Treated like garbage

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Araminta
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Treated like garbage

our native wildlife!!

I took this little one from the neighbour's cat this morning, too late, it was dead..... how sad.

This makes me sooooo angry, the owner of the cat has a cat run, why ,o why can't she keep her 5 cats in it???

I'm running out of ideas what to do to prevent this from happening again and again. I'm going over there tonight to show her the dead animal her gorgeous fluffy has killed. Boy am I angry.

DSC02156 (1)

Araminta
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Another photo, forgot to say, I think this is a Antechinus. ( about 18 cm long)

DSC02150 what are we doing to our native animals? We should protect them, I feel as if I have let this one down.

M-L

darinnightowl
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Cats what can I say , nothing good. Yes it is a antechinus. A mouse with a grin. They have a short life span as it is !
Darin

See it!  Hear it!

Mid-North Coast NSW

timmo
timmo's picture

Yeah, the sharp little teeth will be the giveaway, rather than the squarish mouse teeth.

It's so sad to see these guys killed like that - we see very little of our small mammal wildlife as it is.

An environmental mate found one at his folks place recently, caught in a trap his dad had set for mice... all were a bit sad about the little fella

Cheers
Tim
Brisbane

soakes
soakes's picture

This prompts me to ask a question that I have been considering a for a while.

My place in Gippsland has lots of different small animals, including antechinus and some sort of native rats.  Also mice. I would like to dispose of the mice if possible without hurting any of the native animals.

Is there a realistic way to do that?

- soakes

soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia

Araminta
Araminta's picture

I have the same problem soakes, I have had some mice/rats (?) in my house. In the kitchen behind the fridge. Keeps the dogs glued to it. My BordercollyX Lab can stand infront of the fridge all day,LOL She'll need help soon.

Last year I bought a rather expensive round trap, that doesn't kill. The mouse goes in and a door shuts. Sorry to say, the mice didn't go inside. You might have more luck? In the end, I used a normal (killer) trap. Fortunately of the family of 5 mice, none was a native. I used peanut butter, maybe native animals don't like that. Love to know what others do?

M-L

Karen
Karen's picture

I've had a cat around here terrorising and killing birds for the last few years.  During that time it must have killed 50 birds just in my yard alone.  I've tried to find the owner, but no such luck, so finally got a cat trap from the pound and caught it last week.  I think it must have been a feral.  I feel sad about it but if I'd found one more lot of bird remains I might have done something much worse to the cat.  Not its fault if its been left out to survive anyway it can, but around here the wildlife is dwindling badly, and the cat just had to go.

Years ago I had budgies, and got a wire box shaped mouse trap with a hole in the top and flexible prongs that led the mouse down into the wire box where they couldn't get out.  I sometimes found up to 5 mice in the trap at one time because it didn't close when they entered.  I haven't seen these traps around for a while now, but that was the safest way of getting mice without the birds getting caught in it.  I doubt if a rat would have been able to enter unless it was very small.

PS - I googled wire mouse trap and found one very similar for sale, just a bit fancier than my old one.  Worth a look, as some of you handymen might be able to make one.  I don't know if I'm allowed to post the link so hopefully you'll find it easily.  Its under New Mouse Trap Wire (which brings up an auction page) and its the 2nd item on the list, the small trap.

Karen
Brisbane southside.

soakes
soakes's picture

Thanks for the ideas; I'll look into non-destructive traps.

- soakes

soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia

Araminta
Araminta's picture

What did you put in the trap? I had one like it, but no success. We have bought a cat trap, I have trapped some, but this one neighbour's cat is too smart, we have seen it walk past the trap into the bush and come out with the kill walking past it again. There is nothing you can do against "stupid people", even fines don't work.

M-L

Karen
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For the cat I tried chicken but it wasn't interested.  Fish worked for the cat.  For the mice I just used bird seed.

Karen
Brisbane southside.

darinnightowl
darinnightowl's picture

Just read your post - don't put that trap out with peanut butter.  Natives do like peanut butter.
I have worked for N Parks & Wildlife setting traps for mammal counts and we set the traps  just before dusk with peanut butter mixed with rolled oats and are checked and released them between 4:00 - 5:30 am.  

