Be AWARE, and Don’t Kill or Harm Raptors!

Have a mouse in your house or a rat in your roof? It is pretty common in Florida to have this problem. Especially if you love birds, and feeding them, like me.

Homeowners and business owners should be very careful when choosing the method to get rid of these pesky and unwelcomed guests. Here is the ugly truth of what has been used to combat vermin, these rodenticides are indirectly harming our raptors. Yes, that beautiful eagle you have been watching at the local preserve may consume the rats and mice that recently ate the lethal poison many homes and businesses are often using as rodenticide. Toxins don’t kill rats and mice immediately, but rather allow the animals to linger long enough to be eaten by a predator, which makes the raptors critically ill or kills them.

Dr. Maria Passarelli from Save Our Seabirds received approximately 30 birds this past year with suspected rodenticide poisoning. The rat poison primarily affects birds of pray, such as eagles, hawks, owls, and even great blue herons. These toxins prevent normal blood clotting and put birds at risk of internal bleeding when they are exposed to trauma.

Toxins to avoid buying contain the following ingredients:

Even worse these raptor parents are bringing mice and rats with toxins back to their nests to feed there young.

It is awareness that will help our local raptors by promoting the use of alternative treatments that can be purchased easily online or at your local Hardware store. These treatments are the same cost or cheaper AND as effective without harming other wildlife.

The safer products to choose when making rodenticide decisions:

Fastrac Ratx Terad3 Assault Peppermint Spray GoodNature Rat Trap

So the next time you are needing to rid your home or business of rodents, please keep in mind the indirect effects your choices can make on our beautiful raptors.

Please share this information with your neighbors, family and even your local government to get the harmful toxins off the shelves.