Yesterday was 'entertaining' as far as the rat issue was concerned. After weeks of not seeing even a small sign of them, I got up at 5am to find two in one trap, presumably mother and child as the adult had clearly visible nipples. The other trap held another, slightly larger juvenile. Anyways, I put them on top of my grow house while I fed, watered and skipped out the chickens. I got my "rat bag" (an insulated cooler) for transporting them to their new home and went over to put them in. As I walked over, I saw a small rat run along the grow house roof and disappear over the garden wall. "Cheeky bugger!" I thought, "coming out in day light!", only to discover an empty trap, still fully closed, with no juvenile rat. Absolutely no idea how it got out

Onto the next rat adventure. Gracie (13 yrs old with only 3 canine teeth) brought in a 'mouse'. DH gave chase to take it from her. She dropped it and promptly lost interest. DH lost it. I found it curled up in my sewing machine of all places and it was a baby rat, not a mouse!
Then to top it all, DH calls me outside as there was a rat on the bird feeder. Definitely a mouse, it turned out, feasting on some peanuts. However, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. There was a large rat sat on top of the greenhouse roof, staring me out!
I wouldn't mind them so much but they're causing a lot of damage by tunnelling under my plants. I've already lost several, including my beloved Vivian Pennell clematis and a stunning white lacecap hydrangea