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View Full Version : Attacked by a rat :/



tonkatiel
09-10-2013, 07:28 AM
So I've been putting off sharing this as I feel so terrible - especially after saying just the other day how much I love my birds and that I'll make sure they all have fantastic long lives...

On Thursday night last week I woke up to Skittles (my newest Fid, the lorikeet) screaming... I ran out to the loungeroom to find a rat trying to pull him out of his cage by his wing... I live on a farm and I've always known we had rats outside in the sheds and what not, but I have NEVER seen evidence of them being inside, and had (stupidly) never thought my birds were in any danger from them...
Anyway, he was definitely stressed and in shock... I had lent my car to a friend the day before (and she then refused to answer her phone all night grrr!!!!) so I wasn't able to take him to the vet and our local vets will only do out of hours house calls if its to do with cattle :/ so I waited for him to calm down a bit, cleaned the wound (on the top of his wing, if he were human I would probably call it his shoulder), and then sat there in tears holding him for the rest of the night pretty much just waiting for him to pass...
After a few hours it was obvious he wasn't going anywhere quickly so I put him in a small cage next to my bed... He had a big feed and drink and then fell asleep perched on a branch... I decided these were all good signs so I tried to get some sleep...
Woke up a few hours later and then got a friend to drive us to the vet as soon as they opened... they gave his wing a proper clean and prescribed antibiotics to fight off any infections the rat might have shared... Skittles was stretching and flapping his wings lots which they said was great news as it meant there was no serious damage to his wing...
We went to a regular vet, as the closest avian vet is 4 hours away and with Skittles already stressed I wasn't sure how well he'd cope with the long drive. I've been to this vet with my other fids before though (just for the new bird health checks) and he seems very knowledgeable about avian health compared to what I've heard about other regular vets...

Anyway, Skittles seems to be doing well, he's just as friendly (and crazy) as always, is eating and drinking fine, 'cleaning' his wound, climbing around his temporary small cage a lot etc... He can't fly at the moment but he does keep trying, but he cant really gain any height and just drops :( I spoke to my vet earlier and he said thats normal but if I'm still worried at the end of the week I should take him back and they'll maybe put him under anesthetic so they can have a better look...

I know (and hope!) that rat attacks on companion parrots aren't that common - but just wondering if anyone has been through anything similar with there fids and able to tell me if the not being able to fly thing is temporary or not... I'm also wondering if maybe I should tape his wing to discourage him from trying to use it until its healed? I was meant to ask the vet earlier and completely forgot...

Sorry this is so long... I haven't decided yet if me or Skittles was in more shock when it happened lol, I'm just so happy he's still with me. I was absolutely devastated when it happened and just kept thinking that I hadn't even had him for a week yet and maybe everyone was right when they said I need to stop getting birds. If I hadn't bought him he'd either be safe with the breeder still, or with different parronts who don't have horrible bird eating rats...
I've already started looking for somewhere else to live... We're renting so its reasonably easy to move - my partner isn't too happy about it, but I can't risk this happening again...

ShellyBorg
09-10-2013, 07:38 AM
When I worked at the zoo rats where a huge issue. Sticky traps along the baseboard everywhere near the cages will catch anything trying to get at them. Rats will not leave the wall, they always travel with one shoulder touching. Safer for them that way. Out of all the traps on the market these large sticky worked the best. For out side you can get 35 gal trash cans and place a stick across the top with some cooked meat hanging from a string in the middle. Put a board so they can run up on the outside. They fall in and can not get out. Dispose of them as you see fit after that.

Turquoise
09-10-2013, 08:50 AM
I am so glad to hear that Skittles is doing well. I can sure understand you & Skittles being very shook up. :th_hug8:

I haven't had any troubles with rats getting into my home except once and that was several years before I had parrots again. I do live in the country and we have them outside. Wished I had the answers to your questions, but since I have not had to go through this I can only sympathize with you.I am happy to know that your vet is well versed on avian care. It is so hard to find a good avian vet here in the states also.

Don't blame yourself for this. Rats are crafty creatures and will get into any place they want to. You are a good parront and just think about how much Skittles loves you and brightens your day. This or worse could easily have happened to Skittles if he had another parront or stayed with his breeder. I hope Skittles regains the use of his flying skills. It probably just needs to heal really well.

Honesty
09-10-2013, 09:54 AM
I am so sorry to hear about Skittles awful ordeal with the Rat. I will keep my fingers crossed that he continues to do well without any after effects!

spiritbird
09-10-2013, 01:08 PM
Skittles must be so scared. Hope you can find a new place or an exterminator to deal with the rats. Glad Skittles legs or feet were not touched.

coltfire
09-10-2013, 01:45 PM
tonkatiel , one of my properties i had , had a huge rat problem, and would get into the aviary no matter how much i tried to rat proof it, i lost a few smaller birds, then was told about the bin and meat but i quarter filled it with water and sump oil once in the bin they were gone and dead, it took me 3 months to finally get a night with out rats, but it worked and kept them away, did not lose any more birds

