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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Rat with broken leg in my garden

260 replies

HgnncaNameMy · 16/06/2020 11:46

There's a grassy area behind my house full of rats and mice. I moved here in February and the neighbours said theres a massive rat problem

I have 4 cats so don't have many issues

Theres currently a rat hiding under the kids garden toy and its leg is definetly broken, 3 of its legs seem fine but it's dragging one behind it

Who can i ring about this? Will someone come out and take it?

I know people class them as vermin but it's still a living creature that must be in absolute agony right now

OP posts:
AdobeWanKenobi · 16/06/2020 14:02

@WhatWouldDominicDo

Hit it very hard with a spade or a big hammer or a heavy boot - anything heavy.
Hows she going to find it?
xsquared · 16/06/2020 14:04

Put it out of it's misery and kill it. Envy Not envy at all.

GrolliffetheDragon · 16/06/2020 14:05

I tried to kill a mouse once that the cats had brought in, couldn't do it. Luckily it turned out not to be as badly injured as I'd first thought.

I've seen people finish off badly injured rats and a pigeon or two, and I know it can be more humane than leaving them, but when it came down to it, I couldn't do it. Obviously in that case possibly luckily for the mouse, but I don't blame the people who feel reluctant to do it.

xsquared · 16/06/2020 14:06

Oh dear, just read your update. It's good that it's out of your garden but I really hope he killed it before dumping it in the fields!

anjiat · 16/06/2020 14:07

All the people talking about the ways in which they'd kill this animal sound unhinged.

Happy to be one of the few people who wouldn't be able to do that.

I think there is a way of creating some kind of gas to humanely euthanise, but I honestly don't know.

Just sending support to you and to the little rat.

derxa · 16/06/2020 14:07

My friend has come round and collected the rat. Her DP is going to release it in the fields. Actually a cruel thing to do.

Hyperion100 · 16/06/2020 14:08

Get a shovel. Hit it hard. Put it out of its misery. Its that or get eaten alive by a bird of prey or a fox/cat.

derxa · 16/06/2020 14:09

Vets won't be interested in a rat with a broken leg.

Bettysnow · 16/06/2020 14:12

Fully understand where your coming from. Personally I'm terrified of them although like yourself I doubt I could stand by and watch any animal in pain regardless of what it was.
An idea maybe to think about getting a couple more cats or a wee jack Russell to deal with any possible infestation.

Herja · 16/06/2020 14:20

Is it still with you?

Imagine you've badly broken your leg. There will be no treatment. You're options are a quick death, or to be dumped far from home, terrified, in a field you don't know, in the dark, surrounded by lions and tigers (because you're being the rat. Owls and foxes are not big enough for person scaring), where you MIGHT be able to find a safe bush to slowly recover, your leg never regaining strength, you never having a mate again and never enough food. Or you might just get eaten.

Just kill the rat. I've been the rat dispatcher a few times. It's not great, but it's fast. Kinder than what you're planning. If you can't do it, ask the neighbour? I've killed rats for others in similar circumstances too.

Sarahandco · 16/06/2020 14:21

"My friend has come round and collected the rat. Her DP is going to release it in the fields"

That is what he is telling you anyway!

zingally · 16/06/2020 14:25

I wouldn't be able to finish it off myself either...

I'd just let nature take its course. You've only seen it's injured by chance, it could just have easily have been under a bush, or you just not noticed it at all.
It's a bit sad, but try and avoid attaching human emotion to a rodent. Leave it to nature. Either it'll die, perk up and run off, or another animal will get it. It's just the natural order of things. I wouldn't get involved.

TitsalinaBumSquash · 16/06/2020 14:29

I can't believe you're getting such a hard time OP!

We live in a house next to a train line and we have a whopping great big rat infestation. I can look out of my window now and see 3 babies.
Our council, housing association, environmental health couldn't give less of a toss about it. No exterminated will come out simply because the infestation is so big, it's not worth it unless the whole street will also pay to get them in.
We're desperately waiting a move because we think it's a huge issues, our children can't go outside in the garden and we can't leave doors or windows open, in the winter the run in the loft and walk cavities.

BUT STILL - if I saw one injured I would do what I could to either help it and I have on several occasions bopped one on the head that has obviously been poisoned and is bloated and dying.
We have loads of local cats that will often swoop down and grab a baby and run off, same with birds of prey.

yakawaka · 16/06/2020 14:33

Put it in the freezer

Khione · 16/06/2020 14:36

HgnncaNameMy Tue 16-Jun-20 13:01:45
My friend has come round and collected the rat. Her DP is going to release it in the fields. Her DP said vets wouldnt take it and he's never known a rescue to take a rat but he has known rats to adapt to a broken leg.

I suspect the fields it is released to will be the lovely green fields over the rainbow.

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 16/06/2020 14:43

Compassion and humanity = 'unhinged' now Confused

this site sometimes....

EverdeRose · 16/06/2020 14:53

"Taking it to a field and leaving it in a dark spot was the kindest thing to do with limited options available"

For future reference you'd be better off giving it a quick shovel to the back of the head, much kinder than dragging its starving body around a field for a week until it dies.

As a cat owner with a rat infestation at the bottom of your garden expect it to happen more. You may think those little collars with bells on fix the problem but cats become very adept at keeping them quiet, and even if they haven't brought them home before, all cats love a good mouse or rat to play with.

Nat6999 · 16/06/2020 15:06

If you have seen one, there will be more, get some poison blocks before you are overrun by them. We saw one in my mum's garden last week, her neighbour put the blocks down & had killed three by next morning.

TheQueef · 16/06/2020 15:06

Shurrup @tillyandmilly I'm not a horrible person for advocating dispatching an injured rat Hmm

LimitIsUp · 16/06/2020 15:09

"This is a jolly little thread, isn't it?

I would strap it to a table and have a very slow moving laser beam bisect it."

Love that ^^

Baboomtsk · 16/06/2020 15:09

@Herecomethehotstepper

I doubt an elephant would be as kind as that.

Honestly, some people here have a very Disney view of the world. The op has an infestation. She is hoping that the council come over to wipe out all of the rats there as quickly as possible. A well delivered whack to the head would have ended this animal's suffering very quickly. It would probably have been lucky compared to its kin which are due to be trapped or poisoned at some point.

I understand if people don't feel that they have it in them to kill an animal in this situation. Just be aware though that you are not being kind, you're just being squeamish.

countrygirl99 · 16/06/2020 15:21

The pest control people will put poison down. The poison will caused them to die of internal bleeding. But people reckon, a swift spade or brick to the head of a critically injured wild animal is cruel 🤔

Abraid2 · 16/06/2020 15:27

@anjiat

All the people talking about the ways in which they'd kill this animal sound unhinged.

Happy to be one of the few people who wouldn't be able to do that.

I think there is a way of creating some kind of gas to humanely euthanise, but I honestly don't know.

Just sending support to you and to the little rat.

Well while you try to come up with your gas idea the rat lingers on in pain.
butterpuffed · 16/06/2020 15:46

Put it in the freezer

Nice Confused

Cloverglens · 16/06/2020 15:48

You will want to get rid of all the rats I assume?? so the council needs to get involved for the health and safety of the residents. So why concerned about this 1 which was probably got by a cat. Put it out if it's misery or borrow a terrier if you can't face it.
Stinking vermin crawling over your kids toys, carrying all sorts of diseases. Makes my skin crawl!! You shouldn't have to put up with that 😕

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