Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Rattus bloody Rattus

Remember I saw a great big rat in our backyard? Well, Fixit took apart the compost bin and discovered a rat's nest with 6 baby rats in it. I was a big help while this was going on, coming as close as I dared (ie. not very) to watch and then running away half-screaming half-laughing if I saw a single bit of movement. When the mother rat suddenly poked her head out of the ground and ran towards the house I freaked. Eeeek! Fixit and Nell were laughing and shaking their heads at me. Anyway. The next generation of vermin are no more, they are deceased, they are ex-rats. The mother heartlessly abandoned her babies to their fate and hid under the house. We didn't get her. But we found an old rat bait in the shed, and chucked it under the house at her.

Within days we started hearing her in our kitchen, somewhere behind the microwave. This led to a bit more of me standing nervously on a chair at a safe distance watching Fixit take all the wine glasses and crap from around that area, thinking a rat would suddenly shoot across our kitchen. But the bloody thing was safe inside the walls, and it scrabbled and gnawed away untouchably at odd times of day. Even if you banged the wall with the end of the broom, really hard, right where you thought it was, it didn't care, it just kept gnawing and scrabbling. We really hated that rat by now.

But worse was to come. Because the bastard rat must have eaten the old rat bait and decided to die inside our wall, smack in between our laundry and kitchen. Which means two rooms now stink of decaying rodent. Fixit had a good go at trying to get into the wall to locate the carcass but it was impossible.

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All we can do is mask the smell. (Apparently there is a bag you can get for this problem which solves the odour problem but they are expensive and the smell will eventually go away on its own...)

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In the meantime, DON'T COME TO OUR HOUSE. It is not nice.

13 comments:

  1. Erkk! I sympathise, after suffering dreadful rat trauma last year. Creepy beastly creatures! I think I'd keep scattering rat bait around outside, so long as you can keep Basil away from it.

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  2. Bloody Rattus Norvegicus. Hate the little rotten buggers. *slinks away muttering about 'skinny-tailed squirrels'*...

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  3. Oh, dear, poor you! When I was at university my housemate heard a bird fall down the chimney, which was blocked up, and just had to listen to it die back there.

    Luckily, no smell.

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  4. Oh dear. I would actually love to come to your house, but it wasn't on the schedule for this year...

    Hope the ratty smell leaves you soon.

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  5. Ewww!

    At least she won't be having any more ratlets.

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  6. I have had that death scene played out at home too - and the stench is indescribable - I sprayed eucalyptus spray regularly but it didn't do much.

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  7. Eww gross.

    Also, those tiles are quite something aren't they?

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  8. hahaha, this one cracked me up! Rat pay back! I was a bit worried there was a baby rat picture (I DON'T want to know how they got to rat heaven/hell). Hope the smell goes soon!

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  9. Why does it seem that solving one problem sometimes leaves you with another? At least this should be a one time problem. No future generations to worry with now. Ewwwww. Do you think the instinctive aversion to rats is related to their disease carrying propensities?

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  10. Oh Dear! I know what you mean - We have had 2 rats & 3 possums die in our walls, rats smell disappear quicker - My husband had to slice open our bedroom wall for one GIANT possum & the other which died on top of a downlight, wasn't too bad, however, the 3rd possum, we had to dismantle the roof as he was making 2 bedrooms, a bathroom & a loungeroom stinky! But at least possums are cute - Rats & mice terrify me! Poor stomper house!! Siobhan

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  11. You have my sympathies!! At least it's winter?

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  12. Oh you poor thing! Hope the smell goes away fast!

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Don't let the cat get your tongue.