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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To kill the rat?

46 replies

LolaTheShowgirl · 16/02/2008 17:40

Please tell me i'm not being cruel. I really love animals but we have this rat in the house. Been here since October and it lives in the loft/the wall cavities. I can hear it all night running around and so far humane things to catch it and release it in a forest have failed. It has recently been coming into the kitchen which I really find disgusting and nicking my dogs biscuits and even fruit from the fruit bowl I have really had enough now and so I have got a big rat trap. Laid it on the rats usual route to the dog biscuits so waiting for a loud snapping noise...am I being cruel?

OP posts:

Original poster

LolaTheShowgirl · 16/02/2008 20:52

BigBadMouse (love the name!!!) It is a rat...it's been seen and is huge...same size as my guinea pig who is the same size as a small bunny although the guinea pig is fat the rat is really long and slender...eurgh...looks like a fluffy eel with legs and ears!

OP posts:

expatinscotland · 16/02/2008 20:53

Kill it! Don't feel bad!

Kimi · 16/02/2008 20:54

Kill it and nail it to the fence as a warning to others

Original poster

LolaTheShowgirl · 16/02/2008 20:57

I just heard to b*stard run about in the loft...not caught yet then, grrr! If I put food on the trap, how likely would it be to approach it tonight?

OP posts:

BigBadMouse · 16/02/2008 20:58

Lola - then in that case I'm in awe of you sharing your home with it since October! I let mine stay for a month but he was outside the back door. Still remember the horror of seeing him happily romp around the courtyard taking his pick from uder the bird feeders - he looked huge!

If you have seen him he is probably quite bold and you should get him relatively quickly.

BigBadMouse · 16/02/2008 21:02

You'd be lucky to catch him on the first night but if you can work out where he walks every night you will have more chance. They run along walls and follow the same route every night. A timid rat will avoid the trap for a few days... he doesn't sound too timid though .

You have to keep the trap in the same place and leave it alone as much as possible so he gets used to it.

BigBadMouse · 18/02/2008 21:17

Have you caught him yet??

Julezboo · 19/02/2008 10:18

did you catch it yet? Your very brave leaving it since october!!

What dog do you have? jack russells will catch the bugger!! We had one a few weeks back and called a man in the yellow pages his brought his jack russell and he got it!

TheDuchessOfNorksBride · 19/02/2008 10:36

Jack Russells AND Great Danes - our Great Dane killed one in the chicken pen the other day. Isn't he a clever little ratter? (all 11 stone of him )!!

DH shot one last week too. YANBU, rats shouldn't live in such close proximity to humans.

Good hunting!

Nbg · 19/02/2008 10:42

Lola we've got a bit of a Rat issue atm but the first one we had was poisoned and because it was living in our cavity walls, it chewed throuhg into the kitchen, chewed the electical wire to the dishwasher and then the water pipe.

It flooded our kitchen. How it didnt start a fire is beyond me.

DaDaDa · 19/02/2008 10:48

Lola, I'd put poison in the loft too TBH. They're clever cunning creatures and will avoid anything unusual like traps. Starve them of any other food source and poison them.

Original poster

LolaTheShowgirl · 19/02/2008 14:52

I thought it had been electrocuted yesterday and everything was silent all night long but I can still hear it unfortunately. I think it may have been elecrocuted but survived. Has taken things easy and is now back on its feet again, the b*stard! I put the trap down which is the killing trap like a mouse one. It activated it the other night but must've escaped. Then the poor dogs nearly got their noses chopped off twice when someone was supposed to be keeping them safe grrr so I said no more killing trap where the dogs can get it.

I have a humane trap where it would go into it and then the trap door shuts but it seems wary of that too. Even chocolate isn't tempting it.

I don't know where I can get rat poison. Is rat poison tasty? It seems quite a picky eater see and can smell danger a mile off. I'm terrified my house will go up in flames.

OP posts:

BigBadMouse · 19/02/2008 14:58

Your local coucil will put down the bait for you for free. It is chokkie flavoured grain -so keep away from doggies!!

Alternatively buy a Great Dane as duchess recommends and when he or she has done the job send him/her down to me for retirement and cudddles on the sofa

Blu · 19/02/2008 15:04

I had several rat incidents in a former house, and never once caught one in a trap. They were, however, all succesfully poisoned. You can buy rat poison from any hardware shop - it is grain dyed blue. Rats seem to be very greedy for it, and it does for them within a few days. You get a little dish, which you keep topping up until no more poisoin disappars. Poison is good if there is more than one.

Get rid of this one quickly. It may have come in as a lone rat to escape the cold, but if it develops a mate you will have a major infestation in your house.

ShinyDysonHereICome · 19/02/2008 18:16

Lola I think it might be time to call in a pest control expert.

They really aren't very expensive. I paid £40 for someone to get rid of my problem with mice.

FuriousGeorge · 19/02/2008 19:31

Kill the little bugger.Our dairy nearly burnt to the ground after rats chewed through cables.

nickytwotimes · 19/02/2008 19:34

I've had pet rats, but even I would want a "wild" rat exterminated for the multitudinous health and safety reasons listed above! Our local parish house was almost destroyed by the little buggers a few years ago. You should have seen Father's face when he dropped in for coffee and was greeted by Charlie rat!

squimlet · 19/02/2008 19:37

bugger that. kill it. its your house not theirs. when they start to pay rent and clear up after themselves then I would say you were being unreasonable. Until then
SNAP

ravenAK · 19/02/2008 19:40

...be warned that if you poison it, it will probably die under your floorboards, & they STINK for anything up to a couple of weeks...

vickyo · 01/07/2009 20:23

when i had a rat in my loft i used one of those plug in repellers which i found at www.pestwarehouse.co.uk
it worked really well and was completley child safe!

vickyo · 01/07/2009 20:24

sorry i just read about the link bit www.pestwarehouse.co.uk

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