I Smell a RAT

[wardy]

Oh dear Jane I sense that Rattus Rattus has the upper hand.  For now at least!  You might need to regroup and refocus. He is after all a rat and of low intelligence.  You, on the other hand,  are homosapiens and far cleverer so go get the bastid  ;D

[wardy]

[Jane the Novice]

Now I'm really angry  >:( Rattus Rattus has dug a trench along the back wall of my shady garden. He is clearly of very little brain as that bed is surrounded by a wall and he will get nowhere. Tomorrow I will again fill in the hole and move my trap once more. I am even considering enticing him with a Ferrero Rocher which were given to me as a pressie by one of my patients. My husband is also going to buy him a chicken burger from Maccie D's since they are unfit for human consumption! If all this fails then I am going to have to admit defeat and call in the Terminator from the council.

[anneski]

LOL! Sorry, but the posts are brilliant  ;D I hope you catch Mr Rat for the sake of your sanity, although if it was rattus rattus it'd be incredibly rare!

Wonder if the council Terminator will come on a motorcycle wearing leathers and sunglasses?  8)

[wardy]

Yea Anneski and he's coming with a great big gun and gonna blast that sucker  ;D

My mate once got a rat (off the field behind her house) in her pantry  :o :o  Her brave husband went in after it with a 12 bore shot gun, closed the door and let loose.  He shot her Baby Burco to oblivion but the rat was still sitting there cleaning its whiskers.  Her hubby was a bit deaf after that  ;D

[growmore]

I doubt very much with all the activity that you are seeing that you have only one rat.
They are not solitary animals.Try a fish bait in your catch em alive cage .
Pilchards work well .    If left to establish themselves You are going to have a right job getting rid of em..
Cheers .Jim...

[Jane the Novice]

Got called into work at 4am so am now at home and have the rest of the day to think up strategies for eliminating Mr. Cleverclogs and his kith and kin!
1.......Drink coffee
2.......Fill in holes
3.......Drink more coffee
4.......Move trap and re-bait with yummy goodness
5.......Visit little girls room due to drinking too much coffee
6.......Await results from trap

p.s. did you know that mice eat slugs?

[wardy]

No, didn't know that mice ate slugs!  How do you know?  Share  :)

That Jim sounds knowledgeable - you a pest control chap Jim.  Like you ferret (or polecat etc)

Try the fish thing Jane and report back.  Knowing your luck you'll probably bag a moggie  ;D

[Jane the Novice]

Wardy...I watched a mouse take a slug last night while on rat patrol. He tapped it with his hand, it moved and he picked it up and ran with it.....very amusing to watch.
The trap has now been baited with left over roast chicken, bacon and small pieces of cheese.
Having had a lie down thisafternoon I looked out of my bedroom window to observe the criminal in question scavenging for food on the top patio. He is quite a sizeable beastie. I have since been out and swept yet again to ensure that there are no spoils left for him to pilfer in the hope that he will go to the bait.
I am finding this all very intriguing trying to outwit one of lifes true criminals. Who would have thought that one small creature could supply us with so much entertainment?

[wardy]

Make sure you don't leave anything plastic about, eg black plastic sacks etc as they chew them up to make nests  :o

[TEL]

Hi all
Went to the shed today & by the poison was a dead rat yahoo.

[Rosa_Mundi]

One down, just Jane's to go  ;D

[TEL]

Hi JTN
Have you got it yet.

[redimp]

Rattus rattus is extinct in this country - you have rattus norvegicus.  Your is cuter - rattus rattus is an ugly b*****d and the origin of the domestic rat - urgh.

[joji]

I have found in the past the best way to get rid of the rats from any where is get the local jackrussel team in. terriers are bred to tackle rats and they are the best deterrent.

[wardy]

I sent mine in to a bank on my lotty where I suspected there were rats.  I was trying to level this huge mound off where the hedge was dying back.  It looked holey so I suspected some wildlife, rabbits or rats.  I found a hole and tentatively probed it and it was stuffed with shredded plastic and leaves.  I thought it must be rats so I woke my Jack Russell up and told him to fetch. He dug everything up (saved me doing it) and found nothing.  At least my mind was at rest  :) 

[Jane the Novice]

Unfortunately still no rat in the trap however he is still digging. All this despite the non feeding of the birdies except on the table....very interesting to watch half a dozen wood pigeons vying for space on one table....definitely a case of establishing the pecking order!! Not quite sure what my next move is going to be yet...might still have to resort to the man from the ministry,

[Jane the Novice]

That's it! I have now resorted to poison. I gave him every opportunity to give himself up but he is determined to out-smart me. I have laid my first tray of poisoned pellets where I found a collection of droppings. Now let battle commence.

[wardy]

Jane   He's done a good job of outsmarting you to date  ;D

Thought about you and your rat yesterday when was house hunting with niece. We visited a house and by the back door was a hole about 5" round but it was very deep and you could peer right down it and under the house.  It must have been about 3 foot you could see down

Is this a rat hole or what?  Any ideas anyone

I put Jack Russell (yes, I take him everywhere with me) to the hole and told him to fetch and he didn't seem interested so not sure what it is but it looked definitely animal made rather than human

[Robert_Brenchley]

Too big for a rat. It could be something going on undreground; I've seen holes like that appear in tarmac but I don't know what caused them.

[wardy]

Thanks Robert.  I thought it must be animal as it's so round.