# Moth balls??



## Flying Jay (Jul 6, 2009)

I just lost two squabs a couple days ago i'm pretty sure it was a rattsnake. i've herd that moth balls do the trick. my only question is will it hurt my birds if i put it by the nest??? I mean as long as they can't eat it.


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## sky tx (Mar 1, 2005)

Any snake will get Baby birds and the eggs.-Put a wooden egg in the nest if it disappears the snake will die. Not sure about Moth Balls. If a snake swollows a wooden egg in my loft it can not get out---I will find it


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Moth balls are toxic to birds. You need to predator proof your loft ASAP.


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## george simon (Feb 28, 2006)

Charis said:


> Moth balls are toxic to birds. You need to predator proof your loft ASAP.


*TRY THEM AROUND THE AREA OF THE LOFT BUT NOT IN THE LOFT*


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## Flying Jay (Jul 6, 2009)

IT IS PREDATOR PROOF!!!! THE ONLY THING THE SNAKE COULD HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH IS MY 1 INCH CHICKEN WIRE!!! i had a batch of babys like a month ago and they did just fine!!!.


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## Flying Jay (Jul 6, 2009)

thanks for the advice i think i'll try the wooden eggs. and the moth balls outside thanks.


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## rackerman (Jul 29, 2009)

sky tx said:


> Any snake will get Baby birds and the eggs.-Put a wooden egg in the nest if it disappears the snake will die. Not sure about Moth Balls. If a snake swollows a wooden egg in my loft it can not get out---I will find it


why will it die and not get out?


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## sky tx (Mar 1, 2005)

They can not "pass" a glass or wooden egg. --In my loft there is no hole large enough for an egg to go through--so the snake with an egg in it can not get back out.


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

It probably will not pass through their digestive system and the snake will starve to death. Snakes will also swallow plastic poultry eggs and even golf balls that that you leave in a chickens nest. They then crawl away and starve to death because they cannot digest the object. Snakes usually are attracted to these areas because there are rodents nearby. Also any cover the snakes or rodents can hide underneath should be removed, e.g., any lumber piles, pieces of tin or anything they can use for shelter or cover.


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

*A Good List To Have*

Protect Your Bird from 
Poisons and Toxic Chemicals

Print this Chart as a Reminder of What 
Poisonous Plants and Chemicals Can Harm Your Pet Bird 


Poisonous Plants that are Harmful to Birds 
Amaryllis
Avocado
Azalea
Balsam Pear
Baneberry
Beans: Castor, Horse,
Peas, Navy, Glory
Bird Of Paradise
Black Locust
Blue-Green Algae
Boxwood
Calla Lily
Cherry Tree
Christmas Candle
Coral Plant
Daffodil
Dieffenbachia
Eggplant
Elephant's Ear
Foxglove Hemlock
Holly
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Indian Turnip
Iris
Ivy ** All Types
Java Bean
Jerusulem Cherry
Jimsonweed
Juniper
Larkspur
Lily of the Valley
Lobelia
Locoweed
Marijuana
Mayapple
Mistletoe
Mock Orange
Morning Glory
Narcissus Oak
Oleander
Philodendron
Poison Ivy & Oak
Poinsettia
Pikeweed
Potato
Privet
Rhododendron
Rhubarb
Rosary Peas
Sandbox Tree
Skunk Cabbage
Snowdrop
Sweet Pea
Tobacco
Virginia Creeper
Wisteria
Yam Bean
Yew 
Sources of Fumes that are Toxic to Birds 
Asbestos
Bleach / Chlorine
Carbon Monoxide
Cigarette Smoke
Diazanon
Flea Bombs and Collars
Floor Polishes
Formaldehyde
Hair Dye and Spray
House Paint
Kerosene
Matches
Moth Balls
Nail Polish & Remover
Oil Paint
Oven Cleaner
Overheated Nonstick
Cookware **Teflons**
Paint Remover
Perfume
Permanent Wave Solution
Pesticides
Shoe Polish and Cleaners
Spot Removers
Spray Starch
Suntan Lotions
Surgical Acrylics
Toilet Cleaners
Wax ***This is by no means
a complete list. If you 
are unsure, read the
label, seek more 
information from maker.
When in doubt, don't use!!

