We have another rat

[gcal]

I saw it this AM. My allergies had driven me out of bed and to the couch, and I surprised the nasty little vermin. It got in the same opening in the firewall for the wiring that the old one used. It pushed the foam and steel wool out on one side. You could not see it unless you were at the right angle.

If I could handle this myself, it would be dead by tomorrow. But I have to deal with DH. He insists it can't be a rat. Maybe a (very big) mouse. Maybe a baby squirrel. He just has a thing about rats. I know a rat when I see one. We are right behind the shops and near the dumpsters. It is a rat. So, he will waste time putting out tiny snaps traps and inadequate glue traps and teach the beast to be wary. 

If I told him it was an alligator or a mountain lion, he would be waiting for it behind the refrigerator with a 30-30 and grim determination. But it is a rat, so he is in denial.

 

[Rugster]

I'm sorry but your post struck me as very funny, the idea of the classification as to whether it's a mouse or rat causing such a big difference in treatment is amusing.

Good luck on getting rid of the problem. The rat

 

[gcal]

I'm sorry but your post struck me as very funny, the idea of the classification as to whether it's a mouse or rat causing such a big difference in treatment is amusing.

Good luck on getting rid of the problem. The rat

A sense of humor is handy when one lives with DH - or any other man, I think.

Yes, he'd rather face a bear than a rat.

 

[karenishere]

How about "I think maybe it was squirrel?"  That should at least get you the right size trap.     - from the woman who has to rebrand spiders as "crickets", "ants" or possibly "turtles".

 

[SoulRaven]

There is a "creep" factor with rats over other rodents even to me so facing off with the bear would eliminate the "creep" factor and be much more of a story. You're lucky whatever it is that it is big. We had these really small mice and they could only be caught with the sticky traps. The early morning fetch the shovel........ They were so bold that they would just stare me down which made the shovel part easier.

 

[gcal]

There is a "creep" factor with rats over other rodents even to me so facing off with the bear would eliminate the "creep" factor and be much more of a story.  You're lucky whatever it is that it is big.  We had these really small mice and they could only be caught with the sticky traps.  The early morning fetch the shovel........  They were so bold that they would just stare me down which made the shovel part easier.

Rats do have a creep factor all their own. I do not know why, but they do.

 

[karl]

Spread a bit of peanut butter in spots 4" down in a 5 gallon bucket, add 4" water and slide it under the front of your van/MH/whatever....mouse, rat , squirrel will be at your disposal soon.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

feed him rat poison if you think he is living inside, if you saw one, likely a couple more, rats will smell old rat trails so you have to block all old rat accesses, if dh waits long enough he will start to smell them, It is a very distinctive smell, the size of their droppings should tell you if it is a rat or a mouse, a mouse trap will not usually catch a rat. Poison is awful but effective.

 

[gcal]

feed him rat poison if you think he is living inside, if you saw one, likely a couple more, rats will smell old rat trails so you have to block all old rat accesses, if dh waits long enough he will start to smell them,  It is a very distinctive smell, the size of their droppings should tell you if it is a rat or a mouse,  a mouse trap will not usually catch a rat. Poison is awful but effective.

I can smell the thing, and my sinuses are terrible. DH claims he can't, but, like I said, denial. I am reluctant to use poisons, but not because the poor little rats will suffer. I just don't want to poison scavenging predators who might have later bitten their little heads off. 

I have the electric trap out. I have 3 large snap traps with peanut butter and kibbles. Glue traps are set. The hole is filled with aluminum foil and will be resealed with foam and steel wool tomorrow morning. I am saving the live trap for a last resort. If I do have to resort to it, I am dealing with the varmint, myself instead of handing it off to DH. I want this sucker dead.

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Smear on some camp paint, jack a round into the old shotgun, and tell DH, "Cover me, I'm going in".
You might get his attention

 

[Kevin H]

I had a packrat in my rv this summer. I tried the peanut butter on a can over a 5 gallon bucket. Everyday all the peanut butter was gone. I finally borrowed a small live trap and caught the bugger. It was actually quite a pretty critter but it had eaten a few wires and some other things so it had to go.

Nope, did not kill it. Took it 6 miles away and across two rivers. After seeing it, I could see how it really enjoyed the pb snacks each night. It could stand on the edge of the bucket and eat all it wanted.

 

[gcal]

GOT IT!!!!! It is one, dead rodent. Dog corners it, DH whacked it? Hopefully, there are not more,but we will watch the dog to see.

 

[gcal]

GOT IT!!!!! It is one, dead rodent. Dog corners it, DH whacked it? Hopefully, there are not more,but we will watch the dog to see.

In order to preserve DH'S peace of mind, we are calling it a mouse. A very, very, very big mouse. An enormous mouse. But a mouse, all the same.

 

[Varmint]

gcal wrote, in relevant part:
"I want this sucker dead."

My reply:
This is a hoot! Reminds me of the time my brother had a rat in his trailer. I told him it likely came in through wiring/plumbing access, and they have a hard time turning down popcorn. He put a line of popcorn along a path from his bathroom cabinet where it was last seen and sat down in front of the fireplace with his pellet pistol until it followed the popcorn out into the hallway, where he blasted it into rat eternity. Had a picture of him proudly holding the rat in one hand and the pellet gun in the other. Real trophy shot, that one....

My experiences with rats are another series of silly tales....

 

[Rugster]

I was really expecting the above post to talk about the good qualities of the rat, errr, mouse. This has been an amusing thread, needed a chuckle this morning!

 

[gcal]

I was really expecting the above post to talk about the good qualities of the rat, errr, mouse. This has been an amusing thread, needed a chuckle this morning!

What do we exist for if not to entertain each other? We (meaning DH) tore into the dashboard and lower front panel on the passenger side and found another huge entry point. The idiots who designed this uñit had a large intake for outside air that had no filter, no screen, no nothing to block vermin getting in. Once in, the area had nice, cozy little cubbies where things could hide out and not be reached without the major dismantling we just did. The A\C intake was also completely unguarded, tho I think anything that got in there would have died in there and created an unholy stink until it was dug out.

We had thought of leaving at the end of January if DH finished his projects. We want out of Florida. Projects may just barely be done, maybe not. But now we will need more time to check out the wiring and see what the little Spawn of Satan has chewed thru. We don't want to be stuck on the road with things not working like last time.

 

[Varmint]

Your exploits with the rat(s) are most entertaining. I'm taking a couple cage traps down to my son this week, who has an extremely large rat loose in the building where he lives. Brazen little squatter, too, as he comes right out and looks at you as if YOU don't belong there. My son knows the difference between a rat and opossum, too, and says this one has to bee seen to be appreciated. They already have mice trapped in an aquarium, but I don't think the rat will end up there.

Just for giggles, a co-worker and his little brother once tried flushing rats from their barn with gasoline, which they poured into their holes and lit after the fumes spread, which then blow the rats out the other end. Worked, too, until one blew out right next to him. In his frenzy to hit said rat with a 2x4 he whacked himself across the ankle, knocking his own feet right out from under him, and landing him face-to-face with that same rat who was now quite desperate to go anywhere. Still trying to smack that rat with the board while the rat jumped around him and all over his face and torso, his brother lay uselessly curled up in the corner laughing until his guts ached.

I meet interesting characters. Get rid of the darned rat fast....just don't use gas.