# zomg MICE!



## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 22, 2008)

They're compeltely overrunning my Rabbitry! Just as i'm feeding I cansee up to 3 at one time scurrying the floor. They're not even afraid of me anymore! they run right over my shoes! They eat any dropped foodi nthe trays and even climb into their food bowls and just sit and eat! I have ally my feed locked up in bins and I keep the floor swept but I can't account for everything. I've been setting mousetraps but they jsut disappear! How can a mousetrap disappear!? Especially when I had it in an enclosed box? I don't understand this! 

Tonight was the last straw. They're just zooming all over the place. I found 2 old mousetraps and set them with some peanut butter. As i'm watering I can see both traps in plain sight. With mice eating off of both of them but the mice are too small it seems to set the darn things off. I even had two older mice fighting ON TOP OF a freaking trap and it wouldn't go off! But it's so hair sensitive I actually squished my thumb while setting it. (yeah....ouch...)

You may have also read about my special needs bunny, Dale...who has splayed legs. The vet told me it looked like a spinal problem and that he was paralyzed, but whe nthey asked for $200 for an xray I just kind of laughed and left. They said there was nothing they could do anyways. So I kept Dale in his own big 36 X 24 cage and kept it heavily bedded with hay. He ate and pooped and even half-binkied so I assumed he was happy and healthy as he could be and I didn't see the need to do anything more. This spring I planned on building him a wheelchair so he can zoom!

If he was indeed paralyzed, then it would make sense that he couldn't feel his hind legs. And as I was feeding tonight, Dale was his usual self, eating and scooting along in his cage. Then I noticed later what damage the mice had done. They had actually eaten portions of his paralyzed legs. I thought there was a piece of light colored hay lying across his legs but....it wasn't. It was bone. And I got so sick My breakfast came back to haunt me. At that moment I was just so very afraid and disturbed. The damage was so bad.... we just thoguht it would be best to euthanize Dale., and now he can binky free in a world where his legs are fine and whole and strong. I think his spirit is genuinely happier now, no longer confined to his body and living conditions.

I hate mice. They've put me through some serious crap. I still feel so very sick over Dale and what happened. I need a way to kill them all. Poison and sticky paper aren't an option, I don't want poisoned bodies lying aroudn where i'll never find them and being s tuck to a sheet of paper is just too inhumane, I wouldn't knwo what to do if and when I foudn them alive and upset. 

Mandi is lending me her trap, which is a box you bait with peanut butter and when something touches the floor, it gets electrocuted. She says its worked for her but she's only ever had one mouse in her rabbit house, and how her rabbitry consists of her brother's dirt bike trailor, its all stainless steel and insolated. She says she has no more need for the tra pat the mometn so she's bringing it over tomorrow. 

I also had a rat in my rabbitry the other day. Head to tail he was about 15 inches long. I was feeding one of my french lops and just as I dumped her food in, this rat goes ZOOMing across the back of the cage and instyinctively I cursed very loudly and grabbed her aroudn the middle nad drug her fat arse out of there and shut the door, trapping the rat inside. I couldn't understand how he got in there! He obviously couldnt' get out and the holes were so small compared to his body. I wanted it to die and i knew that would be best but.... I had no idea how to go about it. And Iw as like ''My cat hasa rabies shot!'' so I was like '' MErcy....get the rat!'' and she just stared at me and meowed until I let her go. Then the rat made a break for it and tried to squeeze through the cage bars and got stuck and Erron reached in and grabbed his tail and flung him in a box. Then I called Matt and told him I had some snake food for him. Problem solved! But..

My question being.... any more suggestions on what to do about the mice? I feel so so awful that my rabbits have to live in these condition and share their living space with mice! Mice don't scare me, wild mice nauseate me. I just think about al lthe disease and ....ugh gross. To imagine that around my babies is just...maddening and heartbreaking. 

They are going down. For Dale.


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## tundrakatiebean (Jan 22, 2008)

:shock:holy poop! You are a braver woman than I.

If the traps work the best bait is a dog cookie with peanut butter or cheese on it... Other than that I have no good info on getting rid of rats

Good luck!


