Antechinus REALLY HELP!!!

Discussion in 'Breeding, Raising, Feeding and Caring for Animals' started by helenlee, Jan 5, 2010.

  1. helenlee

    helenlee Junior Member

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    OK. We've established in the last plea for help that rat bait doesn't kill these little dudes.

    So now we know they're safe ... does anyone have any suggestions on how to GET RID of these guys???? Nothing personal - but THEY STINK! I mean they really really stink! They're peeing & pooping all over the place - & there are 4 of them! I loath housework at the best of times & having to clean everything over & over is giving me the pip.

    Someone suggested I'd have to catch them & take them a long way off & let them go. But I'm not confident about relocating them - I don't know enough about them to interfere too much. But I'd really like them to move OUTSIDE!

    On a lighter note - they're making one kelpie & one mini foxie very happy. Antichinus patrol around the kitchen every night is the latest craze. Don't panic - no injuries on either side so far & the referee is always on hand :)
     
  2. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

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    We don't have those here, but looking at a picture they are so cute! Hard to kill cute animals. Are they protected in Oz?

    You can try moving them outside, but you will have to block up how they get into the house otherwise they or others will just come back. Blocking access is a good idea though because it will stop rats (and mice if you do it well enough). Chicken wire is an excellent resource in this situation. If it seems like a big job, think about how much work and stress will be save once they are gone for good ;-)

    You said in the other thread that they are nested under the pot and pan cupboard. Are they still living there? Can you get at the nest?
     
  3. aroideana

    aroideana Junior Member

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    I have seen these little creatures squeeze through a hole I could not put my little finger into ! Can take a lot to keep them out . Maybe get a pet python ?
     
  4. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

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    I thought they were bigger than a mouse? Would an adult get through a hole that small?
     
  5. helenlee

    helenlee Junior Member

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    "We don't have those here, but looking at a picture they are so cute! Hard to kill cute animals. Are they protected in Oz?"

    I think they are protected. No one is going to be killing them - even if I have to put up with their repulsive smell forever. But it would be really nice if I don't! :)

    "Maybe get a pet python ?"

    I live in the middle of nowhere & there are plenty of pythons & venomous snakes everywhere - that's probably why these little fellas are inside - hiding from the snakes!!! But the point is I don't want to feed them to a python - I just don't want to live with the smell. I was prepared to put up with the poop - until I found out how they smell. They are truly awful!

    "Chicken wire is an excellent resource in this situation. If it seems like a big job, think about how much work and stress will be save once they are gone for good ;-)"

    The house is chicken wired to the hilt. I think they actually pulled some out to get in in the first place - I don't think it fell out of the wall by itself.

    "You said in the other thread that they are nested under the pot and pan cupboard. Are they still living there? Can you get at the nest?"

    I removed the nest they were born in, but they're keeping themselves busy pulling stuff to bits for a replacement (wool felt oven mitts for instance, along with pheasant feathers). I don't know where they live now - but the "race track" is the bench between the oven & the sink. I've cleaned everything I can reach & tried wiping the surfaces with strong smelling essential oils, but it's not having any effect.
    I was thinking more along the lines of getting one of those electronic devices that emit a very high pitched noise - but it might drive the dogs mad. Maybe I could just open/remove all the cupboards/draws for a while & hope they get sick of playing chicken with the dogs?
     
  6. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

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    As far as I know those high pitched noise things don't work.

    I reckon you have two choices. One is trap and release somewhere else (that seems the easiest choice short term, but of course others will eventually move in). The other is trap and release outside and up the pest proofing of your house. If they are pulling the chicken wire away then find a way to make it so they can't. Sorry, no easy answers. I've been through this with possums and rats, and eventually there is a way!
     
  7. Mango1

    Mango1 Junior Member

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    Thrid choice - move away from the area.
    Forth choice - learn to live with it.
    Fifth choice - nuke the house.

    My bet would be to give them a home somewhre else outside that is more favourable than inside, a grain bin or somewhere outside that is more their style than your house. Give them food, water, shelter etc. Then, and you may think it mean, unhealthy etc, but pest control the house on a regular basis. Shock and awe the little buggers. It may not be kind, but it sets an example for their mates. But seriously, if you give them somewhere nicer to live, then they may just leave.
     
  8. 9anda1f

    9anda1f Administrator Staff Member

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    Having never heard of Antechinus before, I just had to take a quick class at Google-university. It seems they are carnivorous?

    Perhaps they're just trying to help you out by keeping down your insect population? Maybe you could train them to use a litter box? = )

    But seriously, have you looked into the variety of sticky traps available https://www.bugsaway.com/glueboard.htm Seems there's a flavor for everything from fleas to big rats and squirrels. You might even be able to make your own. I've used them here for spiders and they're very effective.

