To ask for another explanation for this other than a giant plastic eating rat?

[BramblyHedge]

Just cleaning the downstairs loo and discovered this. WTF has happened to my toilet? Has this ever happened to anyone else? I can't find the missing plastic so that kind of suggest something has eaten it ....boak

Was it previously complete?

Eww it does look a bit gnawed!

I think I would rather not know if I were you!!

Yes it was a perfectly complete if old toilet.

Ooo, yes!

That's the work of a nibbly rodent.

We had some mice in our shed who chomped through a yellow bouncy castle. We think they thought it was cheese.

Yep, I'm afraid mice and rats will happily gnaw through plastic.

Oh god OP. what a miserable Xmas present!

It does look a bit rodenty yes Go check all the dark undisturbed places in your house.

Just a tip if you use a humane trap (hopefully you will) they much prefer peanut butter to cheese.

Humane traps are not humane....sending vermin on a vacation to the furthest forest just condemns them to death. They have no idea of where they are and do not just set up home in the new place.

Use snap traps and bait with something sticky. PB/Jam/choc spread, something they need to dabble in to eat snappity snap

Can you see where they are getting in? I had "something" in an outhouse, it burrowed up and under from god knows where and got in as there was softer earth around the washing machine drain pipes. Cheeky fecker set up home under the washer and made a nest. It'd been stealing the bird food and all sorts! Like a Hilton Hotel for rodents out there!

Dh tried to trap it for ages, but to no avail, but I dissuaded it by moving the washer, refilling the hole with stones and flooding it with bleachy water. It has moved on It's like a war!

Awww not snappy snap! I'm the type of person i'd trap it, put it in a cage and keep it as a pet :P If it weren't for them damaging stuff and pooping/peeing everywhere i'd just let them stay like a pet cat, even feed it!

you are too kind...they are vermin! SnappitySnap is the only way.

or bleach

We bought the poison traps. Caught it no problem!

My parents recently had a mouse problem and they chewed through some water pipes and caused a lot of damage - I wasn't taking any chances!

Humane traps are humane if you live in the country, we just pop them back in the next field... Hurray for being a bit rural?
Check your linen drawers btw, I thought I was done catching/cleaning then went to get a new tablecloth and found a lovely surprise, mouse droppings all through the sideboard.

Luckily the part it has chewed through is only the pan connector and they are only about £5 from screwfix and a simple push fit once you slide the toilet forwards enough to fit it then slide it back in again

As already suggested peanut butter in traps always works well, go with a kill trap as if you humane trap and release they can find there way back if within a few miles, chances are you have more than just one

I assume you've not flushed the loo for a while, because that's the soil pipe isn't it? pictures water all over the floor

Maybe a sewer rat has come up out of the drain and is now sussing out the new accommodation

Yep definitely a rodent.

My pet rats ate jumper that was put too near their cage - very industrious when it comes to destruction.

It looks like you have a straight connector into the soil pipe so a reasonably easy repair.

But get rid of Roland first.

I can't believe the size of that hole!

Oh yes, rat. It's insulating its nest. Somewhere in your home. You need this sorted asap, as if it is capable of doing this to the toilet then it could be merrily stripping your loft wires. That could start a house fire, not good news at all. Its an urgent issue op, and if you cannot do it the humane way which is obviously preferable, then I am afraid you have no choice but to protect your home and family from this creature and kill it (hate saying that as I try to be humabe with all animals, but not at the potentiak risk to home and lives.)

Humane

Hmmm

I wondered if maybe someone has stood on the pipe trying to reach something and has broken the plastic bit. And then thrown away the broken bit rather than fess up?

Depends on whether the broken edges look snapped or nibbled - I can't tell from the photo.

Move out. The house belongs to Roland now.

Snapping traps are the most effective way to catch a rat. As said before live traps are all very nice but where do you release it? I believe it is not permitted to release animals classed as vermin. Snapping traps are very quick. I have tried many foodstuffs as bait, the best one was stale Stollen - they could not resist that.

I came here thinking this was going to be about a giant plastic rat that was eating things. I feel kind of disappointed now.

Call your local council. If you are a homeowner they will send out pest control free of charge for a rat.
Get it done straight away so they don't breed in the spring. They will come back to check that it has gone.

Snap trap, chocolate spread. Ick.