To be desperate to open my bedroom window open

[menomary]

So... in the past 2 weeks, we've seen A RAT in the back yard. IN BROAD DAYLIGHT, I tell you.

I desperately need the bedroom window open at night. It's too hot.

Am really worried about a bare-faced rat climbing in, though.

The window opens out to a slanted roof over the kitchen.

So:

1. Do I keep the window open and breathe, risking rats entering my bedroom?
2. Keep it closed and overheat. (I'm menopausal and subject to horrible night sweats)

In any case, wtf are they doing in my back yard at 4pm in daylight? I've put rat traps down but all the bait has gone and the rat just seems fatter.

Thank God we're not in Australia. Google the Australian mouse plague.

One thing people there are doing is moving beds into the middle of the room and putting the legs in buckets of water to stop mice climbing up. If you're worried, you could try that.

I'm now picturing a poor tiny, one-legged howling dog 🤣

The dog was probably howling at the rat.

We're never very far from a rat apparently. We just don't see them all that often.
I did hear that they were around houses more last year because their usual sources of food (restaurants and cafés) were closed. Don't know if that's true though.

flatcats.co.uk/

These are good. They’re designed to stop indoor cats getting out of windows so the mesh Velcro is very strong.

You could call the 1 legged rat- hoppy!!!!

• Surely when you rang the council and they told you its £55, you would have asked what exactly is included???
• Ring other pest control companies ask them
• Buy poison and put it down
• Get a screen for the window
• Get a fan
• Get a giant glue trap outside your window, but this could be grim if you caught a bird!

Can someone please help me out and explain how the one legged rat gets around?
I also second pest screens.

@ittakes2

Can someone please help me out and explain how the one legged rat gets around? I also second pest screens.

I assume the rat has a little wheeled device they use on dogs with broken backs!!!

www.reddit.com/r/3Dprinting/comments/2kw2nu/has_anyone_ever_designedprinted_a_wheelchair_for/

Do not get a glue trap absolutely inhumane awful things.

Just goes to show you how fast things escalate. 4th June: Scared of rats coming through the window. 13th June: Village pets going missing. 22nd June: OP’s village overcome by plague.

Mary/Caroline appears to have been updating this thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4228449-neighbour-s-howling-dog-what-should-i-do

As for the dog, at least it won't be as loud with the windows closed

@menomary

The council charge £55. Does anyone know what they do? I mean, I know they'd probably put poison down but do they actually come back and check if it's worked or would I have to do anything (like check the traps myself and dispose...eek)?

We get the occasional rat. Where we live is currently surrounded by building sites which seem to attract them. Traps were useless so eventually we bought poison and bait boxes on Amazon which seem to have done the trick. The boxes get emptied but we haven't actually seen a rat for months.

A one legged rat! How???

Why would a rat climb in your bedroom? All they’re interested in is looking for food. Unless your bedroom smells of food they won’t be interested.

Why would a rat climb in your bedroom? All they’re interested in is looking for food. Unless your bedroom smells of food they won’t be interested.
It’s looking for the kitchen but off-balance due to the one leg, so hops in circles and voila, next thing you know it’s in the bedroom, gnawing on OP’s face.

Oops - dog was another thread 😂 There might be a link though between the disappearance of neighbour's cat and reappearance of the rat. Hope they get another one soon as it might solve both problems.

Anyway, the RAT update is:

We put poison down in a bait trap. It's been 2 weeks now and the bait disappears but we've no longer seen a rat. Have to say, I'm not looking closely. I moved the pots around and cleaned the yard as I read they don't like change. I couldn't see any rat poo at all. Does that mean it's merely 'passing through' our garden and not resident? Hope so. I'm scared to look under the shed.

we had this problemseveral years ago and we put down hidden poison. several corpses were under our shed when we moved it. they'd 'gone home' and died.

In case you’re still interested in what council pest control do for their £££, this is our experience, though our council charged us more than £55 so perhaps service is different between councils:

• it’s a 4-week treatment, 1 visit every week for x4 weeks
• 1st visit, pest control put down poison and traps. The chap who came to us took one look at our garden and within 2 seconds pointed out where the rat tunnels were, which was worrying!! He must see evidence of rats EVERYWHERE he goes…
• 2nd and 3rd and 4th visits, they come back to check the traps and put down fresh bait

On follow-up visits, no dead rats in the traps but we were told that they had taken the bait and my ndn found a dead one near their back gate so we knew the treatment had worked (to an extent); we have not seen any in daytime since.

make sure there's nothing left about that would entice a rat. bird food perhaps or your own food stored where the rat can get to it.

I mention this as I've been storing cat food in our garage. And the garage was developing a def pong. DH decided to tidy in there and discovered a whole large bag of dry cat food was empty and there was a excess of mouse dropping etc. I'm having to consider alternative places for storage but will be ensuring that I'm not just moving the problem. I picked up 2 bags of food that were full yesterday and one is now almost empty. So that one will be going in the bin and if there's a mouse (or 6) in it they will be going with it.

What happened to the rat ?

Sorry crossed post

You’ll probably have to get professionals out.

I had this once (city centre GF flat). I left the kitchen window open one time for a couple of hours and walked into a rat on my worktop.

They are pretty cheeky and they can jump - imagine if it jumped into bed with you (sick face)

I feel your pain in the heat. We live in a bungalow so can’t sleep with windows open.

@RightYesButNo

Just goes to show you how fast things escalate. 4th June: Scared of rats coming through the window. 13th June: Village pets going missing. 22nd June: OP’s village overcome by plague.

29th June: alien abductions.

@Buzlightyear1

I am struggling to visualise a one legged rat