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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To Feel Wretched That I Put Poison Down To Kill Rats?

198 replies

TheCatsBlanket · 02/05/2020 23:41

My very elderly aunt has rats in her garden. She is terrified of them and asked me to put poison down, which I did. Today, I went to check the rat trap box in the hedge, and I saw one of them underneath some leaves, obviously still alive but in a bad way. I feel so horrible about it, because I am responsible for causing pain to an animal, who was quietly living it's life and just because they get a bad press (probably stemming from the plague) I am now a murderer.
It made me wonder why there isn't a more humane way to get rid of them where, if they have to be killed, why can't it be instant? I stupidly googled it too, and now am more sad that they can take up to several days to die and are conscious throughout.

OP posts:
Bellebelle · 02/05/2020 23:49

I don’t have any idea why there isn’t a more humane way to do it but I just wanted to say that I know how you feel. We had mice and I got pest control to come round because my kids were freaked out by a single sighting in one of their bedrooms. The guy came round put down some traps by a couple of gaps he found in the skirting boards and then poison under the floorboards. I didn’t really think about it until he’d left and then felt terrible for days that some poor mice were going to eat it and suffer a painful death.

Sometimeswinning · 02/05/2020 23:49

Poor rat. I'd feel awful if I was you.

LadyLindaT · 02/05/2020 23:50

I understand your dilemma. I have squirrels running riot in my roof. I know that they really shouldn't be there, and that they have the potential to cause thousands of pounds worth of damage. It just feels very uncomfortable that the only offers I have had to remove them are to poison them or shoot them. Some people that I consulted came across that they enjoyed their job a bit too much...

Original poster
TheCatsBlanket · 02/05/2020 23:51

Sometimeswinning I do :(

OP posts:
minettechatouette · 02/05/2020 23:52

Yeah it’s horrible. I had a rat dying of poison in the stairwell of an apartment block I lived in - the exterminator wouldn’t remove it until it died. It’s weird there isn’t a faster acting poison. However you have done the right thing as they spread disease. Much worse to have a rat infestation.

DesignedForLife · 02/05/2020 23:53

Rat trap is more humane tbh. Less suffering, quick kill. Not really any ideal solution here.

LaurieFairyCake · 02/05/2020 23:57

I asked this exact question last year and there wasn't anything humane

Even a rat trap might kill the mummy rat leaving the babies to starve to death Sad

Pasithea · 02/05/2020 23:58

It’s even worse when an owl feeds its owlet a poisoned rat or mouse.

ErrolTheDragon · 02/05/2020 23:59

It’s weird there isn’t a faster acting poison.

Not really...I think the point is, there may well be many fast acting poisons but they'd be more toxic to other species too (including humans) . While rat poisons aren't 'safe', if correctly used you're unlikely to accidentally kill eg a cat.

YANBU to be upset, but rats are vermin. They can cause serious damage and unfortunately do spread diseases eg parvovirus. You did the right thing by helping your aunt.

Mumdiva99 · 02/05/2020 23:59

It's horrid but she can't have an out of control rat rate population in the garden.

Sometimeswinning · 02/05/2020 23:59

@TheCatsBlanket if it helps someone else would have done the same. I just happen to randomly like rats. I dont love them but I am against killing any animal roaming freely. I hate birds. Can you imagine if I killed them!!??

Original poster
TheCatsBlanket · 03/05/2020 00:03

Minettechatouette I wonder why they wouldn't take it until it was dead? The exterminator could have hit it with a shovel to end it's misery especially as that's their job to exterminate.

I wondered whether to do the same when I found the dying rat, but I would likely not have hit hard enough and caused more pain ultimately.

I'm not going to check the poison box again, in case there's more of them dying.

Incidentally, I believe the source of the rats is coming from the neighbours garden as she keeps putting bread and left over food out for birds. . . she is a dragon of a woman and refuses to believe that she's not helping the rat problem.

OP posts:
Bertucci · 03/05/2020 00:03

I think it's a very cruel thing to do, so I'm not surprised you feel wretched.

ErrolTheDragon · 03/05/2020 00:05

There's some useful info in that barn owl trust link - it would be a good idea to have a think whether there's any particular reason why the rats are there, OP. We had a problem which was mostly down to a well meaning neighbour putting out ridiculous quantities of food on the ground and in non rat-proof feeders - intended for birds but loads left at night.

ErrolTheDragon · 03/05/2020 00:06

Oh - xpost. Yes, it's almost certainly down to your aunt's neighbour.

RightOnTheEdge · 03/05/2020 00:08

It is a really horrible way for them to die. It also kills any owls or other creatures that eats the rats Sad

I know it's hard though. No one wants to be infested with rats.

Original poster
TheCatsBlanket · 03/05/2020 00:09

ErrolTheDragon Yes it's the neighbour who's encouraging them by putting food for birds, but she refuses to stop and is not a nice woman to have to deal with.

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 03/05/2020 00:10

Try contacting the council - I don't know if they will be able to send anyone out at the moment (if they even have a vermin control specialist nowadays) - they might be able to have authoritative words with the neighbour.

Our neighbours are nice but it took quite a lot to stop them.

DesignedForLife · 03/05/2020 00:10

Can you rat proof her garden?

JKScot4 · 03/05/2020 00:13

I hope no other wildlife or cats are affected, very irresponsible way to deal with this.

ErrolTheDragon · 03/05/2020 00:13

Can you rat proof her garden?

Rats are tremendous climbers and can squeeze through tiny holes.
And they tunnel. And gnaw wood, plastic....
Completely impossible, I'm afraid.

Original poster
TheCatsBlanket · 03/05/2020 00:13

I'll have to google some nasty rat photos with gnashing teeth and horrid faces to try and reason with myself and why they have to be exterminated.

I'm not going to do it again after this, I've never deliberately killed anything in my 57 years except wasps and blue-bottles (I hate them!)

OP posts:
SudokuBook · 03/05/2020 00:14

YANBU if it upsets you but they are vermin and I hate them, it wouldn’t bother me

ErrolTheDragon · 03/05/2020 00:15

It's the neighbour who is being irresponsible.

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