# Horrible thing happened, why?



## Meka (Apr 5, 2011)

I keep my animals all in 1 room mainly to keep them away from the cats. My birds are loose in the room all day, They have a jungle gym on top of my guinea pig cage and my parakeet would hang out in the guinea pig cage all the time. They were all best pals. He never left them. The other night we went in the room and my parakeet was missing. Weird, he never leaves his gym. We've had him over a year and he never leaves his gym. After a few minutes of searching we found the most horrible sight I've ever seen in my life. nothing was left of him but a few feathers here and there. My rats ATE him!! 

I have two guesses, 1 is something spooked the parakeet off of his gym, he fluttered too close to the rat cage and they grabbed him through the bars (Shame on me, I feed them treats through the bars but I would have thought once they realized he was alive they would have left him go!)

The other guess is he got spooked, fluttered over to their cage, got confused thinking it was the guinea pig cage and climbed inside. Either way the way of his death was horrifying and tragic.


So I've come to realize it must be nature taking its course. no hard feelings toward the rats really, just an empty feeling inside and wondering why in the world they would do such an awful awful thing??


----------



## Kiko (Sep 18, 2009)

Very sorry for your loss.

But the rats don't really know any better, unfortunately to rats that's food :/ They ARE predatory animals.

I used to have a parakeet who also loved my guinea pigs and used to ride on their heads hehe.

Once again i am so sorry for your loss.


----------



## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

Sadly, this happens all too often. Rats will kill and eat many other animals, including birds, mice, lizards, etc. Sometimes, they will even try to get fish from people's tanks. They are predators and it is in thier nature to hunt and kill smaller things, and you should forgive them if you can.

It's just too dangerous to let rats and birds near eachother, I would absolutly move your other birds out of there or move the rats. The rats don't understand that your birds are special to you, they see only a very easy meal.

I'm sorry for your loss


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

Do you know those feather toys that rats will chase and everyone thinks is funny to watch? Well they think those feathers are birds and are going into extreme hunting mode. Birds more than most animals really set off rat's predatory instincts. Rats are a combination of prey (mostly) and predator...

So you will have to move either the rats or the birds out of the room.


----------



## Meka (Apr 5, 2011)

I moved the birds out so no more issues. Thanks, I figured it was their instinct just very surprised at what I saw. I'm going to miss my little guy


----------



## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

I am sorry for your loss


----------



## renegaderob18 (Apr 7, 2011)

Sorry for your loss. I hope it doesn't happen again, but I don't think many of us think about something like that until it's to late and then we regret it.


----------



## Murinae (Apr 8, 2011)

I am so sorry :'(

I know how you feel. One of my dogs killed my Red Belly Parrot. It was my fault because the birds were out and I didn't realize that the dog was still inside the house. I thought he was outside with my other dogs.


----------



## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

I know how it feels, also..I lost my beloved buck, Tickles, to my dog. :/ She managed to get inside the room he was in and when I left for a moment, she got him.


----------



## Critter Aficionado (Jan 30, 2011)

I'm sorry that happened with the Parakeet. I agree with others, move the remaining bird(s) or rats out of the room ASAP. I did not know rats were that predatory until recently when I read a thread about a rat killing a small lizard. It's human nature to get angry, but unfortunately to a predatory animal, any smaller animal can be prey, even smaller animals of the same species like with dogs (larger dogs seeing smaller as prey), they don't know any better.


----------

