Totally OT: Rats/mice problem.

Call the local council. It sounds like a young rat. They will deal with it for you pretty quickly. We had rats in the garden last year, and called the council when the cats had had enough (about 3 big ones in one week!), and there were still too many about!

There may be a charge. our council charges £40, but that keeps them at it until they are gone.

They live in the drains and carry all sorts of nasties, including Lymes Disease - NOT something you want!

Kate,

I did call the council. When I told her I was travelling tomorrow, she said to call them if there is still a problem when I'm back.

If it is rats, my council don't charge. And yes, I alo think it may be a young rat.

Oh, did I say that it had picked up _all_ the poison pellets and stashed them!!! That was for eating, not keeping!

Hanne > Hanne Gottliebsen wrote:

If you have a trapped one, they should come within hours to dispose of it as it is a health hazard! Ring them again and tell them this!

Are you SURE it isn't a squirrel? ;D

Put the poison in with the critter---and keep a weighted cover on the bin! MAmadurk

Well, the tail is non-hairy :-)

I'm still at work, and can't go home till late, so I am just not sure I can get pest control out in the evening?? But if it wasn't for last day at work for a while, I would have bugged them to come out today.

Thanks! Hanne in London

Definitely ring council, ask for the pest control officer, and tell them you have rats in your home and that you have a live one in the kitchen now.

Rats in houses take priority, so don't be put off by some underling. Ask to speak to the person in charge, and be firm that you want it sorted. If one rat can get in so can two, so really make it sound as horrendous as you can! You need their advice too on making sure the problem doesn't happen again.Our council say that rats are a problem for them to deal with, not the general public.

Good luck. Bit late for today(?), but definitely first thing tomorrow.

-- Sally at the Seaside~~~~~~~

If you like rodents (including those that are not invited), please just

Hanne: Ugh! I sure hope that problem is solved by the time you read this. I just want to point out that you should call your landlord. It is the owner's responsibility to provide you with healthy and safe living quarters. Also, PLEASE don't waste chocolate that way again ... that

*really, really* upsets my delicate sensibilities!! ;) PAT > If you like rodents (including those that are not invited), please just

That is what rats and mice do with the poison. If they ate the poison there and died immediately no more rats would take the poison. They take it back to the nest to share it around, and that works better. You are less likely to then have a poisoned rat dying in your home.

My mother left out mouse poison every summer at Camp. Once, while I was having lunch, an obviously dying mouse decided to enter the kitchen. The noise made scared it enough to where it was cowering under my chair. Mum took a flyswatter to it, and then threw the body in the lake. So the poisoned mice may come back for more food, but not always.

My mum has killed more mice with odd things from the flyswatter to brooms to canes to shoes. The other delicate trick is to grab the tail and whack really hard against something like a step, or the edge of the stove. That's dangerous because mice will attempt to climb their tail to bite.

-georg

The best thing in mouse traps is peanut butter. They love peanut butter. It's also very hard to remove from the trap without firing it.

-georg

It's a good thing you didn't find a giant centipede like the fellow I read about in Weird News this morning!!! I screamed just looking at the photo!!! Annie....who mostly fights with mice

Pat,

I know, I know, that should not have been done. But everyone told me it was either chocolate or peanut butter. I don't eat peanut butter, so it seemed like the best opportunity ever to get chocolate for myself with an excuse :-)

Anyways, the rat was out of my house before I left for vacation. And if there is any sign whatsoever on my return, I will be calling my landlord (courtesy call really), and then the council and have them come deal with it immedieately.

What someone said: if one can get in, so can others :-(

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions - I'm now separated from "my" rat by a whole ocean!

Hanne (normally) in London

My cats eat mice, but I know my grandmother's cat almost lost a fight with a rat. They're nasty, vile things that have been known to bite fingers on sleeping people. Get pest control out there ASAP!