AIBU to ask where has loads of rats?

[cretelover]

Inspired by another thread of places you have no desire to visit and a poster mentioned New York as having loads of rats, where have you travelled to that had loads of rodents? Except squirrels of course, they are exempted haha. And yes of course I know they are everywhere, but it's rare you see any day to day in the UK. I think! I am so so scared of them! That rat temple in India is the stuff of my nightmares.

There must be more than you think, every mcdonald's and kfc have those rat trap things on the car parks. Unless it's a health and safety requirement?

London and the Midlands because we have the waterways rat city here in the Midlands

Under the decking in my back garden quite often! There is a big field with a river behind our row of houses, we live rurally and there are always rats somewhere! They don't bother me as long as they're outside, I like furry things!

Camden Town Underground station regularly has them when I have changed trains there.

Karni Mata Rat temple in India. Don't look at videos if you hate rats, there's about 20000 there. My neighbours DD visited there on a trip to India and took lots of photos. Gross! But they are sacred, especially the white rats in the temple.

@Katiekins8

Tinder

I work in the pest control industry.....they are everywhere.

A rat scuttled across my foot one evening by St Georges Hall in Liverpool. Seen lots on the London underground on the tracks.

I live in London and see at least one in my local park every time I go there. Also seen a lot in the Paris parks.

I’m regretting reading this thread tbh.

London. When I used to go on the tube, sometimes I'd look down at the tracks and it would be running alive with them.
Would often see them in the street too. Horrible.

London underground. Tesco car park in Leytonstone, London. In the walls of the block of flats I lived in, in v posh Wanstead , London. Pest control guy was out every 6months.

I’ve seen two rats, both dead, in years and years of living in London. The only place in the world where I’ve seen a live rat just brazenly running across the road was New York.

@2021hwg

Several people have mentioned Berlin to me. Rats everywhere apparently

Funnily enough the only places I've ever seen one are on the london underground tracks and in Berlin. We were about to order dinner at an outside restaurant when my husband casually said...erm we may not want to eat here, I'll tell you later. When we'd left he said there was a massive rat going from table to table. He'd handled that very well.

London

@SomeoneInTheLaaaaaounge

I love Bangkok, but the last time I went I couldn’t move for rats!!! Doesn’t put me off though.

Vietnam was fucking teaming with them!

See this is the type of info I need. It's doing wonders for my wanderlust.

@OhWhyNot

Thailand and Vietnam

Those lovely paradise beaches are loved by rats as well as humans

At least they tend to hide away there in India they come out to play have no fear of humans

The biggest rat I have seen was in Knightsbridge opposite Harrods I still go queasy thinking about it (people were jumping up on there chairs in the cafe and screaming)

I’m laughing because that would be me making a scene I’m terrified of rats!

@LNSL

They are everywhere. I'm terrified and constantly vigilant and there are lots about. I live in London.

I know it's terrible isn't it.

@SmidgenofaPigeon

Just out of interest, those of you have seen rats out and about minding their own business and feeding on the rubbish that humans lob away, and been scared or freaked out by seeing them- why? It is vanishingly unlikely they’re going to bother you at all, let alone do anything to hurt you.

Fair enough question, it's a genuine phobia, my palms go sweaty and I need to run, can't breathe. If I'm in control it's not as bad, I could look at them through the glass of the local pet shop for a bit (and I often do to try help) but if they suddenly moved that wouldn't be good. I can watch programs about them as long as there aren't any jumpy bits.

You’re apparently never more than 6 ft away from a rat.

Why anyone would want to keep them as pets is beyond me.

@BikeRunSki

Michaelwood services on the M4 is known in my family as “Rat Services”. We stop at the naice Gloucester Services now.

That information has been buried into my brain now thank you! I know exactly what you mean by the naice ones!

Boston, we used to regularly see them walking through Beacon Hill (very posh) in the evening. New York also. Near where we lived in Boston there was a huge building site, always rats running around there in the evening.

@OhWhyNot

Venice is overrun with rats too

It’s very quite after 10pm apart from rats running about

My friend while travelling in India woke up to one running across her head (she was staying in a hotel not a hostel)

Would you see them in the daytime in Venice do you think? I don't think I could cope with India at all. I thought I'd be safe in a hotel.

I saw one in the village park last week. Apparently it's riddled with them. Never seen one wild before that - it was just running through the hedge.

Just out of interest, those of you have seen rats out and about minding their own business and feeding on the rubbish that humans lob away, and been scared or freaked out by seeing them- why? It is vanishingly unlikely they’re going to bother you at all, let alone do anything to hurt you. they’re filthy disease-ridden vermin. I think of rats in the same way as I would think of e.g. cockroaches.