Not much point in this tail really other than to vent my thoughts &
frustration. Perhaps a rant as I am tearing my hair out.
We all live close to rats. I don't like them but have to live with them, a
fact of life.
I live in an early 20C cottage in Berkshire. Have done for 27 years.
Semi-rural area with a stream flowing along the front. Quite idyllic on a
good day.
Built on a 12inch concrete raft with suspended floors on sleeper walls.
The old place has recently suffered a quite severe infestation of rats.
All feed, both animal & human, is kept secure.
From whence they came I know not but they certainly have made merry below
floors.
There are about 2 dozen airbricks around the perimeter just above ground
level, these are all sound. I can see no signs of burrowing but I don't
think rats burrow anyway.
Wife & I keep 3 cats, 2 dogs and 2 goats. Goaties are cleaned daily and all
is composted. Goats are a couple of hundred yards away.

One day about 6 weeks ago we heard some scurrying in a kitchen cupboard.
Open the door and see ratty nonchalantly munching on a block of my
favourite olive oil hand soap, I'm almost sure he winked at me! Close door.
Open door again and scoop all contents onto floor and then most into bin.
Clean whole kitchen (I do mean whole) and put down some poison bait in,
around and about. 3 separate locations all safe from domestic animals. I
don't like using poison but when needs must..........
A few minutes after several hours labour more scurrying from a now freshly
cleaned empty, bar poison, kitchen cupboard.
There's ratty munching on a lump of poison. Close door.
Take unhappy wife to local hostelry for a bit of lunch and a chat with
friends.
On return find bait all gone. Replace all. More scurrying and more bait
gone. That afternoon 7 bait blocks were taken from a single location.
Following morning had the dubious pleasure of seeing a dead rat lying on a
shelf in a kitchen cupboard. Continued to place bait until it was not
taken. Still have some in place but it hasn't been touched in a couple of
weeks.
Have found a couple more carcasses since then, but this must have been a
fairly severe infestation. I presume there will be more carcasses beneath
floors.
The buggers have destroyed wiring beneath the floors. A major problem for
me is that 22 years ago I laid 1.25inch thick pitch pine block flooring
over 2/3rds of the ground floor. Most of the underfloor is now inaccessible
and the whole house needs rewiring. I know its overdue for rewiring but it
would break my heart to rip this wonderful floor up.
Rats!
One little bonus to this sorry affair is that my wife saw a ringed tail
disappear under a unit in our utility area whilst all the above was going
on. She didn't know what it was but said it looked like a raccoon.
I've never seen a raccoon in the flesh but Rocky, as she is now known, is
still with with us and can be seen here~
http://www.flickr.com/photos/95403421@N00/

Rats!

rats live on no evil star
Blimey, that's an old one from my school days 50 odd years ago (read it
backwards).

Rant over and apologies for bothering you kind folk.