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## missyscove (Jan 22, 2008)

Wow... just wow. 
I have no advice... we don't really have mice/rats here, well, we do at school, but that's another story.
I wish you the best of luck in your search for a solution.


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## FallingStar (Jan 22, 2008)

Holy Cow!! Maybe borrow some cats from friends and let them run around and get some of the mice.:biggrin2:

And just set traps. A mouse trap disappeared? What?! That's pretty werid. Tricky mice you got there. 

Well that's all I got. I hope they find a new home to live in.


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## okiron (Jan 22, 2008)

Aww poor Dale.


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## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 22, 2008)

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6qWgySdVVg[/ame]

I kept thinking of this video, ITs getting there.


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## tundrakatiebean (Jan 22, 2008)

that is foul....


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## JadeIcing (Jan 22, 2008)




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## BlueGiants (Jan 22, 2008)

We had a problem anumber ofyears ago when the neighbor had her chickens and didn't keep them very well. Norway rats... We got bait stations and poison. The poison was inside the bait stations and no other animal could get to it (dogs, cats, etc.) Of course a little peanut butter smeared on the poison encouraged them to try it. It took care of the problem within two weeks. Everything was gone. I have nothing against rats or mice, except when they try to live with my rabbits.


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## gentle giants (Jan 22, 2008)

That video is like the freakin scariest thing I have ever seen. Those poor pigs! 

Jak, I have had situations similar to yours, although I don't think I've ever had a trap disapear. Mabye you got a rat in it, and it dragged it off? There are multiple catch traps, I know those have worked well for us in the past. Here is one site for them: http://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/mouse-traps.htm#nonwindup

Here is another brand that is similar. http://www.tomcatbrand.com/product/22-live-catch-mouse-trap

You can find lots of different kinds by doing a search for "multiple catch mouse traps" and you can get humane traps or otherwise if you want. I hope that helps, mouse problems can be so frustrating!


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## Bramblerose (Jan 23, 2008)

I have three words for you-Jack Russell Terrier, a Cairn Terrier would do a bang up job as well, Doxies are excellant vermin killers as well. Cats are fine but will kill what they can eat and stop, dogs will just keep killing the vermin. Even large chickens(and sometimes smaller ones) will chase and devour small mice, they are little dinosaurs you know. Unless you want to go the poison and trap route you need to make use of a predater, and knock their numbers down drastically and keep the population under control. If it wasn't so cold I'd tell you how to make a water bucket trap, right now the water would just freeze. You could make a garbage can trap to catch mice, you put a ramp up to the top of the can, smear the slightest hint of peanut butter up the ramp, and a big gob in the bottom of the can. They fall in, can't get out, then of course you have to deal with them. I've seen 16 mice caught in such a trap overnight, its too high for mice to jump back out, but rats can. Once you've caught a bunch you can just put some poison bait in the can and set the lid on top, once they've eaten it and died someone esle can empty it out for you so you don't have to deal with them alive. That way there wouldn't be poison and dead rodents all over. Sounds nasty but when you have that kind of infestation you have to take drastic measures.

I'm terribly sorry about Dale, thats just horrible, I feel so bad for you.


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## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 23, 2008)

Its funny I do have a weener dog. But like you said it's just way too cold to leave him in there and he's actually inbred (from a bad breeder) and he's not mentally....right. And he has a bad history with small rabbits... And another dog isn't in my future, but a good idea none the less.

And I do know the water bucket trick. My uncle suggested that oen to me, it doesn't go below freezing my rabbit beac use it is heated. Althoguht once again if I fond a live mouse in there...I don't know what i'd do.

Althoguht you did give me a fascinating idea.. I have 3 chickens. In the summertime I would leave the rabbitry door open for venthillation and my hen, Gloria, was always in there eating hay seeds and such. But she'd make me mad because she loved to perch on my belgian cages and poop on my bunnies! So maybe I can lay some empty feed sacks on top of the cages to keep my bunnies clean...

Can chickens get rabies? 

Also I do have a space heater in the rabbitry I use for..well...heat. it has a safety feature in which it will turn off if tipped or if it leans on too far of an angle. I'm kind of woried about a short or something if it gets shat on. If I can find a way to secure my heater...I think the chicken idea would work great. And Rudy, Gloria, and Greta, would be fat and happy too!


