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News, little truths and wisdom regarding Pest Bird & Animal Wildlife Control, Falconry, and Birds of Prey....
How Long Do Rats Live?
- Written by: Dan Frankian
Rats (members of the genus Rattus) originated in Asia and Australia but are now found all over the world. These fascinating rodents have inspired gruesome tales from the sewers beneath New York City and simultaneously wiggled their way into many a home as a pet companion. They are known to be curious, intelligent, and affectionate - so let’s explore their life and lifespan in more detail.
How Long Do Rats Live? - Lifespan of Wild Rats
The average lifespan of a rat in the wild is often less than one year. The most contributing factors to premature death are:
- Predators
- Disease
- Inadequate food and water
While genetics play a role, nutrition is of huge importance. Rats, like many small mammals, have fast metabolisms and need food to support their energy needs regularly. In times when food is hard to come by, they can enter a state of lowered physiological function to conserve energy. It’s crucial for rats to have access to both food and water regularly to maintain their health and survival.
Factors Influencing the Lifespan of Wild Rats
Environmental Conditions
Rats are crafty little creatures that can adapt to living in all sorts of environments and able to withstand some pretty harsh conditions. Contrary to popular belief, they are not dirty by nature; in fact, a clean and calm environment can significantly improve the life expectancy of a rat. When asking ‘how long do rats live?, one must also consider increased stress levels and subsequent lower immune responses in animals constantly in survival mode.
Predation
Birds of prey are at the top of rat predators, owls specifically. Like owls, rats are nocturnal and hence both species roam and hunt at night. Rats also make up a good portion of a snake diet. Bobcats, weasels , and even domestic pets prey on rats.
Access to Food and Shelter
As mentioned before, rats have fast metabolisms and require frequent feeding. Adequate food and clean water are crucial to the survival of rats. Shelter from predators, for nesting and food storage are equally important. In the wild, rats often burrow into the ground and build their nests out of sight, but being the adaptable little rodents they are, they may also gather grass, straw, and twigs to create nests below rocks and around foundations and concrete slabs.
What Makes Raccoons Such Successful Trash Pandas?
- Written by: Dan Frankian
Are you familiar with the trash panda? If you live in or around Toronto, the Raccoon Capital of the World, you likely are. From raiding our trash to moving into our attics, raccoons are adept and capable of thriving in our ever increasing urban environments.
What Makes Raccoons Such Successful Trash Pandas?
Raccoons are intelligent creatures, curious, and able to observe and learn. Let’s explore why and how they continue to evolve to navigate the urban jungle.
Adaptability to Urban Environments
Raccoons are by nature opportunistic scavengers. While they do actively hunt, they’re also content with someone else’s leftovers. From roadkill to trash bins, where there’s an easy meal to be had, you might well find a raccoon or five. Add to that cozy spots under decks or in sheds to build a den or have a snooze, and raccoons can really live quite happily in the city.
Highly Intelligent Behaviors
Studies have shown that raccoons watch and learn. Interestingly, it seems that the more docile (less aggressive or quieter) animals have greater success doing so. It stands to reason that while they may not be as bold and forward as their counterparts, they also don’t get spooked as easily and observe from a distance.
Read more: What Makes Raccoons Such Successful Trash Pandas?
Do Squirrels Hibernate?
- Written by: Dan Frankian
Have you noticed the absence of squirrels in your yard during the winter months? Are you wondering what happened to them? Where did they go? Do squirrels hibernate in winter?
Let’s explore what exactly these nimble raiders of all things seed are up to during our cold season.
Torpor vs. Hibernation
First, let’s look at Torpor vs. Hibernation. Torpor is a state of rest or inactivity that lasts only a short time (like one day or night). It is basically a VERY deep sleep, during which heart rate, body temperature, breathing and metabolic rate are lowered. It appears to be involuntary.
Hibernation, on the other hand, can last for several weeks or even months and is a deliberate state, meaning that the animal prepares for and enters into it voluntarily. Both torpor and hibernation are survival tactics for when food is scarce.
