is one species that appears to be found now in more built up areas. The Black Tailed Antechinus was thought to be only found in more elevated areas but they have recently been found on the Gold Coast.

While I don't condone any sort of cruelty to animals unfortunately with rats the only way to protect your birds is to kill the rats. Remember they are not only dangerous to our animals they are also dangerous to us. Where I used to live we had a huge rat problem and I lost many of my beautiful birds to them. When you see one of your beloved birds that you have hand raised from a young age and was literally your best friend, killed by one your sympathy for rats goes out the window. I ended up getting industrial bait stations to put around as I was worried about my dogs and cat getting a bait. You can get them from Bunnings, they are the large black ones that you often see in industrial complexes and they require a special key to open them. They are designed so that no poison can be transported out of the station and dropped where another animal could get it. Remember that there is never just one rat, there will be a whole colony of them even if you don't see them and they breed very rapidly. Chickens are the biggest attraction for rats as their food is often in open containers or ones that are easily accessible for rats so if your neighbour is prepared to put out some of the bait stations too it will ease both your problems. It is obvious that that is why the snake was living there as he had a ready supply of food.

While it may be a nice theory that all animals have a right to live and survive we would be better off with no rats. They can cause a disease called Leptospirosis and can affect all our animals and us. It is passed on by contact with fresh water, wet soil or vegetation contaminated by urine of an infected animal. In its second phase it can cause things like Kidney failure and meningitis. It is also a notifiable disease.

Live trapping of rats and taking them somewhere else to release is not a solution. Often you are only moving the problem to some other people. These rats are not native to Australia but were introduced here during colonization, even though it was accidental as they jumped from the ships when they arrived here. They are extremely dangerous to our native birds and animals. They will kill off our native marsupial rats and mice who do not usually attack our birds and animals as their diet is different to the domestic rat. Our native ones would have to be desperate for food to attack our birds. When my friends aviary was attacked it was during the long drought we had here and there was very little or none of their normal food to eat.

I am sorry if others don't agree with my opinions but they have never seen the destruction that rats have caused like I have. Remember they will also get into our homes as they are particularly partial to our food, but they also like to chew electrical wiring which in turn can fuse and cause our homes to catch fire.


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## Lain (Feb 16, 2016)

I do understand what you are saying Kate. 
We are going to try everything else first, and hopefully we won't have to resort to killing the rats. 
But like I said, if nothing works, I will take further action against them, even if it means that they need to be exterminated.


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