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## undergunfire (Jan 23, 2008)

I do not agree with the killing of mice or rats, because even though they may be "wild" and do some bad things...they are still dear to my heart and I don't think they should die for doing what their instinct tells them to do.

I have no information to give you to keep them away, because I will not tell you to set traps or kill them off, but....


You do not need to worry about your rabbits/chickens getting rabies. A rat or a mouse will die from the initial bite from the carrier, before rabies even has time to "set in".


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## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 23, 2008)

I don't have a problem with rats or mice, I think they make great pets. But thats domestic rats and mice. And these ones are being quite destructive, instinct or not. In allowing them to continue I would lose more rabbits. And if I hae to choose between any member of my herd and a bunch of rodents....so be it i've chosen.


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## undergunfire (Jan 23, 2008)

*JAK Rabbitry wrote: *


> I don't have a problem with rats or mice, I think they make great pets. But thats domestic rats and mice. And these ones are being quite destructive, instinct or not. In allowing them to continue I would lose more rabbits. And if I hae to choose between any member of my herd and a bunch of rodents....so be it i've chosen.



Sorry, I was just letting you know that I didn't have any advice on how to "dispose" of them.

Just thought I would help out a little and tell you they can't get rabies, therefore...they can't pass it on.


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## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 23, 2008)

Yes its a big relief to know they can't rabie-tize my bunnies. Thanks for the de-stress.

-JAK


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## undergunfire (Jan 23, 2008)

*JAK Rabbitry wrote: *


> Yes its a big relief to know they can't rabie-tize my bunnies. Thanks for the de-stress.
> 
> -JAK



Your welcome. A lot of people just don't know they that die from the stress of the bite before ever receiving the rabies. To be honest, your rabbits or chickens won't get a "disease" from wild rats or mice. It's all myths , so you can be releived about that.

I am truely sorry about Dale, though . There was another case on the forum a while a go where someone's baby bunny(s) were attacked/eaten by wild rats. It is very sad, but the mice/rats don't understand what they are doing wrong. I do understand that it is frustrating though, and that you are afraid for them.

I hope you find a solution soon, and some of the mice/rats can move onto some where else.


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## Jenson (Jan 23, 2008)

Oh my God, that is horrific! I'm so sorry. I know how frustrating it is, I had rabbits killed by a rat, and kept losing rabbits suddenly while it was in my shed. The vets were pretty certain they were dying from bacteria from the rat. I lost all my best rabbits, the ones I had bought to show, and watching so many rabbits I loved die and then have their bodeis half eaten if I didn't bury them fast enough was really heartbreaking, I even considered giving them up because I couldn't stand it anymore. 

Anyway, my boyfriend had a mice problem in his house and he had a good way of catching them. Put a toliet roll tube on the edge of a work surface, hanging halfway off the edge and put some food at the end, put a plastic bin underneath...the mice walk into the tube to get it and the tube falls into the bin. He caught pretty much the whole family this way, and I took them home on the bus to let them go in the fields.

I hope you can get it sorted quickly.


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## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 23, 2008)

*haha how innovative. Though rides like that make me sick. 


Jenson wrote: *


> Anyway, my boyfriend had a mice problem in his house and he had a good way of catching them. Put a toliet roll tube on the edge of a work surface, hanging halfway off the edge and put some food at the end, put a plastic bin underneath...the mice walk into the tube to get it and the tube falls into the bin. He caught pretty much the whole family this way, and I took them home on the bus to let them go in the fields.
> 
> I hope you can get it sorted quickly.


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## Bramblerose (Jan 23, 2008)

Rats and mice can carry many zoonotic diseases/bacteria, meaning that they can pass these things to humans and other animals, Leptospirosis comes to mind. Then of course theres the famous Hantavirus, which has caused numerous deaths on Navaho reservations. They can also carry strep, staph, and a number of other nasty things that can be passed to other species. Also the Bubonic Plague is still out there, last case I heard of was in Los Angeles not too long ago, and there are still 10-20 cases a year here in the States, something that most folks are unaware of. Add that to the fact that rats and mice cannot control their bowels and are constantly urinating and defecating, including while their sitting eating in your rabbits bowl makes a a pretty good case for killing them all in my mind. Don't feel bad about protecting your animals, you don't have a choice, sadly you've seen what they can do.

