Are my indoor guineapigs in danger of being eaten by rats?

Sue_P

Sue_P

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Do rats creep through windows into your home? I know they can just run up houses because some live in attics so technically there wouldn’t be anything stopping them from coming into your home when you have the windows open right?
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I was thinking about this yesterday. There’s breeding rats very close to my home and rats ain’t stupid, they’ll have heard my own rodents squeaking in my home and know they’re there. So does that make my rodents sitting ducks whenever I have the windows open? My rodents are lovely and fat, I’m sure they’d make a delicious meal.
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My rodents live in a pen in an upstairs bedroom and if a rat came in through the window it could easily jump in with them. Do you think I should keep my windows shut whenever I’m not within earshot? It was blinkin’ hot over the bank holiday and their room heats up so in the past I’ve had the windows open all night to let some breeze in. I’m thinking that’s not a good idea anymore because if I’m asleep I may not hear them getting devoured.
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Also, for the last few months I’ve had the top window ajar all the time but locked. You know when you have double glazed windows and can have them a couple of centimeters open but locked. Well can a rat get through that? I’m imagining they can. They certainly seem able to squeeze themselves through other tight gaps.
 
If the gap is big enough for a rat to get it's head through then it could get in.

But it would be a lot of hard work for it climbing your house and squeezing through a window just to eat your pigs when there is more easily accessible stuff for them close by such as peoples bins.

If you are really worried you could look into getting something to cover the window gaps such as chicken wire with small 1cm gaps. A rat wouldn't squeeze through that.

I personally don't think your pigs are in danger as I've not heard of anyone from ther for having their outside pigs eaten by rats.

But if it makes you feel less worried I'd definitely look into something to cover the windows.
 
I’m not sure how I’d securely attach mesh to my windows without damaging my décor or upvc windows.
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If there are that many rats breeding nearby, could you call the council to get pest control round?
 
Due to cuts the council don’t deal with rats anymore. I wouldn’t want to poison them though, it’s mean plus other animals get inadvertently poisoned too. My friend hammered to death a fitting mouse once, andI've seen a few dead shrews and mice after neighbours have been poisoning rats. Plus the hedgehogs would likely gobble positioned rodents.
 
If you know where they live, is it possible to disassemble their nest or remove their food source so they move on? We had rats living under our old shed and feeding off the food next door put on the compost heap. We tore down the shed and dug up the nests and got next door to stop putting human food on the compost heap. They didn’t entirely go away but the numbers become acceptable
 
You tore down your hut?!
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I could stop feeding the birds, that may encourage them to move on however I think they’re quite happy where they are. I live next to a lake and by the river, we’re never going to eradicate rats where I live. They’re currently living in the rockery next door although they do have a bolt hole in my garden. When I’m pretty certain they’re not in it I really must plug the entrance hole somehow. There’s no point in me asking the neighbour to do anything with her garden, the woman who lives there is mental, she’d rather eradicate me than the rats.
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& I don't want to stop feeding the birds, I love watching them.
 
It was a rubbish old shed that was being held up by the ivy!
Yes, I can that it would be impossible to get rid of yours that way! I would block the holes as they appear and generally keep your garden as uninviting for them as you can (without stopping the bird food) does your feeder have a tray underneith? My aunt has trays under her feeders, just above a squirrel baffle. That way, much less food ends up on the floor and the ratters can’t climb the poles.
 
My piggies have personally fought off stray cats without a scratch, so you shouldn’t be too worried.
 
MattDaMan said:
My piggies have personally fought off stray cats without a scratch, so you shouldn’t be too worried.
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Your poor piggies, obviously the sensible and humane thing to do is minimise the chances of your piggies facing predators. Being natural prey they are able to die quite easily from shock alone let alone an attack.

Sue, I know it's easier said than done but if you haven't had rats coming into the house then I would try not to worry too much. If it is a real issue you can use humane rat traps and then take them out to a wild area for release. My aunt is having issues with rats at the moment and this is what they are doing, they have driven 3 out to the woods so far.
 
They are kept in my garden. I have a huge fence around, but those cats are determined. They climb up everything. But I can hear every noise the cavies make, so whenever I hear a scream I go out there and chase the cats away.
 
MattDaMan said:
They are kept in my garden. I have a huge fence around, but those cats are determined. They climb up everything. But I can hear every noise the cavies make, so whenever I hear a scream I go out there and chase the cats away.
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Can you not fence off an enclosure for them and put a cover over it to deter predators?
 
Some of it is covered, and there are so many hiding spots that a cat could never reach. Plus, my cat and dog guard the garden. But they don’t touch the cavies.
 
@ Lady Kelly – I didn’t know humane rat traps existed. I’ll give that some thought.

@ MattDaMan – I’ve heard of cats running off with guinea pigs before. & I know when my rodents had a cat try and grab one of them, neither of my rodents flinched an inch, they seemed oblivious to the stalking and charging cat, they didn’t run and hide. I was just glad that I was watching from the kitchen window and didn’t have my back turned or had nipped to the loo. I charged at the cat even faster than it charged at my rodents. Plus the cat seemed oblivious to me ‘til we made contact, it was so focussed on getting Fudge.
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Sue_P said:
@ Lady Kelly – I didn’t know humane rat traps existed. I’ll give that some thought.

@ MattDaMan – I’ve heard of cats running off with guinea pigs before. & I know when my rodents had a cat try and grab one of them, neither of my rodents flinched an inch, they seemed oblivious to the stalking and charging cat, they didn’t run and hide. I was just glad that I was watching from the kitchen window and didn’t have my back turned or had nipped to the loo. I charged at the cat even faster than it charged at my rodents. Plus the cat seemed oblivious to me ‘til we made contact, it was so focussed on getting Fudge.
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Thank goodness you were so fast to scare the cat off!
 




They’d would have hopefully of been okay as they were like this with a couple of heavy hammers on top of the enclosure but they could have gotten scratched and scared.
 
Sue_P said:




They’d would have hopefully of been okay as they were like this with a couple of heavy hammers on top of the enclosure but they could have gotten scratched and scared.
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I have cats and they can be very determined although thankfully mine aren’t interested in the pigs.
Your piggies are beautiful
 
Thanks. I think Fudge was beautiful, Rumball wasn't good looking but he was a much more friendly rodent and liked nibbling me. They're both dead now though.
 
If guinea pigs are the same species as mice & rats, I would have thought that they would have got on like a house on fire.
Which it isn't, you just need a bit more height on that cage. I'm noticing that when they come out, they are bent over. Obviously in pain.
 
Guinea pigs are very different to rats. Rats are carnivores, guinea pigs are herbivores. Put a carnivore and herbivore together and it may not end well.

Their was plenty of headroom for my rodents when they were out on the grass. Rumball and Fudge loved being outside on the grass but when Rumball died and I replaced him with Walking Wig, Walking Wig hated it and would just charge into the clear plastic and was really scared and skittish so I stopped putting them out. When both Fudge & Walking Wig died and I had just my girl rodents Pretty Fat & Ugly (who I’ve still got), I tried putting them out on the grass but they too were scared stiff and they were young at the time and fast so I was worried about losing one by accident so they don’t go outside either. I go grass cutting every day and bring it to them instead.
 
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