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DEAR JOAN: After two years of our bird feeder hanging in a tree in our backyard, it began to appear something other than small birds were feeding there.
At first, I thought it was scrub-jays tipping the feeder as a lot of the seed was being dropped into the screen below. Then I noticed it appeared to be happening during the night and that sunflower seeds in the mix were of interest more than the bird seed.
In checking further, it appeared there were mouse or rat droppings in with the seeds in the trough of the feeder, along with empty sunflower seed shells.
We don’t have squirrels in our trees and I don’t believe they are night creatures, so they weren’t considered the troublemakers. I emptied the feeder out, refilled it and hung it in an area where rodents couldn’t get to it.
We have been slow to tempt birds back to our yard this summer, as a lot of highway construction has been going on close by. Fields have been turned over into large fresh-dirt piles, so I assume worms and bugs were plentiful.
Now that some of that activity has slowed down, we’ve noticed a few birds reappearing and occasionally starting to use our feeder again.
My concern is, should the feeder have been washed out with strong soap or something to remove any trace of rodents? Are the birds likely to pick up any diseases from the rodents having been in contact with the feeder? Would rodents, having used the feeder, left a smell or something distasteful so birds would prefer not to eat from it? All visual signs of rodents being there were removed when I emptied the feeder.
I want to, once again, see our feeder busy with little birds using it all day, every day.
G. Carter, Brentwood
DEAR G.: The chances of rats transferring diseases to birds is low, but the rat droppings and urine can eventually produce a harmful bacteria, which can make the birds very ill.
The birds probably are more at risk of contracting diseases from each other, which is why, regardless of rats and other unwanted visitors, the feeders need a regular cleaning.
The Humane Society of the United States recommends cleaning hanging feeders every two weeks; more often during periods of heavy feeding. Ground feeders need to be cleaned every two days.
The feeders should be soaked for two to three minutes in a solution of 1 part chlorine bleach to 9 parts warm water. Use a stiff brush to scour the feeder, then rinse thoroughly with clean water and dry completely before refilling.
You should also rake up spilled seeds every night, or at least once a week. That will help prevent rats from being attracted to the area and also prevent the seeds from turning moldy and becoming hazardous to ground-feeding birds.
Rats do leave a certain rodent aroma, but it doesn’t discourage the birds — with a few notable exceptions, birds are not good at detecting smells.
If you notice sick or dead birds near your feeders, stop feeding immediately, dispose of the seed, clean all feeders, rake up and remove spilled seeds and wait at least a week before resuming.