If the water won't freeze in your barn then set up the water bucket traps, they'll drown fairly quickly, so just be carefull not to look in the bucket if you hear splashing or sqeauking. Pay someone esle to dump the buckets if you can't, I know its hard to deal with, but its better than having your rabbits harmed. The first time will be tough, the second time still unpleasant, but it'll get easier, and once their under control you'll feel better knowing that your rabbits are safe.

The chickens might help you out with the little mice, but not the rats. Rats are tough, you may have to consider traps or bait for them. Check your rabbits for fleas, they could have them if the mice are going right into their cages.

Wish I could be of more help.


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## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 23, 2008)

This is very helpful thanks. Mand isi bringing over her electro-trap tonight so we'll see how that goes, if it doesn't work then i'll try the bucket thing and multiple other solutions.

-JAK


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## Wabbitdad12 (Jan 23, 2008)

A CO2 pellet gun will take them out too. No big bang or anything to scare the rabbits and it will be easy to "confirm the kill". In addition it will help you release your anger towards the rodents. 

I had a rabbit outside when I was growing up and a rat would scare himtrying to get at his food and water everynight.The ratfinally had an accident, he fell onto my baseball bat repeatedly. 

Go get'em, take no prisoners!


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## NZminilops (Jan 23, 2008)

I don't have any advice, just, wow! That must have been aweful finding Dale like that.

The way you describe mice and rats, is much the same way people talk about rabbits here a lot (lots of farms in NZ). Rabbit burrows often maime horses or other livestock when they step in them.

Anyways, goodluck.


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## BlueCamasRabbitry (Jan 23, 2008)

Oh my goodness JAK. You are very brave to have to deal with a RAT. I just hate rats/mices tails...ugh. Poor Dale.. I bet he's happy in Heaven, though. Those nasty mice! They do deserve to die, for Dale's sake. Poor guy. 

I haven't had a rat/mice problem before.....I would maybe find some small live-animal traps and maybe set those with like rabbit food, or something. Once the mice are in kill them humanely, if possible, or give them to your friend who has the snake. That may be your best bet; definitley don't bring the snake there! No way, lol. 

Seems like those mice may have escaped from a circus if they know how to work traps and get in cages! Like Bramblerose said, find a small little mice-killing dog. I know Jack Russells and Chihuahua's are great at those things, but the excessive yapping while they're hunting the mice/rats may frighten the bunnies.....but if it works totally go for it. And chickens do eat mice as well. Once I saw my duck eat a mouse..very strange but it was cool as well. So ducks and chickens eat mice. That might work!


Good luck!


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## gentle giants (Jan 23, 2008)

You know, I can't believe I didn't think of using chickens myself. I have had chickens for almost 15 years, and for some odd reason they seem to think mice are a delicacy. I really hate it if I see them killing one, but they do get the job done. And they have the super fast reflexes to catch them easily. Plus they will pick up any feed you spill! How handy is that?


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## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 23, 2008)

yeah we love our chickens, I've been locking them in the horse barn at night though and I haven't seen a mouse in there since....althoguht there's definitely a rat in there too. Eating through feed bags and making all sorts of tunnels. There's a tunnel in 3 stalls, behind the grain bin, and behind my dad's work bench. But I haven't seen any mice in there since the chickens came to live here.

I knew a woman who raised angoras and had those suspended cages.... and she kept silkie chickens (do google them, get a laugh) in her rabbitry... they ate any dropped food, ate fly larvae in summer, and are flightless sot hey couldn't roost on her c ages and poop on the bunners. I know I don't like being pooped on. 

I know Gloria or Rudy would make an awesome mouse-killer.....

