Warning re: rodents, rabbits, etc.
 

I'm not one for being an alarmist but another thread got me thinking.. I had a dog that passed away, quickly shortly after "catching" a small possum, he killed it, did not eat it. He ingested a small amount of rat poison, unbeknownst to me my neighbor had baited his property with rat poison to control rats and possum, etc.

and so....please, don't bait unless you have to, if you do be steadfast in protecting your pets, and always suspect that your neighbor may be doing so....

:thumbup:
Clear and present danger! similar circumstance happened to me...dogs found something in the yard and were all going nuts....rat obviously in the throes of death....I took it to the vet to see if it had rabies...they confirmed it was NOT rabies but RAT POISON the rat was dying from, and if my dogs had ingested the rat, they too would have been poisoned.....dont have any idea which neighbor this rat came from...so I am very "en garde" about this....

This is a great warning. Luckily we are in more of an urban area, so we only have to worry about the pups catching squirrels. So far, the squirrels have outrun the dogs... I'm just hoping it stays that way.

Im sorry that happened. I think this is a very good warning. I think its sad anyone would put poison bait for possums. Yes they are a nusiance but they are also wildlife. We get them in our yard and we put cage traps out, put cat food in it and catch them and relocate them to a wooded area same with raccoons. I would never poison them

Thanks for the warning, so glad that mine are leashed at all times when in the yard.

Sorry to go off topic but I saw a possum for the first time in person last night. I know I need to get out more;) But anyways it was so close to our back door and Georgie and Coco went out and the possum ran away from them. I flipped out and was worried the possum would hurt Georgie so I grabbed him and brought him back in....my question is should I be worried about a possum? Georgie is on the small end so I worry about everything with him.

If they are big enough they arent afraid of a cat or a dog and will stand their ground so you do need to be cautious

Thanks for the warning. We all try very hard to protect our babies but we cant think of everything.

Our new house has toads come into the yard. Buffo toads (I think I spelled it right?) are horrible. One of my friends was laughing at me because my former house had a gator in the lake behind our house, now we have frogs in the lake behind our house. I rather have the darn gator, I can keep it out of my yard with a fence!!!!

Thank you for telling me. I mean I yelled so loud last night my poor husband came running. I grabbed Georgie quick! I wasn't as worried about Coco because she is bigger but I guess I should worry about both.

I am guessing that you were aware that they can climb fences...maybe not all types, materials, or kinds of construction, but their tail is a fab tool for getting them the boost they need over the tops of fences, which is how they end up in people's backyard pools in summer to keep cool...and they love little doggie hors dourves...:eek::( I wouldn't like Buffo's much either...

From:

http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/fi...alligators.pdf

"Myth: Alligators are not good climbers.
Fact: Alligators have sharp claws and powerful tails to help them push their bodies up. Young alligators are agile climbers and adults have been known to climb fences to get to water or escape captivity. Low fences, therefore, may not be sufficient protection for pets in areas where alligators are present."

Thanks for the warning. I am always steering my girls away from things in the yard. We haven't seen any dead animals but I did see some feathers. I won't let them get near those either. Furkids are such a curious bunch.

I have never heard of a gator climbing a fence...doesn't mean it doesn't happen. The lake behind our house would have a small (3 to 4 feet) gator from time to time. My dh says all bodies of water could have gators in this area, but that lake had a drain-canal system that feed from areas that were populated by gators and crocks. We are the one place that has both.

I never let the dogs out without being outside my self., and of course if the gator was in the lake I would be more careful. I just think you should be careful around any animal, wild animals more so. A few years past two or three people were killed in miami-dade county by either gators or crock.. very sad.. and all could have been prevented .

Good reminder, thanks.

Thanks so much for letting everyone know about this. Luckily we don't seem to have any rats or mice only squirrels. I've seen the occasional jack rabbits in the neighborhood at times but the girls could never catch them.

Lindi Lou however found a baby duck that was mysteriously in our yard last summer. She ran around with it but didn't hurt it. I was wondering if a hawk dropped it into our yard? We are really far from the river so it made no sense how it got into our yard otherwise.

I am with you...I never let mine out alone and I do not like them checking stuff out in the yard for more than a second...you never know what someone could have thrown onto your grass while driving, walking or biking down the road.

But, seriously, the 'gators climb fences' is absolutely true...we have had several photos in our local paper of gators going over the top of 4' chain link fences, after which the wildlife people have gone out to fetch them out of those people's pools. The first time I saw it was a real eye-opener...especially since I had not been in Florida very long when I saw it in the newspaper...and I was already freaked by the gi-normous flying roaches...:eek:, and that article mentioned that they like (munchies) small dogs and little kids...:eek: Fortunately, I had a little bit bigger children, large dogs, and no pool...but I have been super cautious ever since.

From:

WEC203/UW230: Living with Alligators: A Florida Reality

"Myth #3. Alligators are not good climbers.

"Alligators have sharp claws and powerful tails to help them push their bodies up. Young alligators are agile climbers and adults have been known to climb fences to get to water or escape captivity. Low fences, therefore, may not be sufficient protection for pets in areas where alligators are present. Fences should be more than 4.5 feet tall if you are attempting to keep alligators out of your yard."

The pic caption:

"
gator climbing

This was a 6' fence, so you can guess how big he is. Gator sightings are more common than usual in mating season as the males go out looking for a mate. And yes gators can climb a fence."


gator climbing | Flickr - Photo Sharing!






...and...


Florida Lizard





I live in the middle of Florida, but with all the little lakes, rivers, swamps, and backyard pools even in this area, and more and more construction in previously wild areas, I am still uneasy, especially now that I have Yorkies again...at least as uneasy as I was boating with boys 7 and 11.