Emergency Phone Numbers 
Regular Vet 
24-Hour Vet 
Other Emergency Contact 
Notes 









Protect Your Bird from 
Poisons and Toxic Chemicals

Print this Chart as a Reminder of What 
Poisonous Plants and Chemicals Can Harm Your Pet Bird 


Poisonous Plants that are Harmful to Birds 
Amaryllis
Avocado
Azalea
Balsam Pear
Baneberry
Beans: Castor, Horse,
Peas, Navy, Glory
Bird Of Paradise
Black Locust
Blue-Green Algae
Boxwood
Calla Lily
Cherry Tree
Christmas Candle
Coral Plant
Daffodil
Dieffenbachia
Eggplant
Elephant's Ear
Foxglove Hemlock
Holly
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Indian Turnip
Iris
Ivy ** All Types
Java Bean
Jerusulem Cherry
Jimsonweed
Juniper
Larkspur
Lily of the Valley
Lobelia
Locoweed
Marijuana
Mayapple
Mistletoe
Mock Orange
Morning Glory
Narcissus Oak
Oleander
Philodendron
Poison Ivy & Oak
Poinsettia
Pikeweed
Potato
Privet
Rhododendron
Rhubarb
Rosary Peas
Sandbox Tree
Skunk Cabbage
Snowdrop
Sweet Pea
Tobacco
Virginia Creeper
Wisteria
Yam Bean
Yew 
Sources of Fumes that are Toxic to Birds 
Asbestos
Bleach / Chlorine
Carbon Monoxide
Cigarette Smoke
Diazanon
Flea Bombs and Collars
Floor Polishes
Formaldehyde
Hair Dye and Spray
House Paint
Kerosene
Matches
Moth Balls
Nail Polish & Remover
Oil Paint
Oven Cleaner
Overheated Nonstick
Cookware **Teflons**
Paint Remover
Perfume
Permanent Wave Solution
Pesticides
Shoe Polish and Cleaners
Spot Removers
Spray Starch
Suntan Lotions
Surgical Acrylics
Toilet Cleaners
Wax ***This is by no means
a complete list. If you 
are unsure, read the
label, seek more 
information from maker.
When in doubt, don't use!!

Emergency Phone Numbers 
Regular Vet 
24-Hour Vet 
Other Emergency Contact 
Notes 












Protect Your Bird from 
Poisons and Toxic Chemicals

Print this Chart as a Reminder of What 
Poisonous Plants and Chemicals Can Harm Your Pet Bird 


Poisonous Plants that are Harmful to Birds 
Amaryllis
Avocado
Azalea
Balsam Pear
Baneberry
Beans: Castor, Horse,
Peas, Navy, Glory
Bird Of Paradise
Black Locust
Blue-Green Algae
Boxwood
Calla Lily
Cherry Tree
Christmas Candle
Coral Plant
Daffodil
Dieffenbachia
Eggplant
Elephant's Ear
Foxglove Hemlock
Holly
Hyacinth
Hydrangea
Indian Turnip
Iris
Ivy ** All Types
Java Bean
Jerusulem Cherry
Jimsonweed
Juniper
Larkspur
Lily of the Valley
Lobelia
Locoweed
Marijuana
Mayapple
Mistletoe
Mock Orange
Morning Glory
Narcissus Oak
Oleander
Philodendron
Poison Ivy & Oak
Poinsettia
Pikeweed
Potato
Privet
Rhododendron
Rhubarb
Rosary Peas
Sandbox Tree
Skunk Cabbage
Snowdrop
Sweet Pea
Tobacco
Virginia Creeper
Wisteria
Yam Bean
Yew 
Sources of Fumes that are Toxic to Birds 
Asbestos
Bleach / Chlorine
Carbon Monoxide
Cigarette Smoke
Diazanon
Flea Bombs and Collars
Floor Polishes
Formaldehyde
Hair Dye and Spray
House Paint
Kerosene
Matches
*Moth Balls*
Nail Polish & Remover
Oil Paint
Oven Cleaner
Overheated Nonstick
Cookware **Teflons**
Paint Remover
Perfume
Permanent Wave Solution
Pesticides
Shoe Polish and Cleaners
Spot Removers
Spray Starch
Suntan Lotions
Surgical Acrylics
Toilet Cleaners
Wax ***This is by no means
a complete list. If you 
are unsure, read the
label, seek more 
information from maker.
When in doubt, don't use!!

http://www.multiscope.com/hotspot/poison.htm


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## re lee (Jan 4, 2003)

People do use moth balls to deture snakes They put them under the loft and such to more or less drive the snake away from the loft Putting them in with the birds could cause problems. Outside the loft Before the snake gets in. You need to look at places a snake can enter the loft they can eveven go up to a small entry to get in I have heard of some type of crystals working to May just be Tick or fire ant crystals I do not remember


