Glad you caught him, Shad! How big are these rats? I've never seen one in real life. Apparently, we have some imports around but they aren't native here. Tons and tons of field mice, dirty little creatures and very very cute.I caught the rat that has been living in my house since Christmas this evening.
I've evicted it before; twice, but it kept coming back. The door is open all day.
I almost caught it with my hands 3 days ago but it got underneath and behind the cooker and there was no way for me to move the cooker out of it's place and catch the rat.
I knew by then that if I didn't catch it and kill, or relocate it, it would be back.
This rat made so much noise when it came out after I had gone to bed that it woke me up!
It's broken two glasses, chewed one of my shirts, knocked a picture off the wall and broken the glass and frame. It's been trying to chew through the bread bin and ate my last banana.
This is all very bad news.
We have another rat related problem in this area and that is sick Pole Cats. The reason these pole cats are sick so I am told is they've eaten rats that have eaten poison. It has apparently also effected quite badly one of the species of owl we have here which also eats rats.
The problem with sick predators like the pole cat and other rat eating animals is when they get sick, they can't hunt well. You need to be pretty well tuned up to catch rats and mice as I've found out.
Instead they come here and to other farms where there are chickens which are comparatively easy to hunt and they eat them instead.
This isn't good news either.
Ideally the sick Pole Cats should be killed but it isn't easy even with a gun. We've had two here in the last month. Both sick but still very quick and they are wonderful climbers.
The rat, which seems disgustingly healthy and well fed got relocated to the owl woods.
it will provide a poison free meal for someone.