I keep my mum's goat, Lydia, at my farm and she's such a troublemaker. She gets into eerything and drives me u pa wall pretty much. Knocked my cell phone into a bucket of water the other day, eats all my chicken food..etc. But my mum and dad bottle raised her so of course they are in love with her. She's never a bad goat when ''mommy aqnd dadddy'' are at the barn. Its just cute when she destroys all my stuff and makes a mess and trips me while i'm trying to get things done.

on the o ther hand...our rooster attacks people. But he's nice to me and Erron becausae we don't let him get away with that. Erron loves to just....cuddle chickens. They're like puppies to him. And the rooster hates my dad and attacks him all the time.

So we have a blackboard in the barn to leave notes on ....and lately there's been like a cartoon battle between Erron and my dad. Erron feeds in the AM and draws a picture of the goat doing something retarded and senseless, basically mocking Lydia ten fold. And my dad shows up later in the evening and draws a picture of Rudy in a soup pot and writes things like '' Rudy in the hot tub''. 

this has become like an every day thing and I always show up in between drawing to do barn work and discover the most hilarious illustrations. The other day Erron had drawn one of a giant Rudy with a dinosair tail and spikes down his back, stomping buildings and shooting lasers out of his eyes and the movie title read '' RUDY: DEATH CHICKEN OFTHE APOCOLYPSE"

So yeah.... chicken + mice problem sounds like a grand idea so far.


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## polly (Jan 23, 2008)

Jesse that sucks big time. I hope you get em all. I think i would be trying the water traps or water and electric even more efficient


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## Bramblerose (Jan 23, 2008)

I have silkies, their like kittens with wings!!!

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Silkies/BRKSilkies.html


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## okiron (Jan 23, 2008)

Mice and rats...they're animals...they'll do what it's in their nature to do...there's no way to completely domesticate them...


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## gentle giants (Jan 23, 2008)

Yeah, my mom has a couple of silkiesshe rescued from our nasty neighbor. He shows all kinds of poultry and pidgeons, and if it has a flaw or is not a show color, well... he also rehabilitates birds of prey, and let's just say they are well fed. :X


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## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 23, 2008)

"Fish gotta swim, birds gotta eat."


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## undergunfire (Jan 23, 2008)

I am not a mod anymore, but I feel the need to put my word in...


I really think the talk of killing mice and rats needs to stop. As a rat and mouse lover (wild and domestic...many wild pet rats make great pets, as well), I find this thread incredibly disturbing and it brings tears to my eyes. For you guys, it would be like me coming on here and telling you about how I am going to kill off all the rabbits in my yard.

There are other rat lovers on this board too, in which I have received a PM about this thread from one of them....telling me they are discusted with this thread because there is talk of killing mice and rats.


It's life, rabbits die and rats die.....but I don't think the killing of animals needs to be brought up on this forum. I think you know what to do if you have a mouse/rat problem...."get rid of them" or set live traps...simple as that.


I'd just really appreciate it if this thread no longer talked about how to kill a living animal...no matter how "discusting" or "diseased" they are.


Thank you.


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## myLoki (Jan 24, 2008)

JAK, I can completely sympathize with your problem. We have a mice problem at the school I teach at. We have no choice but to get rid of them. I feel for them. I really do, but honestly...there is no way the children can co-exist with mice. It's not feasible. It's not healthy in any way. I'm sure it would be the same way for your rabbits. 

If only we could sit and have a civilized negotiation with them, what would that be like? 


"I'll give you a block of chedder and 2 tubs of peanut butter to get the hell out of my house. Any takers?"


t.


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## TinysMom (Jan 24, 2008)

*undergunfire wrote: *


> I really think the talk of killing mice and rats needs to stop. As a rat and mouse lover (wild and domestic...many wild pet rats make great pets, as well), I find this thread incredibly disturbing and it brings tears to my eyes. For you guys, it would be like me coming on here and telling you about how I am going to kill off all the rabbits in my yard.
> 
> There are other rat lovers on this board too, in which I have received a PM about this thread from one of them....telling me they are discusted with this thread because there is talk of killing mice and rats.


I've really been avoiding this thread cause I don't like mice or rats. I don't like seeing them usually or reading about them - and I don't like thinking about how to dispose of them.

Unfortunately - part of having a rabbitry - means that we have to deal with issues like this and make hard choices - choices that others would not want to make....choices that perhaps we don't want to make but we've had to make in order to protect our animals.