    Bill
     
  9. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

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    Incredibly cruel for a mammal :-( (or anything really).
     
  10. helenlee

    helenlee Junior Member

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    Thought I'd post a quick update:

    While I was being lazy & helpless (partly due to the incredible heat & partly due to knowing there was no really "kind" way to fix this problem) the problem resolved itself! :) They seem to have moved on to greener pastures all by their little selves.
    The ridiculous part is that now I miss the Antechinus 500 around the kitchen every night. I'll never miss that awful smell though ...
     
  11. helenlee

    helenlee Junior Member

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    The guy up the road bought one of those electronic things recently. He says it works wonderfully. He lives in a shed in thick bush, so he had EVERYTHING inside. He reckons no problems now. If I didn't have inside dogs I'd
    get one.
     
  12. Michaelangelica

    Michaelangelica Junior Member

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    They sound like good critters to have around
    https://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Antechinus_stuartii.html

    The smell is probably them marking their territory. You could retaliate by replacing their smells with others-- bleach, essential oils, perfume etc
     
  13. helenlee

    helenlee Junior Member

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    I tried the essential oils, hoping it would deter them from using the space under the cupboard, but no luck.
    Update on the electronic device: I met the neighbour again recently & he said the thing worked brilliantly for about a week, but then the critters all drifted back inside :(
     
  14. purplepear

    purplepear Junior Member

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    Could you try a different smell - perhaps napthelyne flakes if they are still available would persuade me to move if I was in your roof space.
     
  15. greenfarmers

    greenfarmers Junior Member

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    napthelyne is highly toxic to humans - accepted as strong carcinogen now apparently, so, depending on your ideals, might be something you would consider not using.

    Read somewhere a while back about quassia flakees being good for detering possums. Just did a quick search and came up with this, which might be of interest.

    "Quassia chips (T) (Chips of bark from a South American tree): Add 100 g chips to 2 litres water and heat for one hour before straining. Add one tablespoon detergent. Dilute at rate of 1 part of solution to four parts water and apply as a spray."

    https://www.dse.vic.gov.au/dse/nrenpa.nsf/FID/-BA8F66E2207E9E1ACA256D9000082EC0?OpenDocument has more info - from a Deakin University Study of possum repellents - interestingly they also mention napthelyne! ... but there are other options!

    Heidi
     
  16. kimbo.parker

    kimbo.parker Junior Member

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    antechinus pie
    antechinus dip
    antechinus torttilla

    in peru where the cavey (guinea pig) is a popular snack; they have this nifty way of turning a rodent into a nutritional snack.

    they heat a couple of heavy cast iron hotplates on the fire.
    when the plates are very hot.

    they crack a guinea pig, place it entire on one hot plate, and then 'drop' the other hotplate on top of it,,,and put a rock on top.

    when it is done; the resultant 'snack' has no fur and the brown bit you give to the dogs; the rest they eat of sell in resteraunts as chicken ( to tourists )
    has anyone ever seen a chicken cage in peru,,,rumour has it they don't exist,,,there are no chickens in peru,,,,

    plenty of 'chicken dishes' though.

    eat the problem.....

    'k'
     
  17. helenlee

    helenlee Junior Member

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    Kimbo - aren't you the same guy who is gnashing his teeth & tearing his hair over suggestions you eat your cow/ her calf on anther thread????

    OK. I know what you mean. I LOVE my jersey cows too. The last one (who very sadly for me died from snake bite - but after a very spoilt life) was so quiet you could take a cup of tea into the yard & "pour" the milk in straight from the cow. It was a fun stunt to freak out city friends :)

    So ... onto the little antechinus problem. No one is making antechinus pie, dip or tortillas dude. (If for no other reason than that they are fast & they smell disgusting!)
    No one is going to be eating guinea pigs either ... although I have thought about how healthy the little buggers must be when I was feeding them all those yummy fruit & vegetables every day ;)
    I did see a documentary about the unmentionable tragedy you refer to above though. The cavies weren't in cages - they just live in the house! Whole flocks of them! Racing around on the dirt floor. And the um ...er ... "preparation method" you refer to sounds about what I remember too!
    There is NO WAY I could eat a guinea pig. They are the cutest, sweetest little critters in captivity. Maybe I've read too much Beatrix Potter or something, but I can't help but see them in aprons & bonnets & stuff ...
    What about snakes? I've just about had a gut full of snakes this year. And seeing as the ba$tards are killing all my chooks & sheep - I might have to eat one soon!!!
     
  18. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Hmmm snake.... 'sposed to taste like chicken. But then they say that about everything!
     
  19. helenlee

    helenlee Junior Member

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    Everything except for the things that are "sposed to taste like fish ...
     
  20. RichardM

    RichardM Junior Member

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    Parks & Wildlife would have your balls on a string if you deliberately laid a sticky trap for an Antechinus.
     

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