(no subject)

[asterroc]

I live in an old house, and I've seen evidence of mice in the past (poop under the sink and around the kitchen trash, where there's big holes in the walls for the pipes), but tonight I saw one for the first time - and three feet from the birdcage. I change cage papers around 5 times a week (I aim for daily but occasionally forget), any leftover fresh veggies get dumped in the kitchen twice a day. There's a trash with a lid can next to the cage that I used to dump pellets into but now will not. I'm keeping it away from the cage for a few days, but after that I'll probably return it and use it only for the cage papers and not for the pellets. I Roomba around the cage at least once a week.

So I have two questions. (1) Are they actually a threat to Kappa in any manner? I mean, I know they can be a disease vector, is that really a big deal? Any chance they're rabid? And (2) any ideas you may have to safely keep them away from Kappa (and perhaps the entire house)? Keeping the place clean is of course #1, but I keep the area around the cage cleaner than anywhere else in the house, and the kitchen is two rooms away (and I just cleaned it anyway just in case).

X-posted to parrots101 and parrot_lovers

Comments

[calzephyr77.livejournal.com]

Oh no, sorry to hear that you have mice too, and that they made it indoors! I'm wondering the same as you - I'll be glued to the parrot communities now.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

We've had them for a while, but they only ever frequented the kitchen near the trash before. At least that's the only place we've seen their poop up till now.

[demigoth.livejournal.com]

Birds can't get rabies (you probably already know that), but I'm not sure about other cooties. I'd guess a vet would know for sure.

According to various internet sources, mice rarely carry rabies, and there is no record of any mice-to-human rabies transmissions. One less thing to worry about, although they aren't nice to have around in any case. I wish I had some good mouse-ridding advice for you. Maybe something like mini squirrel-baffles for the legs of the birdcage, to make sure the mice can't get access?

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

I hadn't actually known birds couldn't get rabies until I posted this and someone else mentioned it. What aspect of how it works makes it only affect mammals?

I'm keeping the birdcage cover up off the floor, and I've had a suggestion of water pits if they do start climbing the legs. So far I haven't seen any feces in or around the birdcage, so this one incidence may have been their first exploration in that part of the house.

[weirdlilfaechld.livejournal.com]

I was able to get rid of the mice since they came in from only one obvious spot, and once they were caught and released they never came back, so I was lucky. The only problem I ever had was that I leave their food dishes in overnight (they snack at night, and it helps if I can't feed them until afternoon) and dear, sweet, stupid Andrew just can't figure out how to eat from covered dishes. The mice were terrified of the birds and even more so of the mammals and tortoises, so they would only snack at night which caused night frights. Not being as much of a fraidy-bird as 'tiels, Kappa should be safe from that, but I also had to disinfect the cage every morning to get rid of anything left from them or their droppings. The biggest worries would be coccidia, giardia, or mites and the first two would only be a worry if Kappa tends to eat from the floor of her cage or if you leave the dishes in overnight and don't take them out right away. Most parrots (excluding budgies) are actually safe from mites as well, as long as they are adults and healthy they aren't a worry either. The biggest thing for me was to vacuum the floor more often, but I'm pretty sure you do so far more often they I can. If mice can't find evidence of food being in there they won't enter the cage.

Summary of me typing too much: No worries past night frights but you may want to remove dishes immediately in the morning or not leave them in overnight and disinfect the cage in the morning. A simple paper change and a spray or wipe of white or cider vinegar is enough. Some mint or marigold, plants and dried flowers or leaves both work, will keep the mice from going near the cage. If Kappa eats them she will be fine, they are edible.

An answer to a question in another comment: rabies travels through the nerves rather then blood vessels, something unique to only that pathogen and why it can take years for symptoms to show once infected. It is also a surprisingly delicate virus when not in a mammalian spinal cord and can only travel through mammalian nerves. If it can't find mammalian nerves in 32 hours it dies.