Sorry to hear that. Some lessons harder to learn than others with this stuff.
A few other tips that I have figured out along the way-
- Always keep screen cages up off the ground.
The only predator I have had go through a screen cage was an oppossum. I had a bunch of dilepis babies about 5" long in a big 30" x 4' x30" screen enclosure where I was raising them. I moved this enclosure outdoors from indoors, and because of it's size left it on the ground overnight. The next day I found that a racoon had torn open the screen, entered the cage, eaten all the babies, left some racoon poop in the cage to spite me, and then gone home. I got his ID from taking his poop to the extension service for identification. Years later, having kept all my screen enclosures on tables with legs as low as 20" I've never had another predator break into a cage. I've seen coyotes, oppossums, hawks, falcons, dogs, cats, rats, mice, even a bobcat once, walk right through rows of enclosures and never pay any attention to them on the tables. Ironically, I lived in the middle of a town with a population of 10,000 or so when the raccoon got the baby dilepis. I've lived in the country now for years with many more potential predators.
- watch out for neighborhood kids. Especially the preschool ones.
10 years ago or so, I had a little preschool hellion let out all my corucia. I never recovered any of them. I had excellent breeding results- babies every year. Now they are unavailable...
- Make sure things are secure for high wind storms.
About once a summer, we get a huge storm that knocks over trees and such, with high winds. I have learned to secure the cages to the table, and use green chicken wire fencing posts to secure the tables to the earth. 1 post on each end of a table with one on the storm downwind side holds the tables so they can't rise up and flip. Often these storms come in the middle of the night without advance warning.