Nightowl 

See it!  Hear it!

Mid-North Coast NSW

sparrow
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There are traps available from most aviary supply and some pet shops the" wind up catch all" works well and catches up to 12 mice with one setting,the all steal version is available on ebay for around $40 mine is 25 years old and still going.

kathiemt
kathiemt's picture

That is sad. I found a dead bandicoot in our garden a couple of weeks ago. I was really upset. We do have cats but we keep them in at night and I know it wasn't them. One is too fat to catch anything, the others have collars and bells and they're kept well fed and inside overnight.  One won't go outside unless we're around and he's getting old.

I think there's a new cat hanging around as I've seen signs of it spraying outside two of our doors and our cats have been behaving like something's been nearby. I've sprayed with citrus spray to get rid of the smell and warn it off.

There is a fox that hangs around here and I wasn't sure if it was the fox or the cat (perhaps ferral) that killed the bandicoot. There's been lots of dog like poo on our property really, smaller than a regular dog and think it has to be the fox. The neighbour has had problems with it trying to steal his chickens. We're planning on chickens soon but want to build a fox proof run for them first - a big one, so they can feel free to run around and not be cooped up.

Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
 

Araminta
Araminta's picture

Thanks everyone for all the great information. Thanks Nightowl for pointing out the peanut butter issue.

Thanks sparrow, I will go and find one of those traps you recommended.

We have not put up the cat trap for some time now, we did put chicken wings inside, but for two days in a row we had a Bandicoot in it. Didn't worry it too much, we just let it go in the morning, it sat there looking at us for a while before it went back into the bush.

Kathie, chickens are great, just don't get too many, there are only so many eggs one can eat, LOL Unless you have lots of friends to give them to.

M-L

kathiemt
kathiemt's picture

Yes, we have been checking how many eggs they produce. Want to get two Isa Browns and two ornamentals to start with.  We have two daughters who live within 15 mins of us in opposite directions so they'll be grateful for fresh eggs and a lovely elderly widow next door to us who would appreciate them too. So we don't have problems with where to pass eggs to if we can't keep up with the supply.  Planning on getting our vege garden sorted too.  We've been here three years and each year something has happened to stop me working in the vege garden but am determined to get on top of it this year.

Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
 

sparrow
sparrow's picture

I have always used fish in cat traps,and chocolate for mice,yes chocolate!

Araminta
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That's funny sparrow, as for the chocolate, can it be the cheaper (but nice) Aldi chocolate? LOL

M-L

pacman
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Araminta wrote:

can it be the cheaper (but nice) Aldi chocolate? LOL

I suppose that depends if the cat shops at Aldi

Peter

Woko
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Araminta, it's interesting that your neighbour has a cat run but her cat doesn't run in it - at least not all the time. What motivates her to allow her cat to feed on the native wildlife around your place, I wonder.

Araminta
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Woko, what motivates her? Ignorance and Stupidity. I think she graduated in idiotology.

M-L

kathiemt
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Araminta wrote:

Woko, what motivates her? Ignorance and Stupidity. I think she graduated in idiotology.

You certainly have a way with words M-L laugh

Kathiemt
Selby, Victoria
 

Araminta
Araminta's picture

Hmm, Kathie, I've been a political activist for longer than I can remember wink, Short , sharp and to the point. That's what all girls are good at. Most of the time it takes longer for the boys to catch up.crying

M-L

pacman
pacman's picture

Araminta wrote:

Most of the time it takes longer for the boys to catch up.crying

what a generalisation - and I was getting to like you wink

btw - you need to put a pic in the Bottoms up thread

Peter

Araminta
Araminta's picture

Haha Peter, I am speeking from experience, just take the example of the wren boy in my garden , he hasn't even noticed that 5 girls follow him......

I will have a look if I can find a bottom? I did put up the first one, it was my own thread from the start. See what I can do to make you still like me????

