Question of the Day - Monday, February 8, 2021

[LTS3]

Only geese and their baby goslings in the Spring but I try not to do it often. Or at least where others would see me. I did it once and a runner passing by called me out for feeding wildlife yet didn't say anything to a family with young kids who were nearby doing the same thing.

 

[neely]

I've been putting suets out in the back corner of the yard for the birds this winter but no matter how secure I attach them to the shepherd hooks I keep finding them on the ground. It's not fun trudging through the snow to try and find them.

 

[Mia6]

I feed cats but have stopped leaving food out at night because of the skunks. They seem to
hibernate for about 2 months but show up again in February. Also opossums will come as
well and raccoons.

 

[muffy]

[QUOTE="Tobermory, post: 5305207, member: 10011364"
And we’re also feeding rats (not on purpose) which somehow got into the closet off the patio where we keep bird seed and from there into our attic where they scamper around in the middle of the night and chew on things. I hate killing things but we had the rat guy come out and set traps. So far the rats have outwitted the human
[/QUOTE]
Can't they use humane traps?

 

[posiepurrs]

I feed the birds.I have 2 feeders plus a suet feeder. I am sure varmits raid my compost pile, which is way int he back near the property line. I have seen coyotes coming into the yard and stealing fallen apples from under my tree.

 

[Tobermory]

[QUOTE="Tobermory, post: 5305207, member: 10011364"
And we’re also feeding rats (not on purpose) which somehow got into the closet off the patio where we keep bird seed and from there into our attic where they scamper around in the middle of the night and chew on things. I hate killing things but we had the rat guy come out and set traps. So far the rats have outwitted the human

Can't they use humane traps?
[/QUOTE]
I asked, but that’s not what they do. And since I’m not paying for it, I don’t really have any control. I live in a large 65+ community that’s spread across many acres on a wooded hillside, and apparently rats are a huge problem throughout campus as so many of us feed the birds. My husband cleaned out the closet thoroughly, and we’ve bought lidded metal buckets so they can’t gnaw through and get to the seed.

I do have a live trap for mice that I’ve used successfully many times over the years. Mice are big fans of Jif peanut butter.

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

This past summer, I found a bunch of mashed tomatoes on the ground around the plants. I set up a trail camera to catch the culprit- it was a raccoon.

But ofcourse! They never miss an opportunity.

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

I don't dislike raccoons either but they scare me. When I walked out on my deck with food they would run towards me and jump up on my leg trying to get to the food. I adore the opossums. They are so sweet. They are not bold like the raccoons.

I got charged as well when I attempted to pick up the cat bowls. They wanted to scare me and make me drop the bowls. I have had run ins with other raccoons who were far less aggressive. It seems that the young males can be the biggest troublemakers. Little furry bandits.

 

[NY cat man]

I got charged as well when I attempted to pick up the cat bowls. They wanted to scare me and make me drop the bowls. I have had run ins with other raccoons who were far less aggressive. It seems that the young males can be the biggest troublemakers. Little furry bandits.

Little furry bandits who, unfortunately, are a common rabies carrier, along with skunks and bats.

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

Little furry bandits who, unfortunately, are a common rabies carrier, along with skunks and bats.

I know, I always have that on my mind. The Opposums thankfully rarely get rabies because healthy opposums don't have the body tempature to incubate the rabies virus. I feel more relieved when I see opossums. Their have been community wildlife projects where rabies vaccine pellets were put in parks and other key locations to curb the spread of rabies among raccoons. I am thankful for that.

 

[NY cat man]

I know, I always have that on my mind. The Opposums thankfully rarely get rabies because healthy opposums don't have the body tempature to incubate the rabies virus. I feel more relieved when I see opossums. Their have been community wildlife projects where rabies vaccine pellets were put in parks and other key locations to curb the spread of rabies among raccoons. I am thankful for that.

In my county, they use helicopters to distribute the pellets because so much of the area is rural.

 

[Whenallhellbreakslose]

In my county, they use helicopters to distribute the pellets because so much of the area is rural.

Glad to hear. It does give you peace of mind that they do this.

 

[muffy]

Can't they use humane traps?

I asked, but that’s not what they do. And since I’m not paying for it, I don’t really have any control. I live in a large 65+ community that’s spread across many acres on a wooded hillside, and apparently rats are a huge problem throughout campus as so many of us feed the birds. My husband cleaned out the closet thoroughly, and we’ve bough
t lidded metal buckets so they can’t gnaw through and get to the seed.

I do have a live trap for mice that I’ve used successfully many times over the years. Mice are big fans of Jif peanut butter.
[/QUOTE]
Looks like your husband took care of the problem. I've been lucky, I have only seen one rat in the 20 years I've been feeding the wild life.

I used to put out peanut butter for the squirrels.

 

[Show Me Your Kitties]

We usually have a bird feeder. We haven't gotten one for this house yet, though. There are two trees outside each of my windows so my boys are gonna lose their marbles in the summer lol

 

[Jcatbird]

I have planted things that I hope will provide for animals whether I am around or not. I plated fruit trees flowering plants and other tasty edibles. A few deer come to munch on things and there are squirrels that eat the pine seeds , nuts and some of the local mushrooms. The birds have some blueberry bushes and I plant things that seed for them. I do feed extra when I see something going hungry due to injury, flooding or inclement weather. I have hummingbird feeders too. Since I live in an area that has natural foods for many things I try not to add to a population that could not be sustained if I wasn’t here. I have possums, raccoons, armadillos, a fox or two, a few deer, a few squirrels and birds of all kinds. I try to keep the balance and I am lucky to be in a spot where I get to see all these beautiful creatures. There is a natural water supply too. I did feed feral cats but they have all been socialized and adopted now so ... I mostly just watch and enjoy the beauty.

 

[Maria Bayote]

Also just the birds outside. I wish I could live in a place where I'd see more in my front lawn, like squirrels, deer or even bears.

 

[AbbysMom]

Yes, I have a few birdfeeders out.