Best Way to Get Rid of Mice in Your Aviary

One of the main problems you will face as an aviary owner is the appearance of rodents in or around the aviary. At worst rats are capable of killing your birds, or scaring them so much that they neglect to look after their offspring.

You will be aware of their presence if you notice small mounds of sand and longish brown pelleted droppings. You must take action immediately or the problem will only get worse. The best way to do this is to call in pest control specialists, as poisoning them on your own is risky, not only to you and your family, but also to your birds.

Mice can quickly become a serious problem, as where there is food freely available, namely bird seed, they will breed and multiply rapidly. Did you know that a single pair can produce over a hundred off spring a year. If you have a lot of mice, they will destroy your aviary in no time, as they can get in-between the lining materials in the walls and nest there. They could also find a place in the floor to nest, and if this happens it will be very difficult to get rid of them with poisoning methods or traps, or your birds might be harmed.

A good option is to place a killer trap in the enclosure of your cage. This is where you come in, but where the birds can't get to. The mice are usually able to move freely between the bars of the cage, and will be able to access the trap easily. Box traps that catch the mice alive are more effective, and they can catch well over a dozen mice within the course of one night. They also have no dangerous components, so you can use them around the aviary without harm coming to your birds.

It will take the mice a few days at first to become used to the trap. Place bait in it to entice them with the lid off for a few days until they are feeding regularly there. Then you can put the lid on and the mice will be able to enter, but not escape again after they have fed.

A cat is another option, but you will have to be careful here, as given half the chance they will also eat your birds. If you let the cat into the aviary, make sure you remove all your birds first. If the cat roams around the aviary, make sure that it can't get in or to near to the birds. If it climbs up onto the roof it can scare the birds off of their nests.

Michel Maling has enjoyed owning cockatiels all her life. I have dedicated this blog to covering all you need to know about cockatiels.
http://cockatielsaspets.com