So, when do squirrels hibernate? Or, do squirrels hibernate for winter?
What Do Possums Eat?
- Written by: Dan Frankian
First, let’s set the record straight: Possums are a species of tree dwelling marsupials native to Australia and the Indonesian islands of New Guinea and Sulawesi. When we talk about possums in North America, we actually mean Opossums. Opossums are the only native marsupials in North America. And, if we are discussing opossums in Canada, we are specifically talking about the Virginia Opossum. Generally the size of a domestic cat, opossums are often misunderstood and vilified, when in fact, they are incredible pest control mechanisms all on their own.
Understanding Opossum Diets
Opossums are omnivorous creatures and opportunistic scavengers and will feed on all sorts of things. Let’s have a closer look at “what do possums like to eat”, shall we?
Natural Diet of Opossums
Opossums are true omnivores; their ability to consume and digest both plant-based and animal-based foods is essential for their survival. Their choice of food likely depends mostly on availability. Additionally, they are known to scavenge carrion and roadkill, making them part of Mother Nature’s clean-up crew.
Insects and Bugs
Opossums play an important role in controlling pest populations with an affinity for beetles and bugs, commonly found in yards, gardens, and wooded areas. Such bugs may include ants, termites, grasshoppers, and crickets. Snails and slugs, high in protein, vitamins, and minerals, are also on the menu for any self respecting opossum. Interestingly, a myth claiming that opossums eat thousands of ticks in a season, may just be that - a myth. A 2021 peer reviewed study found that opossums do not seem to favour ticks at all.
Fruits and Berries
Their sweet taste and excellent nutritional value make fruits and berries, including apples, grapes, cherries, and blackberries a beloved and important part of the opossum’s diet. Leafy greens and juicy corn kernels are also a welcome addition to the menu.
What Type of Squirrel Repellent Should I Use?
- Written by: Dan Frankian
What You Need to Know About Squirrel Behavior
Habits and Characteristics
Squirrels exhibit a variety of interesting behaviors and characteristics. Understanding these can help in managing their presence in your environment. Here are some key habits and characteristics of squirrel behaviour.
Feeding Habits
- Squirrels are omnivores meaning they consume a wide variety of food sources depending on their availability. These foods range from the most common such as nuts, seeds, fruits, and fungi to those less common such as insects, small animals, and bird eggs.
- Squirrels are infamous for storing food; burying nuts and seeds as food sources during the winter months when food is scarce.
Nesting Habits
- A squirrel's nest is referred to as a drey. These nests are commonly made out of twigs, leaves, and other materials.
- Drey’s can be easily identified in the forks of tree branches, but another common place for squirrels to nest inside of attics.
- Squirrels may often build and maintain more than one nest within their territory in case one nesting site becomes compromised.
Activity Patterns
- Squirrels are considered diurnal animals, meaning their primary activity times are during the day; typically early morning.
- Although squirrels do not hibernate, they are indeed less active during the winter and will be seen less frequently while they rely on their cached food supplies.
Reproductive Behaviour
- Squirrel’s typically nest two times a year; early in the spring and through the middle of summer meaning their young usually will appear around March and then later again in August.
- The gestation period for squirrels is about 40-45 days. Females usually give birth to a litter of 2-8 young. The mother cares for the young until they are weaned at around 8-10 weeks old.
Adaptability
- Squirrels are highly adaptable and can thrive in urban environments. They are often seen in parks, gardens, and suburban areas where food is plentiful.
- Squirrels are known for their intelligence and problem-solving abilities. They can figure out how to access bird feeders and other food sources, demonstrating impressive persistence and ingenuity.
- Squirrels are also very keen at exploiting rotting wood or weak points in roofs and can very easily chew through these areas to create entry points for protective cover and nesting areas.
Hawkeye's Birds of Prey in Burlington
- Written by: Dan Frankian
The city of Burlington hosted its first Animal Services Summer Social on July 6th, 2024 at the Burlington animal shelter location. What a great event it was!