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

A very good list to have and I took a print of it and thanks Charis.....c.hert


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## spirit wings (Mar 29, 2008)

Flying Jay said:


> IT IS PREDATOR PROOF!!!! THE ONLY THING THE SNAKE COULD HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH IS MY 1 INCH CHICKEN WIRE!!! i had a batch of babys like a month ago and they did just fine!!!.


you need to cover that with 1/4 inch wire... moth balls or not there will be another snake or even a mouse can eat eggs and babies... so that would be a permanant solution to this problem... I had to do it.. a black snake tried to eat one of my adult pigeons sufficating it in the process..he left the body on the floor and was gone, but I knew i had to do something so.. I put the smaller wire up and now my loft is truley preditor proof, and Im soooo much more relaxed because I know that.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

My flight cage (attached to the loft) is *wrapped* with 1/4 and 1/2 inch hardware cloth, also about 8 inches under the ground. I still have small "things" (haven't seen them yet, but I find the holes) going under the wire, under the flight cage.
I threw moth balls in the holes (not accessible to my birds) and also threw moth balls and crystals under the building and keep filling in the holes. New one's continue to appear  I've taken the hose and flooded them - no activity for a couple days, then NEW holes.
I have NO idea what it is yet that making these holes because I haven't seen anything yet - other than HOLES!
I also have a couple of neighbors cats that hang around under the loft, sit and watch my birds and have climbed up the side of the flight cage!
I was going to get one of those sensor sprinklers for the cats, BUT, my birds seem to know that the cats can't get to them, so their not even bothered by them anymore. The birds just ignore the cats and go about their usual business, so I think I need the cats around to take care of what's burrowing in the holes!


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

If the holes are about an inch in diameter they are being made by mice and they will be raising dozen of little babies in these holes. I use to have the same problems in my poultry pens.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Flying Jay said:


> IT IS PREDATOR PROOF!!!! THE ONLY THING THE SNAKE COULD HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH IS MY 1 INCH CHICKEN WIRE!!! i had a batch of babys like a month ago and they did just fine!!!.


If you use chicken wire, then it isn't predator proof. Snakes can get in, so can rodents. Rats will kill your birds, and even mice can spread salmonella. You should put up 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch hardware cloth. Then it will be predator proof.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

grifter said:


> If the holes are about an inch in diameter they are being made by mice and they will be raising dozen of little babies in these holes. I use to have the same problems in my poultry pens.


The holes I have are about 2 inches in diameter - 1 on each side. The only thing I have seen (but not near the flight cage) is some red squirrels running along the fence. The cats are around there everyday and I haven't seen any dead mice from them around.


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

Squirrels will dig shallow holes, but if they are deep tunnels then it is probably mice.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

If those holes are 2 inches diameter, then they're most likely rats or chipmunks. The holes chipmunks make are about that size and smaller. Have you noticed any around?


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

Jay3 said:


> If those holes are 2 inches diameter, then they're most likely rats or chipmunks. The holes chipmunks make are about that size and smaller. Have you noticed any around?


I haven't "seen" anything! Not even any "trails". The "tell tale" sign for rats is "trails" leading to the holes.
I'm sure those 2 holes are leading to tunnels because when I run the hose into them - the water doesn't come out ANYWHERE!
When I first moved here last year, there were alot of mole tunnels under the lawn.
They can't get inside to the birds - I just don't want them undermining under the flight cage and breeding


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

I can assure you that they are mice, I've had lots of experience with these tunnels. Usually these tunnels have escape holes where the mouse can exit the hole if it is invaded by a snake or if it is flooded by water. The escape openings are usually cleverly concealed by a thin layer of dirt. Rats do not dig holes, or at least that's true for this part of the country. The only other rodent that will dig a hole in this part of the country is a gopher. Their diggings are usually out in open fields and the opening is covered by a large mound of dirt. The cats might keep your mice in check otherwise you may have to put out some sort of traps, or something that will interfere with their digestive systems.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

grifter said:


> I can assure you that they are mice, I've had lots of experience with these tunnels. Usually these tunnels have escape holes where the mouse can exit the hole if it is invaded by a snake or if it is flooded by water. The escape openings are usually cleverly concealed by a thin layer of dirt. Rats do not dig holes, or at least that's true for this part of the country. The only other rodent that will dig a hole in this part of the country is a gopher. Their diggings are usually out in open fields and the opening is covered by a large mound of dirt. The cats might keep your mice in check otherwise you may have to put out some sort of traps, or something that will interfere with their digestive systems.