If this post were out in the main area of the forum - I would agree with you. However, it is isn't out there - it is placed in the rabbitry section because sometimes we as breeders have issues we need to discuss.

I think that given time - this thread will die out and go pages back into the rabbitry area. If someone has a problem with rats again, we can pull a link to the thread and say, "Here...read this" and maybe that will be the end of it.

Since you've met Art - maybe you can picture him doing this. I once was sitting at my desk - complaining about all the spam in my email. He walked over behind me - clicked on one - and hit the delete key without even looking at it. He then said, "Dealing with spam is easy - just don't read it and move on..".

So it is with topics in this forum that we may disagree with - maybe you can't delete it - but you can move on and the topic will eventually die.

It isn't like we're saying folks should put down domesticated rats and mice. It isn't like we're saying all rats and mice should be killed.

But we're talking about protecting a rabbitry and rabbits - and this is a rabbit forum and not a rat forum. I think that makes a big difference.

Peg


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## Bo B Bunny (Jan 24, 2008)

*myLoki wrote: *


> "I'll give you a block of chedder and 2 tubs of peanut butter to get the hell out of my house. Any takers?"
> 
> 
> t.



Love it!!!



Seriously tho. I am not going to say a whole lot because I could go on and on and end up in a debate that isn't appropriate here. 

I will say that unless some endangered species of rats/mice is finding refuge in my barn/house/garage - they are going down. Wild animals are lovely but when they could be carrying disease to my family and animals - guess who comes first. Not only these rodents, but other wild animals can do unreal damages to property and livestock.

In this particular forum, it is not only appropriate but very important to discuss such things to educate and to help each other in finding solutions to pests before you end up with more and more and having to kill more and more to get them out.

This is the real world. Sad, but true.


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## gentle giants (Jan 24, 2008)

I can see both sides of this, but I have to side against the mice. I have had both rats and mice as pets, and I loved them as I love all my pets. But when it comes down to whether to kill wild mice to save my pet rabbits,I think the choice is clear. I try to live trap and relocate as much as possible whenI have a pest like a possum or raccoon, but when you are talking about as many as Jak has here, it's just not possible. YOu move them far enough away to keep them off your own property, and they will wind up on someone else's. Then that person kills them anyway.

Bo raised a good point, inthat this is the real world. Sometimes life is harsh, and you can't always do anything about that. I hate killing anything, but I see it as self defense. I totally understand some people not liking this thread, but no one is making anyone read it either. 

I think really the bottom line is that Jak has a problem, and she has tried conventional methods of solving that problem and they have not worked. She came here for help, and that is what we are trying to do. All this being said, I have spoken my opinion, and I will try not to open my mouth again to add to the argument.


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## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 24, 2008)

This is basic survival here. I don't think being human has made me any better or worse than any animal in the chain of life. I am trying to help my rabbits. I have mentioned that using conventional traps is not working, and I came on here looking for advice since ''conventional methods'' are not working for me. Its not as easy as setting a trap anymore. They are litterally dancing over my traps and they are not going off. They are eating through my insolation, eating holes in bagsa of feed, pooping and urinating on my bales of hay and in my rabbit's food. 

This being a rabbit forum, I am trying to protect my rabbits. PArt of keeping any pet is keeping it alive, healthy, and providing a safe living enviornment of all basic things. With as many mice as are running around my shed, this is not safe. Thsi is ahealth issue for ME as well as my animals. I have just as much chance of picking up something from mice as my bunnies do, especially with them running right over my feet. What if one of them bit me while I was reaching into a container? 

If this thread is disturbing to some, its as easy as avoiding it. We tell lots of people that this forum is for breeders and pet people alike. And if you happe nto be a purely pet person and cannot stand talk of breeding and showing rabbits then just avoid the rabbitry. Which is exactly what was told to the last person that said they had a problem. 

I do not delight in the idea of killing off mice. This isn't a sport or a game. This isn't fun to me. I'd love to see every one of the little buggers sipping lime martinis in mosue paradise so long as they are nowhere near my animals. I have found help and understanding on this thread and I think anyone else in teh future who may have the same problem will too. 