A large crowd of visitors gathered to meet with and learn about the shelter residents and their care. Among the day's activities were demonstrations featuring Hawkeye's Birds of Prey. Rocket, our stunnng Peregrine Falcon, Coco, grumpy Great Horned Owl, and Simone, our classy Harris's Hawk lady dazzled kids and adults alike. Hawkeye's staff was on hand to answer any and all questions and talk a bit about the birds, what it takes to care for them, and how we work with them. We all had a wonderful time and hope to see everyone again next year!
Props to the Animal Shelter staff - you are as passionate about the shelter animals as we are about our birds of prey!
Why Are There So Many Raccoons in Toronto?
- Written by: Dan Frankian
Toronto - Beautiful, vibrant capital city of Ontario - and Raccoon Capital of the World! Indeed, estimates of the number of raccoons that call Toronto home, range from 60,000 to 100,000. Torontonians seem to have resigned themselves to share their neighbourhoods with the ever present trash pandas. But, how did this come about?
Urbanization in Toronto
What does urbanization mean? It refers to the shift of populations from rural to urban areas. In terms of people, it is most often the result of availibility of employement opportunities, amenities, and cultural centres. Toronto boasts vast manufacturing and industrial expansion. Toronto's populatin has increased by well over 2 million since the year 2000 to almost 6,500,000 residents now. That's not counting raccoons! :)
How Does Urbanization Affect Raccoons?
When it comes to raccoons and other wildlife, it isn't so much the animals packing up and moving to the city, but rather, the city taking over their habitat. When we build sub divisions in previous wilderness, we'll not only take over the land, but also its inhabitants. For some species, the loss of habitat can be devastating, but raccoons are incredibly adaptable and opportunistic creatures and continue to thrive. When the woods disappear and hollow logs become scarce, a chimney might do just as well. And, a den in your attic may actually be an upgrade from the equivalent in the bush.
Why Toronto?
In short - Toronto has evrything a raccoon will ever need or want. Toronto has plenty of wooded areas, parks, and forests. There are also a ton of rivers, ponds, streams.. and let's not forget Lake Ontario. And then, there's talk of Torontonians just being such considerate hosts :) No, seriously, well meaning citizens had a habit of feeding wildlife and supposedly were somewhat lax when it came to waste disposal. The term 'Trash Panda' was coined before lockable garbage bins were a thing.
Why Does Falconry Work For Bird Control?
- Written by: Dan Frankian
- Birds of Prey, or raptors, are natural predators to many pest birds.
- Raptors disrupt breeding and roosting of pest birds.
- Raptors create stress in pest birds.
- Falconry is highly targeted to particular species of pest birds.
- Falconry is ecologically and environmentally friendly.
- Falconry is regulated and overseen by government agencies in many countries to ensure it is conducted ethically and professionally.
What is Falconry?
Falconry is the ancient art of hunting with trained birds of prey. It has been practiced for thousands of years in many cultures around the world. More recently, falconry is used for bird control, wildlife removal and abatement, It takes advantage of the natural relationship between bird predators and their prey. The predators - birds of prey, or raptors, are trained to scare away and chase pest birds. With a raptor in the area, the pest birds quickly learn the area is no longer safe. The pest birds become stressed and they quickly learn to avoid the area entirely.
I Found a Pigeon Nest. What Do I Do?
- Written by: Dan Frankian
So, you've discovered a nest and have a suspicion that what you are looking at is a pigeon nest. Unfortunately, to the untrained eye, or the presence of a pigeon on the nest, it can be difficult to know for sure whether you have found a pigeon’s nest. So, let's have a closer look at how to identify and deal with a pigeon nest.
Characteristics of Pigeon Nests
Pigeons are very resourceful birds and in turn will create their nests out of almost anything. While the majority of pigeon nests are made out of small twigs, leaves, and straw, it is common to see pieces of garbage and other debris in their nests as well. To determine whether you have found a pigeon nest, identifying the bird on the nest will be a dead giveaway. But if the nest is unattended, the eggs of the pigeon can also be identified. While pigeons themselves can vary in colouration, their eggs almost always look the same. Most pigeons have iridescent feathers on their necks and two black bands on their wings, but while their feather coloration can be quite interesting, their eggs are very plain. Pigeon eggs are typically no larger than 3-4 centimeters and are white to off-white in colour.
