OMG, Rats! <shudder>

[TequilaMockinBird]

A giant colony of rats aswell!

I know it's Sky News/The Sun but OMG!

Blimey it's massive!

Don't ever say that word to me. OMG I will never sleep again.l

Dont think I will sleep tonight either after that!

As big as a bulldog?

Fuck me! That's bigger than my cats

Those poor people on that estate

Bloody hell!

Am quite alarmed as I read in our local mag that there is a bit of a rat problem in our town, and it's getting particularly bad in blahblah Road.

Neeedless to say I live in blahblah Road

In a very old house, with a cellar with lots of funny cavities and hiding places in it. DP casually says that rats "have probably passed through a few times.." but get scared when the light's turned on and they hear me coming

That's a hoax, that looks nothing like a rat FGS, it's one of those south american things that you can buy as pets, they do bite though. Some silly bugger has let it free.

We had rats, they are mean buggers but nothing a sharp whack on the head with a spade won't sort out.

I'm just off to vomit! (Severe ratophobic)!!!

"That's a hoax, that looks nothing like a rat FGS, it's one of those south american things that you can buy as pets, they do bite though. Some silly bugger has let it free."

I really really hope so, i live less than 5 mins away!

coypu's are actually v. sweet adn friendly

Oh dear God I'm far to much of a wuss to whack anything with a spade

And how do you dispose of the body...?

As soon as I heard this, I said "It's a coypu" and it is/was apparently... I'm from Suffolk originally and there used to be quite a lot of them in and around the lakes/rivers there. I quite like them but I wouldn't welcome one in the back garden!

That is a rat however it is not a native british rat.

It is more akin to rats such as these www.smh.com.au/news/science/monster-rat-found-in-lost-world-jungle/2007/12/17/1197740165020.html

alphamummy, I have come far to up close and personal with rats - they do not look like that. And also coypu's are really scared of people and other animals - they would not mosey up to your cat to see what it was. Nor would they approach a human unless it was their owner.

TMWOSQ - to dispose of a rat, you need: (1) A nappy sack
(2) A bin. Put first into 1, then 2. Then wash hands in bleach

But, but, but.. picking up a rats corpse?
With the horrid scaley tail?

And the smell of its rancid decaying cadaver [shudder]

TheMoistWorld, I don't keep one myself but I believe that's what men are for?

They don't smell immediately after you've lamped them with garden implements. But they do bleed a fair bit. This is where the spade comes in handy you see. You can just lob them over the garden --wall- into the wheelie bin. If you have neighbours you really don't like, rats are fab There's nothing says: 'Howdy' like a dead rodent on the bonnet of your Porsche.

whomoved you're scaring me now...

Actually whacking them with a spade is a very eco-friendly way of killing rats, much more so than poison. Also it's good for improving your cricket scores.

whomoved my admiration for you is growing by the minute! I've got a mental (in both respects) image of you wearing cricket whites (with pads) whacking rats with a spade...

When we lived in Thailand we had rats, they were nowhere as big as that one (which isn't a rat anyway). The flats we lived in had an underground garage and quite often you'd run one over as you drove in. Once the cobra arrived though, the rat population was decimated. Maybe that's the answer, introduce an alpha assassin to sort out the problem.

So I'm the only one thinking "aww giant rat!" then?

I love pictures of the rat sammyuni posted about - I just want to cuddle it

No Kaloki, you're not the only one. I think both the rats linked to are cute. Now how does one go about buying a coypu?

(only joking my dog would eat it!)

Shiney - if you are serious talk to the Blue Cross. They quite often get unusual pets dumped on them. :)