Rats Aww Rats...

Rats are a major problem all across Melbourne. Rats not only carry disease, but can causes equipment breakdown and even fire. The number of rats in any given area depends on the amount of available food. Rats love snails, plum pips, walnuts, almonds and small bones. All of these food sources can accumulate in roofs over time. Birds nests also attract rats, as do possum droppings.

Prevention...

Prevention is always better than a cure. Cutting access to the roof is the best way to reduce the occurrence of rats in your home. To cut access to your roof, trim all trees from the roof line, block all holes around the building and clear any rubbish off your property.

Baiting Your Roof

Baiting your roof is the best protection you can give yourself against rats. Existing rat baits are scientifically prepared to ensure the best long term results from baiting. Nigel's Animal Rescue uses and recommends single dose, delayed action bait. When encountering a new source of food, a group of rats will let one or two rats test the food to see if they will become ill. A delayed action bait overcomes this by having no effect until two or three days after ingestion, at which time the rats will have deemed the bait safe and will all have eaten it. Generally rats will head for water when the poison takes effect, so it is important to remove any water sources from your roof, including keeping the gutters clean and down pipes flowing freely. 7 to 10 days after baiting, all the rats will be dead, with enough bait left over to take care of any more rats that infest the area for up to a year.

If you find any dead rats around your property, the best way to dispose of them is to bury them. Don't put them in the rubbish, as the poison will still be in their system and might affect another animal that finds them at the tip.

Call Nigel 24 x 7 on Mobile: 0427 533 083

 

Swooping Birds...

Nigel's Animal Rescue has been removing swooping birds for over 12 years for various groups including Schools, Councils, Australia Post, the Department of Natural Resources and Golf Courses. The instances of swooping birds are increasing as urban sprawl destroys natural habitats and birds are forced to breed in urban areas.

Why do Birds Swoop?

Birds swoop as a defensive technique to protect their eggs and young from intrusions into their territory. From July to November each year, native birds such as Magpies, Plovers, Mud Larks, Butcher Birds, Wattle Birds and Ravens build their nests and raise their young. While nesting and raising their young, birds will swoop anything they see as intruders into their territory including cats, dogs, other birds and humans. Swooping will usually stop once the young have learned to fly and left the nest.

Are Swooping Birds Dangerous?

Swooping birds can be dangerous. When birds swoop they may beat their wings, clack their beaks and occasionally peck or scratch with their claws. Accidents frequently occur, usually due to people, particularly children, panicking.

Helpful Hints to Deal with Swooping Birds

If at all possible, avoid the swoop zone. If you stray into a birds swoop zone, be confident and face the swooping bird, they usually only attack unsuspecting victims facing away from them. Don't panic and run, this will only encourage the bird to continue its attack. Cyclists should always wear a helmet and should dismount and walk through the affected area as the bird may lose interest if you are not riding. Travel in groups where possible, birds generally only swoop individuals. Never stand and throw objects at a swooping bird, this will only increase their aggression.

Call Nigel 24 x 7 on Mobile: 0427 533 083

 

Relocation of Domestic Ducks...

Nigel's Animal Rescue has been conducting council approved "duck raids" on lakes around Melbourne for over 17 years. "Duck raids" remove domestic ducks from native duck areas.

Why Remove the Domestic Ducks?

The addition of domestic ducks into native duck habitats causes several major problems to both the introduced animals as well as the existing duck population.

In the wild, the male to female duck ratio is usually 1 male to 3-4 females. As most domestic ducks being dumped into native duck areas are male, this ratio can sometimes change to up 10 males to every female. This is a lethal situation for female ducks at breeding time. As competition increases, so does the violence which the male ducks will use to obtain a mate. The males attack the females for breeding, injuring them and drowning them through exhaustion. Domestic ducks will also breed with native ducks, diluting the native ducks gene-pool.

The release of a domestic duck into a native duck habitat which is already fully occupied is likely to cause great distress and even death to the introduced animal. Introduced animals will have difficulty finding shelter, may be stressed by aggressive interactions with other ducks or may displace a resident native duck resulting in stress to that animal.

Domestic ducks can carry diseases which native ducks may not have sufficient immunity to. Dumping of domestic ducks poses a very real risk of diseases being transmitted to wild populations of ducks, particularly if the animal being released has been kept in captivity and has been in contact with other domesticated animals such as dogs and cats.

What Happens to the Domestic Ducks?

The domestic ducks that are removed from the native duck areas are re-housed on private lakes and dams. They are not harmed or euthanised.

Call Nigel 24 x 7 on Mobile: 0427 533 083

 

Rare & Native Animals...

As human occupation increases, the available habitat for native animals is decreasing. This is resulting in an increase in the occurrence of native wildlife being seen in urban areas.

Nigel's Animal Rescue have been rescuing native animals from life threatening situations for over 17 years.

We work closely with local wildlife shelters and organisations to ensure all rescued animals are rehabilitated and, if possible, re-released into their natural habitats.

If you see any native animals in urban areas do not try to catch the animal yourself, call Nigel's Animal Rescue immediately for the best advice on how to deal with the situation.