If anyone honestly thinks that this isn't a serious problem for me, and that I should just leave the poor helpless mice alone, then I will gladly exume 6 month old Dale for you so you can see the bones sticking out of his legs, and I want you to know he was alive when that happened. 

This is a RABBIT FORUM. I WILL help my rabbits and I WILL fight for them. In this case my fight is against the mice/rats in my shed. And if you can't support a just cause like protecting your rabbits, then....well I won't even say.


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## Haley (Jan 24, 2008)

*JAK Rabbitry wrote: *


> If this thread is disturbing to some, its as easy as avoiding it.
> 
> This is a RABBIT FORUM. I WILL help my rabbits and I WILL fight for them.


Very good points here. As much as I hate to think of having to kill anything (and we know you do too, Jesse) you cant allow them to hurt your bunnies when you have tried other options.


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## Bo B Bunny (Jan 24, 2008)

*JAK Rabbitry wrote: *


> If anyone honestly thinks that this isn't a serious problem for me, and that I should just leave the poor helpless mice alone, then I will gladly exume 6 month old Dale for you so you can see the bones sticking out of his legs, and I want you to know he was alive when that happened.
> 
> This is a RABBIT FORUM. I WILL help my rabbits and I WILL fight for them. In this case my fight is against the mice/rats in my shed. And if you can't support a just cause like protecting your rabbits, then....well I won't even say.



:hug:

Have you found answers to the situation yet?

Have you used peanut butter on the traps?


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## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 24, 2008)

Yes, I always use peanut butter. It's healthy. 

Mandi did bring over her trap last night and so far today I caught 2, but I still see them scurrying everywhere and it's only big enough to catch mice, not rats. I don't know if the rat I did catch was the only one or if ther's more, but i'm sure if there's one there's many. I know for sure we have more than one rat in our horse barn that we've been trtying to catch and we've been setting rat traps and we just cannot catch him. So even if i've found a solution to the mouse problem, I'm still kind of at a loss on what to do about the rats. I think mr rat has been taking my chicken eggs, he built a nice little hole next to Gloria's nest. I'm wondering if Mandi's mosue trap comes in a bigger size, it seems to be working quite well for the moment. 

Jesse - 5
Mice - 1


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## polly (Jan 24, 2008)

Glad to hear the traps working Jak. its no fun when things like what happened to dale is happening in your shed at the end of the day if he has little or no feeling in his legs there was no way he could defend himself and wouldnt know what was happening to him. That is so sad to see a rabbit suffer like that

By the way i have alwas found mice to have a Love for chocolate( always another option)


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## maherwoman (Jan 24, 2008)

Aww...poor sweet Dale...hugs to you both...

You do what you need to do to protect your sweeties...:hug:


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## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 24, 2008)

*Thats interesting. IT may also interest you to know I too have a love for chocolate. Therefore any chocolate I have will not be exposed to mice. Chocolate = for Jesse. 




polly wrote: *


> By the way i have alwas found mice to have a Love for chocolate ( always another option)


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## GoinBackToCali (Jan 24, 2008)

I could say so terribly much about this thread, and about certain comments...

But I am gonna make my stand abundantly clear with a little equation of sorts..

1-Barn

2 Show Pigs at a cost of $300 to $400 apiece

Health certificates and various wormers and hay and other stuffs for said pigs x 2 -$400

Moormans Showtec Feed-$29+ tax per bag 3 bags per month per pig.

All this for a stay of 5 months for each pig....


Yeah.. I think you know where my stand on rats in my barn is..

And I think this is Rabbits Online Forum...

Isn't that what GooseMoose is for?


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## Bramblerose (Jan 24, 2008)

Well I wasn't going to post again because I don't think anything I say is going to make it better but here goes- I'm sorry if what I said is upsetting to you Undergunfire, I have a feeling that it was most likely my comments that caused you the most angst, and it was not my intention to offend or upset anyone.

It was my intention to help a young person who was devastated by a very ugly situation she should not have had to deal with, I as an adult would have been horrified and nauseated and I just really wanted to help her.