Debra
09-10-2013, 02:26 PM
Oh, my! What a frightening night. I'm so glad Skittles is doing well. I don't have any advice for the flying as I've not had this happen before. I, too, live out in the country but have only seen one mouse in my house one time and that was before outside cats. We now keep cats outside (they come in for wet food in the mornings -- so spoiled) at all times and they've brought us many rodents as presents. One time, they brought in a live mouse and let it loose! The cat caught it before it got away so I carried the cat which carried the mouse outside and told the cat to take care of that present. lol

Animalman2046
09-10-2013, 06:25 PM
So sorry to hear about Skittles and your terrible scare with the rat. I know it must have scared you to death and poor Skittles. I would suggest you keep in close touch with the vet. Continue what your doing and maybe try the sticky traps but moving might not really solve the problem of the rats so maybe just try other alternatives to get rid of the pest. Is Skittles the only bird you have? Maybe putting him into a smaller cage at nite in your bedroom might help. Good lucki and keep us posted.

tonkatiel
09-10-2013, 09:50 PM
Thanks everyone...
We called in pest control the day after this happened but they were pretty useless. Apparently the only thing they could do was put bait down, which is something we can't do because we have dogs that spend the majority of their time outside... We can put the bait where the dogs can't get to it but we're worried they'll eat the dead rats :/ with the bucket and meat idea we've pretty much got the same problem, the dogs will just eat the meat... we've never really been bothered by the rats before, they normally stay in the sheds away from the house and just kind of mind their own business, so we've never seen them as a problem before...
We've had Skittles and Punky sleeping in our room since it happened. The other birds I'd move them too but my bedroom just won't fit them :( the others have much smaller bar spacing on there cages so I'm hoping that means the rat won't be able to reach through to the birds. I've also been putting the glue traps on the floor around the cages at night though just in case... I've also got normal rat traps set up in the kitchen... So far haven't caught any (or heard any) so I'm hoping it was just a once off - but I'm still losing sleep over it, wondering every night whether I've done enough to keep the birds safe, so I'm still hoping to move. Moving might not fix the problem but we've always lived in farm houses and this is the only one we've had rats, even if they are mainly only in the shed...

Mare
09-11-2013, 03:47 AM
EEKS! I've had pet rats growing up and know that they are super smart animals. I've only seen one wild rat where I live, and it was dead, drug up onto the deck by one of our cats. Do you have outdoor cats? I hope little Skittles pulls through without too many issues :)

Blancaej
09-11-2013, 12:43 PM
So sorry to hear about Skittles terrifying accident. Please don't blame yourself. Things like this are out of our control. Especially since you never had a problem before! Skittles will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Sent from my HTC6435LVW using Tapatalk 2

coltfire
09-11-2013, 12:56 PM
How is Skittles, recovery going ATM .

tonkatiel
09-12-2013, 05:21 AM
He seems to be going well and has finally (I think) understood that he needs to stop trying to fly for now. He's still flapping his wings a lot and 'exercising' them, but no longer trying to fly from my head! I had begun to panic at the idea of even letting him out of his cage because I was so worried he'd fly and hurt himself - but at the same time felt absolutely terrible because he's in a very small cage at the moment (at the vets recommendation) so was still letting him out a lot... I do have high hopes that he'll have full use of his wing once its healed though, the last time he flew from my head it was like watching a clipped bird who's feathers had started to grow back, so he didn't just drop like he had been, and I'm taking that as a great sign :)
Hes still as happy as ever, loves climbing everything (including me), loves his head scritches and is learning how to wolf whistle ;)
I'm kind of in more shock now that he's still with me and happy, than I was when it happened :/ at the time I was so sure he wouldn't make it :(
I'll try and get some photos later so you can see the damage...

Turquoise
09-12-2013, 07:10 AM
Oh, glad to hear Skittles is doing so well already. Such a good sign when they accept having to do things a bit different til they heal completely.

I do hope Skittles & you never have to go through this or something as terrifying again. :th_hug8:

Blancaej
09-12-2013, 12:31 PM
Glad to hear Skittles is doing well! :th_biggrin:

tonkatiel
09-12-2013, 11:04 PM
Woke up this morning to find that one of my budgies had passed away :'( no evidence of it being a rat, not even a mark on him... I dont have a clue what happened, he seemed perfectly fine when I went to bed last night, plenty of food and fresh water in the cage... His girlfriend seems a bit out of sorts this morning, but is eating and drinking fine so I'm hoping its just that shes lost her mate and that she's not going to die as well :(
I don't know if I've done something wrong - they had health checks straight away after they came home and they were both healthy. I don't use any type of nonstick cookware, air fresheners or any other type of smelly stuff, and there cage and bowls are cleaned everyday. He was only 6 months old and had a diet of fresh food, pellets and seed...
Absolutely devastated - they haven't been with us long but I still got attached and still feel like its my fault even though I have no idea why it happened :(

RIP Charlie xx

coltfire
09-12-2013, 11:05 PM
he just needs a lot of TLC for a little while, so glad he is doing better and lets hope he gets full use of his wing back.