SQ
Senior Member - Vegan for the animals
Cage bar spacing must be very very small because small predators can enter your home
1. because smart, beautiful, adorable little ermines will enter homes/apartment buildings etc to find small rodents to eat ……. they will kill mice, rats, and larger animals
They can get through very small holes.
2. small wild snake attacks pet rats in their critter nation cage (see story below)
I used to use rabbit cages and ferret nations, but no longer unless covered with hardware cloth because the bar spacing is too large.
Edit:
* I know of a home in NB and one in ON where ermines entered homes looking for mice this winter.
* An ermine also "broke into" another home in NB to get a hamster, or the cat - fortunately they are both ok.
* I was involved in adopting out 2 sweet rattie boys a few years ago to a good home where they lived in an FN. Months later I was told that one night the 2 boys were ripped apart and took hours to die ….. now I believe that it must have been an ermine as nothing else makes sense.
I only recently became aware of this danger because no one seems to talk about it.
And of course there are other predators that can enter your home or apartment.
Quote:
A Ermine currently in our care.
Do you see the funky hair pattern going on?
Ermines, also known as Short-tailed Weasels or Stoats, are small predators that like to change with the seasons to better camouflage themselves.
In the summer, they are a tawny brown on top and white/beige below, and in winter pure white. But one thing that stays consistent and is a major ID factor is the black tipped tail!
This female is in her molt, changing from her winter white to summer brown, always a neat thing to see!
These small weasels may seem cute, but don't let the size fool you.
They are serious predators and can take down prey much larger than themselves.
With their fierce teeth and strong bite, they aggressively can jump on the back of their victim and break the neck/spine with a good bite.
#NaturalRodentControl #SmallButMighty #NoThisIsNotAFerret
Posted May 22 2019: about finding a small snake in the critter nation cage
1. because smart, beautiful, adorable little ermines will enter homes/apartment buildings etc to find small rodents to eat ……. they will kill mice, rats, and larger animals
They can get through very small holes.
2. small wild snake attacks pet rats in their critter nation cage (see story below)
I used to use rabbit cages and ferret nations, but no longer unless covered with hardware cloth because the bar spacing is too large.
Edit:
* I know of a home in NB and one in ON where ermines entered homes looking for mice this winter.
* An ermine also "broke into" another home in NB to get a hamster, or the cat - fortunately they are both ok.
* I was involved in adopting out 2 sweet rattie boys a few years ago to a good home where they lived in an FN. Months later I was told that one night the 2 boys were ripped apart and took hours to die ….. now I believe that it must have been an ermine as nothing else makes sense.
I only recently became aware of this danger because no one seems to talk about it.
And of course there are other predators that can enter your home or apartment.
Quote:
A Ermine currently in our care.
Do you see the funky hair pattern going on?
Ermines, also known as Short-tailed Weasels or Stoats, are small predators that like to change with the seasons to better camouflage themselves.
In the summer, they are a tawny brown on top and white/beige below, and in winter pure white. But one thing that stays consistent and is a major ID factor is the black tipped tail!
This female is in her molt, changing from her winter white to summer brown, always a neat thing to see!
These small weasels may seem cute, but don't let the size fool you.
They are serious predators and can take down prey much larger than themselves.
With their fierce teeth and strong bite, they aggressively can jump on the back of their victim and break the neck/spine with a good bite.
#NaturalRodentControl #SmallButMighty #NoThisIsNotAFerret
Posted May 22 2019: about finding a small snake in the critter nation cage
Last edited:
