Help - rat problem!

Incredipigs

Incredipigs

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Godstone Surrey, UK
So yesterday I went into the Pig house (converted playhouse) to feed the piggies and bunnies and found something horrible. My beloved Charity was dead, but that wasn't the worst bit. Her face had been eaten off. Heartbroken and a little traumatised I researched and found that the only thing that could have happened to her was a rat got her!
I panicked and got all the piggies and bunnies out of there so they're all now in tiny cages in my kitchen!
I'm so stressed and don't know what to do, I've found a few places where rats have been getting in and I'm going to block them up with wood however I'm sure the rats will chew there way back in! What am I going to do!? I can't keep the piggies in as I've got no cage and no space, this is what there in at the moment and there is no way they can stay in that!
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I think it's hasty to say that's the only thing that could have happened. In my time on the forum we have only had one member that has caught a rat attacking their piggies. Are you sure that charity didn't die suddenly and the damage is from the other piggies trying to wake her? Were there other signs that a rat had been in/around the piggies such as droppings etc? I don't know if you are in an urban area like me but the rats around here are unlikely to attack as they are lazy, there is far too much free food that won't run away or fight back so they don't bother with live creatures
 
Lady Kelly said:
I think it's hasty to say that's the only thing that could have happened. In my time on the forum we have only had one member that has caught a rat attacking their piggies. Are you sure that charity didn't die suddenly and the damage is from the other piggies trying to wake her? Were there other signs that a rat had been in/around the piggies such as droppings etc? I don't know if you are in an urban area like me but the rats around here are unlikely to attack as they are lazy, there is far too much free food that won't run away or fight back so they don't bother with live creatures
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I was thinking the same thing.
Another possibility would be that the guinea pig already died and rat started eating the face off.
I find it hard to believe that there was a fight between guinea pig and a rat and guinea pig face was first eaten while alive, then it died. Maybe when visiting the piggies more frequently, you will find some better answers.

Mine are indoor piggies and even then, I visit them numerous times daily so I know exactly what is going on with my piggies. Finn and Lara live in separate cages but they are close to each other providing company, I feel. Also, they are never alone as I pick them up several times a day.
 
Lady Kelly said:
I think it's hasty to say that's the only thing that could have happened. In my time on the forum we have only had one member that has caught a rat attacking their piggies. Are you sure that charity didn't die suddenly and the damage is from the other piggies trying to wake her? Were there other signs that a rat had been in/around the piggies such as droppings etc? I don't know if you are in an urban area like me but the rats around here are unlikely to attack as they are lazy, there is far too much free food that won't run away or fight back so they don't bother with live creatures
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I didn't want to go into much detail however Charity's face was eaten, not damaged, I've found chewed holes in the Pig house in multiple places including round the roof (where the pigs could not get to)
 
Seven7 said:
I was thinking the same thing.
Another possibility would be that the guinea pig already died and rat started eating the face off.
I find it hard to believe that there was a fight between guinea pig and a rat and guinea pig face was first eaten while alive, then it died. Maybe when visiting the piggies more frequently, you will find some better answers.

Mine are indoor piggies and even then, I visit them numerous times daily so I know exactly what is going on with my piggies. Finn and Lara live in separate cages but they are close to each other providing company, I feel. Also, they are never alone as I pick them up several times a day.
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Yes it is a possibility she could have died first.
I visit the piggies multiple times a day however yesterday I was at a party all day.
 
Also, if they had a bigger hutch with closures and doors, they could be better protected and possibly escape the unwanted intruders?
 
Seven7 said:
Also, if they had a bigger hutch with closures and doors, they could be better protected and possibly escape the unwanted intruders?
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They don't live in a hutch, they live in a 4x4 playhouse, in there they have a secure bedding box which they can get into if there cold, they can also go under it. The playhouse is solid wood however the rats have managed to chew through!
 
Incredipigs said:
They don't live in a hutch, they live in a 4x4 playhouse, in there they have a secure bedding box which they can get into if there cold, they can also go under it. The playhouse is solid wood however the rats have managed to chew through!
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Yes, I do see the cage set up you posted, on the floor with hay.
 
