The Lutener household has several compost bins which benefit from the large quantities of veggie peelings and shredded paper which we generate in a week.
Last week, one of these bins had a tunnel in it. A round tunnel. At an angle.
Result:
1. A humane rodent catcher cage. Bait goes inside cage and door locks behind critter.
2. Cold night Thursday. Compost bin tunnel destroyed. Cage baited with dry cure bacon.
3. Yesterday morning. Live rat in cage.
At this point Mr Ray-Anne has to go to London so Ray-Anne given responsibility for regular checking of long, sleek, not-too-happy, rat which is trying to gnaw it's way out of cage.
IT IS A BIG RAT.
4. Cage loaded into plastic storage box with lid. Box loaded into car boot.
5. Car driven to local woodland a few miles away. Box out. Cage out.
6. 3 attempts to open fancy secure latch on cage with thick gardening gloves before door open.
7. rodent leaps and bounds into forest.
8. Realisation that rodent probably has a family group nearby and we shall have to do the whole thing again. Several times.
Distractions.
3 comments:
I don't like rats - shudder. We had mice in the house not too long ago which almost drove us mad with the scratching noises. We think they got through the attic as we'd heard a lot of owl activity and the nest was in the roof.
Eugh, you're very brave. I loathe the revolting things. Thankfully we don't seem to have any - not that I've noticed anyway. Maybe the neighbour's cats catch them. I hope so.
I have to confess that I was NOT the person who opened the cage ladies - but I did agree to a humane option instead of bait, so have to face the consequences.
Rats in the house are not as bad as squirrels which are just filthy - but mice I can cope with. We are now catless, which I suspect is not helping.
LOTS of food from neighbours bird tables I suspect. Our Roland was very sleek and healthy and well fed.
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