I must admit I don't see wild rats and mice or even wild rabbits in the same light as domestic ones, they are different, they act as wild animals, they can be diseased, and they run on instinct and are unpredictable and often violent, not like the sweet loving domestic rats/mice/rabbits that have been bred for generations for gentleness and personality. There's just no comparing them in my mind, not justifying, just explaining.

I'm sorry your upset, I realize that you probably can't understand my point of view anymore than I can understand yours, but I still meant no offense.


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## GoinBackToCali (Jan 24, 2008)

*Oh Holy Heck...

Despite the fact that Bramblerose and I have butted heads, I could NOT agree more. We do not go and domesticate hyenas. They are not dogs.. they are wild animals, with wild animal instincts, and carriers of disease. It is ingrained in their psyche to be predators.. 

Something that does bother me, Amy, we have heard ad nauseaum about how much it sickens you about the *killing of mice* did you really even stop and think about Dale.. sweet Dale? Helpless to do anything but feel the pain of a rodent feasting on his flesh.. paralyzed or not, I am sure he had some degree of feeling about. If not, what about the sheer horror of the incident, watching something feast upon you. Did you shed a tear for Dale while you were tearing up over the mice?

I realize I probably have just made an enemy out of you and your friends here, but you need to look at it with sensibility, and not with emotions.. these are NOT domesticated mice or rats we are discussing.

I am so skeeved right now it's not even funny...the amount of money I have tied up in my kids livestock, my horses, the rabbits, for someone to be *shedding tears* over dang rodents ....


Bramblerose wrote: *


> I must admit I don't see wild rats and mice or even wild rabbits in the same light as domestic ones, they are different, they act as wild animals, they can be diseased, and they run on instinct and are unpredictable and often violent, not like the sweet loving domestic rats/mice/rabbits that have been bred for generations for gentleness and personality. There's just no comparing them in my mind, not justifying, just explaining.


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## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 24, 2008)

Jesse - 7
Mices - 1


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## naturestee (Jan 24, 2008)

Hey Jesse, are there any shelters or cat rescue groups that do TNR in your area? TNR=Trap Neuter Release, it's for feral cats that couldn't ever be socialized enough to be adopted out. If someone has a lot of feral cats breeding up a storm, they can call these groups and they'll help. They also usually test them for feline leukemia and other evil diseases and euthanize any infected ones so they can't spread it. If you can find a group, you could ask to see if any of their known colonies need to be reduced... as in being moved to your barn. Barn kitties with no babies!


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## RAL Rabbitry (Jan 24, 2008)

I wouldn't reccomend cats. They can get their paws through the wire and

kill a baby rabbit with their claws.

I don't have a rodent problem but a friend of mine did and they bought feeders

with tops on them to keep the rats out of them from the outside and put out

bait stations. The rats in her barn were pulling babies right to the wire and 

ripping them open. Not a pleasant sight!!!!!!

Another friend who used to have a problem encouraged snakes to live around

her yard in the summer and they wiped out the rats eventually. In the summer

time you can see them stretched out in the sun in her back yard. Kind of creepy

but it worked for her.

Roger


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## JAK Rabbitry (Jan 24, 2008)

If snakes can eat rats....what's to stop them from eating a bunny? 

And I hate cats. Good idea though. I'm jsut not comfortable with cats in my rabbitry either...


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## Bo B Bunny (Jan 24, 2008)

*JAK Rabbitry wrote: *


> Yes, I always use peanut butter. It's healthy.



:laughsmiley:

I meant that it was the best thing to get them to the traps..... just making sure you knew.... too funny! Healthy.... 

Ya know if you have coons - (we use the live traps for them) - they come for eggs... just put an egg in the back corner and you'll have a coon in the trap for sure - or a cat which has happened to me before.... LOL! 

If you have one rat it could have been in feed bags or come from a farm nearby - could that be?


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## RAL Rabbitry (Jan 24, 2008)

I asked her and she said that the ones that were eating the rats were too 

big too fit through the wire and the smaller ones were kept away by the 

mothers.

Roger


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## Bo B Bunny (Jan 24, 2008)

you mean eating the babies?

I still wouldn't want the disease they can carry.

Snakes work but ewwwww I have lots of water snakes here. I hate them!


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