How awful. I’m so sorry to hear this.
My friend has chickens and they had rat problems. They originally dug chicken wire into the ground around their coop but the rats just dug deeper to get back. In the end they had to just surround the coop with traps and poison pellets. It solved it in the end but it wasn’t a quick fix.
 
Do your local council offer pest control services? My poor old mum had a rat come in from next door (the lady next door has mental health problems and "forgets" about food she leaves out, its very sad and quite gross) and our council have a rapid-response email and telephone hotline for reporting rats. I think homeowners have to pay about £50 but the council come and assess within 24 hours and sort it within a week...
 
I am so sorry for your loss.
This is one of the reasons I don’t keep piggies outdoors. I live in a house that backs onto woods. My garden is alive with rats, squirrels, crows, a pheasant, a mole and several visiting badgers from a neighbouring set. I’ve decided with all that wildlife it would be too difficult to everything proof the pets so they live indoors.
To have done so much damage in such a short space of time are you sure it’s a rat?
 
I have blocked all the holes in the Pig house and the piggies and buns have moved back in, I'm very nervous but they couldn't stay inside in that cage
 
If it is a rat, he will know how to get in & will try it again. Can you make a C&C cage in one of the bedrooms or living room. You can put lid on it, so they are safe for your cats.
 
Tiamolly123 said:
If it is a rat, he will know how to get in & will try it again. Can you make a C&C cage in one of the bedrooms or living room. You can put lid on it, so they are safe for your cats.
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Unfortunately not, I have no space to put C&C cage, especially not one big enough for 8 piggies 😩
 
Incredipigs said:
Do you think if I put music on in the Pig house it would stop rats trying to get in as much?
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I'm really sorry for your loss. I don't think the music will distract them at all. Make sure you don't leave pellets down as that is more likely to attract them. My colleague had a rat come into his flat, blocked up the hole and he said after months of nothing he finally heard some scratching at the same spot so sounds like the rat is back and knows where it used to get in. You can get humane rat traps that you could put near to where they are getting into the playhouse then release the rats miles away in a field or something, thats what my aunt has taken to as she gets them frequently in her garage
 
Lady Kelly said:
I'm really sorry for your loss. I don't think the music will distract them at all. Make sure you don't leave pellets down as that is more likely to attract them. My colleague had a rat come into his flat, blocked up the hole and he said after months of nothing he finally heard some scratching at the same spot so sounds like the rat is back and knows where it used to get in. You can get humane rat traps that you could put near to where they are getting into the playhouse then release the rats miles away in a field or something, thats what my aunt has taken to as she gets them frequently in her garage
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I will see if I can get some traps
 
Dont buy glue traps, so evil! The rats just has to stand there in a tray of very strong superglue waiting to starve to death
 
I take it that guinea pigs dont do whats called the cleaning up process that omnivores like gerbils do when one of the clan dies. They eat the dead one to stop predators being attracted.

Just some advise, dont under estimate the tiny gaps rats can go through. They have hinged rib cages its crazy
 
Skypipdot said:
I take it that guinea pigs dont do whats called the cleaning up process that omnivores like gerbils do when one of the clan dies. They eat the dead one to stop predators being attracted.

Just some advise, dont under estimate the tiny gaps rats can go through. They have hinged rib cages its crazy
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No they don't, sometimes they nibble the dead guinea pigs face but Charity's face was eaten
 
I checked on the piggies earlier and noticed Toffs got a chunk missing out of both her ears, the rats had obviously gone for her aswell 💔
 
Incredipigs said:
I checked on the piggies earlier and noticed Toffs got a chunk missing out of both her ears, the rats had obviously gone for her aswell 💔
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Blooming hell. Id get them inside until you fix the problem. Else you will end up with another pig gone. I hate wild rats. Domestic are lovely though
 
Toff was obviously attacked at the same time as Charity, there is a small amount of blood round her ears but it is very dry. All the holes are blocked now so a rat would have to chew its way in. The Pig house is very solid so it would take them a while.

I have 2 domestic rats and they are so cute.
 
What if I adopted a ferret? My grandma used to use them at her stables, not to kill the rats, the smell of ferrets would keep the rats away. I like ferrets but I've never really considered having one before. Do you think it would work?
 
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