I'm really not trying to argue with you, but you are in Texas, and in New England, rats DO dig holes. They live underground in tunnels with many openings to the outside. Also chipmunks dig holes and live underground with many tunnels and holes leading to the outside. The fact that you haven't seen them during the day, worries me. Chipmunks are active during the day. Rats are active during the night. I'd put out some seed, and check at night to see what goes after it. Or you could try a live trap and see what you might catch in it.


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

If you say rats dig holes in your area then I believe you, I only know what's true for central Texas.


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

They prefer foods with a high protein or carbohydrate content, but will eat almost any type of food. They need water to survive, unlike mice.

Norway Rats Habits and Biology:

The young rats reach sexual maturity in 2-3 months, females average 4-7litters a year, with 8-12 pups per litter. Adults live about a year. They live in colonies.* The Norway rat generally prefers to live in underground tunnels. *On farms, they will be near a food source: barns, granaries, livestock buildings, and silos. In the cities, they will be in the ground in their is available space, but have been known live entirely inside buildings. Rats will seek food outside, but many times will come inside at night to forage for food and return to their burrows. Needing a water source, they can obtain water from toilets, sinks, rain puddles, or condensation from utility pipes. Their nesting burrows on the outside are often along the foundation of walls. As the rat family grows, more burrows are built, resulting in a network of underground tunnels.

Inside, the Norway Rat commonly nest on the lower levels, but if the population is too large, they may be found in the attic and ceiling areas.

Their nests are built from soft material like paper or grass chewed into small pieces. Rats will climb if necessary to enter a building, the Norway Rat is an excellent swimmer.

Norway Rats are suspicious of changes in the environment or new foods, for this reason it may take a couple of days for traps or poison baits to take. Rats are nocturnal, with their peak activity at dusk or before dawn. When the population is large or they are disturbed or hungry, you can see activity during the day.

http://doyourownpestcontrol.com/rats.htm


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## Charis (Feb 11, 2007)

Jay3 said:


> I'm really not trying to argue with you, but you are in Texas, and in New England, rats DO dig holes. They live underground in tunnels with many openings to the outside. Also chipmunks dig holes and live underground with many tunnels and holes leading to the outside. The fact that you haven't seen them during the day, worries me. Chipmunks are active during the day. Rats are active during the night. I'd put out some seed, and check at night to see what goes after it. Or you could try a live trap and see what you might catch in it.



Rats makes tunnels here too, in Oregon.


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## Pigeonlove (May 6, 2008)

Want to hear something funny?! I live in Arizona, and I have an outdoor aviary for my rescue pigeons. I used 1/4 in hardware cloth on all the sides and top. But something kept digging holes underneath. Every day I would fill them, then the next morning they would be there again. I thought it was a cat, but finally figured out it was woodpeckers!! They didn't want the birds, just the food!


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Pigeonlove said:


> Want to hear something funny?! I live in Arizona, and I have an outdoor aviary for my rescue pigeons. I used 1/4 in hardware cloth on all the sides and top. But something kept digging holes underneath. Every day I would fill them, then the next morning they would be there again. I thought it was a cat, but finally figured out it was woodpeckers!! They didn't want the birds, just the food!


Oh that's cute! You should have gotten a picture!


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

We have lots of rats here in Texas, but they are not Norway Rats. I grew up on a farm and never knew of one to dig a tunnel. I suppose they are just a different breed of rat.


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

By doing some research I found out that the rat we have here in Texas is the Roof Rat and he does not burrow.


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

What do you mean Roof Rat----Do they climb on to the roofs?? ------- c.hert


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

Yes sometimes, this is the Rattus rattus not to be confused with the Rattus norveicgus. All kidding aside here are some interesting facts about the roof rat.

What else you should know about roof rats

* Roof rat droppings are long and cylindrical.
* Roof rats are nocturnal.
* Roof rats can transmit diseases like the bubonic plague and typhus. At this point, none of the roof rats captured and tested in Maricopa County have been diseased.
* Roof rats will enter homes and buildings. They only need a hole the size of a quarter to gain entry.
* Roof rats are good climbers. They can climb walls and use utility lines and fences to travel from structure to structure.
* Outside, roof rats will nest in trees, woodpiles, garbage, and plants. In our area, oleanders seem to be a popular nesting location.
* Inside, high places, like attics, are their preference.
* Roof rats do not burrow in the ground or swim.
* Roof rats eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, pet food and invertebrates (spiders and worms, for example). They will also eat paper.
* Female roof rats can each have up to four litters a year, each containing five to eight young. In urban areas where they have no natural predators, the survival rate of the babies is high.
* If you have the following items around your home, you may be more prone to attracting roof rats: palm trees, yucca plants, pampas grass, honeysuckle, Italian cypress trees, any heavy shrubbery, wood piles, and storage boxes.