How to Manage Gopher Holes in Your Yard
- Written by: Dan Frankian
Gophers can be found all over North and Central America. Often confused with the groundhog (or woodchuck), the gopher is a small mammal, usually measuring between 4 and 14 inches in length and weighing 2lbs or less. You can quickly identify a gopher by its skinny, and sometimes hairless tail. It belongs to the Geomyidae family; it is a burrying rodent. The gopher prefers to make its home in loose and sandy soil, allowing for burrying and digging tunnels. Since it spends most of its time underground, you aren't likely to actually catch a glimpse of the animal itself... but you'll certainly notice its presence!
What Do Gopher Holes Look Like?
You may be wondering if what you are looking at is a mole hill or the remnants of a gopher hole. Aside from being considerably larger, there are some distinguishing features that determine what a gopher hole in your yard looks like:
- Dirt pile: Gophers usually leave behind a mound of excess dirt after building their tunnel
- Covered openings: Gophers close the openings of their burrows
- Crescent shaped mound of dirt: The pile of dirt left behind is a crescent-shaped mound
- A dip in the mound: The mound typically shows a slight dip in the middle
What Do Foxes Eat?
- Written by: Dan Frankian
In many cultures, the fox is seen as a sign of good luck, prosperity, resilience, and intelligence. It is believed to encourage a person to trust their intuition and look for creative solutions to issues in their life. However, if you're a poultry farmer, the appearance of a fox is troublesome and decidedly not a sign of good luck. Chances are, that your flock of birds is in grave danger. Let's have a look at what foxes actually eat.
What Do Foxes Eat?: A Fox's Diet
Foxes have an incredibly diverse diet. They are not carnivores, as you may have been led to believe, but omnivores. This means, they not only dine on meat, but enjoy tasty fruits and berries, too. Additionally, they do some scavenging - thus being part of Mother Nature's clean up crew. Foxes are nothing, if not adabtable and opportunistic, which is why we not only find them in the deep forest, but also in suburban neighbourhoods.
Are Foxes Opportunistic Feeders?
The answer is a resounding Yes! If around a poultry farm, they'll eat birds. If they are at home in the woodlands, small mammals are on the menu. If they've become accustomed to suburban life, they'll raid your trash bins and head to the garden for dessert. To answer "What do foxes eat?" we very much have to consider where they live and what their habitat looks like.
What Do Squirrels Eat?
- Written by: Dan Frankian
Ah yes - your friendly neighbourhood squirrel :) We've all watched those nimble little acrobats defy gravity... along with our efforts to keep them out of bird feeders. Did you know that there are over 200 types of squirrels? Squirrels belong to the Sciuridae family, which also includes prairie dogs, chipmunks and marmots. In Ontario, we typically see the Eastern Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis); this is the common grey or black squirrel. While different in colour and perhaps confusingly named, they belong to the same species. Black is often the dominant colour in northern climates like Ontario and Quebec. The farther south you travel, the less black squirrels you will see. This may indicate that the gene responsible for black coloration provides some protection in cold-weather climates.
What Do Squirrels Eat?: Squirrel Diet Overview
Squirrels have four teeth in the front of their mouth; they continuously grow throughout their lives. Because they constantly regrow, they don't become dull or wear down.
When it comes to what squirrels like to eat, the eastern grey squirrel isn't terribly picky and therefore its diet varies according to what its surroundings and the seasons have to offer. In early spring, maple buds are a favourite. During the summer, the seeds of maple (samaras) and elm are staples, along with a wide variety of berries and other wild fruits, seeds, nuts, and apples. In the fall you may see squirrels collect hard nuts, including acorns, hickory nuts, butternuts, walnuts, beechnuts, and pine seeds. This is when they'll turn into avid little hoarders, burying all sorts of nuts and seeds in preparation for winter.