M-L

Woko
Woko's picture

Pant, pant, pant. Just catching up, Araminta.

Ignorance & stupidity may be characteristics of your neighbour but I'm wondering if she's actually motivated by the higher value she places on her cat than on the native wildlife in your area.

Have you popped a photo of the dead Antechinus in her letter box together with some information about its status, role in the environment, habitat requirements & threats to its survival as a species? A few suggestions about how to enhance its survival might not go astray, unlike her cat.

Araminta
Araminta's picture

sparrow wrote:

There are traps available from most aviary supply and some pet shops the" wind up catch all" works well and catches up to 12 mice with one setting,the all steal version is available on ebay for around $40 mine is 25 years old and still going.

Thanks sparrow !!!!!! That trap is the "BEST TRAP" ever. I have mice in it every morning. So far I have had mornings with 3 in the trap. When I let them go, how far will they travel to get back to the house? Don't want to catch the same mice again.
 

M-L

Karen
Karen's picture

Woko, you have some practical advice that I wouldn't think about.  So glad you share.

M-L, I would think that as the territory of one lot of mice is vacated, more will move in.  Sorry.  Not very optimistic, am I.

Karen
Brisbane southside.

jfiess78
jfiess78's picture

The chocolate might kill the mouse (if they consumed enough of it). Animals, particularly dogs and cats are most susceptible to Theobromine poisoning from consuming chocolate.

Jackie ;0)

Headsie
Headsie's picture

My story is not so sad, I was out birding last week when I heard something scurry into a log. I thought it was a lizard so I sat quietly behind a stump and waited hoping to get a photo of the lizard. To my suprise a little yellow-footed antechinus (Mardo) emerged from the log.

soakes
soakes's picture

Cute little critter.  The antechinuses I see are much darker in colour.

- soakes

soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia

Woko
Woko's picture

How lucky are you, Headsie?!! Unfortunately, the anti antechinus movement went through my area years ago.

tompm
tompm's picture

We have the same problem, our neighbour's cat is free to roam the forest. With so much endemic wildlife here and ground-dwelling birds like red-necked crakes, noisy pittas and even buff-breasted paradise kingfishers, I dread the onset of the breeding season! Repeatedly talking to the neighbour had no effect.

When we lived near the bush in Wollongong, we saved birds, that were killed by flying into windows, in the freezer and used them as bait for feral cats. It usually worked very well! Killing 2 birds with one stone, we once caught an Indian Myna bird in the cat trap and then used it as bait to catch a cat.

Christina

Christina

darinnightowl
darinnightowl's picture

tompm wrote:

We have the same problem, our neighbour's cat is free to roam the forest. With so much endemic wildlife here and ground-dwelling birds like red-necked crakes, noisy pittas and even buff-breasted paradise kingfishers, I dread the onset of the breeding season! Repeatedly talking to the neighbour had no effect.

When we lived near the bush in Wollongong, we saved birds, that were killed by flying into windows, in the freezer and used them as bait for feral cats. It usually worked very well! Killing 2 birds with one stoJne, we once caught an Indian Myna bird in the cat trap and then used it as bait to catch a cat.

Christina

Shhh... You will get in trouble again, I would edit a few words before early bird gets the worm!
Nightowl. But I like....

See it!  Hear it!

Mid-North Coast NSW

tompm
tompm's picture

What do you mean, nightowl?

This was meant as a suggestion to catch feral cats, wouldn't think of  catching the neighbour's.

Christina

Christina

darinnightowl
darinnightowl's picture

You can not say that you harm cats ?

See it!  Hear it!

Mid-North Coast NSW

tompm
tompm's picture

Is catching feral cats  in your garden in a live trap and then taking them to the animal pound not allowed? I think that especially the members in this forum would agree, that feral cats in Australia are a huge problem and we should try to protect our native wildlife.

Christina

darinnightowl
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I think that is the best way . Sorry it's early, I miss read your post my mistake.

See it!  Hear it!

Mid-North Coast NSW

Woko
Woko's picture

I love your approach to roaming cats, tompm.

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