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

Thank you and I took a print of that information and they scare me....c.hert


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

The Norway rat will come into buildings too. And can also climb very well. They actually have a lot in common, except for the burrowing. I would think that you must also have the Norway rats that burrow in Texas too, as they are all over, on both the West coast and the East coast. Maybe you just haven't seen them? Anyway, rats are hard to get rid of and to keep away. They're everywhere.


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## drifter (Oct 7, 2009)

Could be that we do have Norway Rats here in Texas and I've just never seen them. I've been away from the farm for a long time.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

The "Norway Rat" is also known as the "Brown Rat" 
They are the largest rats. And I know that personally! The body is about 10 inches long (NOT including the tail) and they are as big around as a guinea pig  That is what killed my birds and I SAW them! I trapped a baby (hav-a heart trap) and DAD was circling the trap trying to figure out how to get baby out.
They burrowed under my old shed (loft attached) and got inside though the old well which was walled up inside the shed. They climbed the walls inside and got to the top storage area. Went across the top to the side where my loft/flight cage was attached. I had chicken wire on the side top under the eve. They found some loose staples then pried the chicken wire away getting into the loft.
They are VERY smart and work together.


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

Oh my that is scary and how would you protect your loft from something like that and I am going to check the internet to see if they live in Colorado and where?? Sorry for you orginal tradegy with your birdies..c.hert


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## c.hert (Jan 15, 2010)

I just checked under:Brown rat Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and it is more information then I wanted to know about and it covers it all and it is very depressing especially around people living in humid areas---its real bad---and the only place it doesn't do well is the Artic areas both of them and I am sort of safe here in the Rocky Mountain region but it thrives in the urban areas especially on the east coast. How can something so cute be that bad---if would do you good to read the encyclopedia information above.....c.hert


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

They're everywhere. Hard to get rid of them. And they breed so darn fast that before you know it, there are hundreds of them. They can do a lot of damage.


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## Msfreebird (Sep 23, 2007)

c.hert said:


> I just checked under:Brown rat Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and it is more information then I wanted to know about and it covers it all and it is very depressing especially around people living in humid areas---its real bad---and the only place it doesn't do well is the Artic areas both of them and I am sort of safe here in the Rocky Mountain region but it thrives in the urban areas especially on the east coast. How can something so cute be that bad---if* would do you good to read the encyclopedia information above..*...c.hert


Believe me, when it happened I did all kinds of research on them to figure out how to get rid of them, and became an expert on Norway (brown) Rats!
Where I lived then was perfect for them to thrive - Summer homes, campy area in the woods *on a pond*, no traffic with alot of vegetation and TONS of wildlife in your yard. You'll see them more around water - they HAVE to have water, and the old well (not used anymore) in my shed was an invitation for them


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## Gnuretiree (May 29, 2009)

Disease carrying, horrible animals. I hope never to see one around here in Ct. I used to see them all the time in NYC - in subways and running along streets.in the early mornings. 

Hugh


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## ldywhicoat (Jun 10, 2016)

*Moth balls*

You might try moth balls, but leave them in the box they come in. The scent may repel snakes (and/or other varmints) but cannot be eaten by birds, cats, etc. I had a snake on my deck one time, and heard that moth balls would keep them away, so I put a box of them on the deck, and have not seen any pests since. This way you will do no harm. The moth balls will have to be replaced from time to time.


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## Frank2620 (Feb 7, 2017)

I found a snake in my lowest nest box today . All my pigeons are fine I relocated the snake a few miles a way and across the main highway . According to John Wayne a snake won't cross a rope . However, I'm not sure John was even a real cowboy . Therefore , If I don't find anything on here to keep the snakes away . I'm using John Wayne's trick . But with 2 bare wires around my coop just inside the skirting that I'll also add to keep the pigeon safe .Plug that in and see what the snakes think about that . 


I was looking to see if anyone used moth balls to rid snakes from around the coop . Also , will the smell of moth balls bother the pigeons . 



Thanks 

Frank


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Moth balls won't help, and could bother the birds. Why is your loft not predator proof? If you make a predator proof loft, then you don't have to worry about snakes and such being around. Wouldn't be an issue.


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