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| Victor knows the rodent business!
I thought I heard a mouse or rat in the room next to me. It was so loud, I decided it was a rat. As I shuffled around some paper and got the remote to mute the TV, the rodent continued to scuffle around. As the TV went silent, so did the rodent, which by this time I figured must me a rat because it seemed so loud.
Later, as I was attempting to empty the dishwasher, I turned and saw him running from under the table into the room I heard it in originally. This is so creepy.
Then, I could hear it then in the corner sort of behind my chair about six feet from me. If I had a shotgun, I would blast this place to pieces! Lucky rat. I saw it run from one room to another. That really shocked me and made me gasp and squeal a little bit. I am not afraid of it since I am not down and unable to move...lol. Just the shock of seeing the long, black monster and really knowing it was here instead of just hearing caused a visceral reaction.
I slapped a sticky rat trap down in the doorway and waited for it to step onto it. I waited. I heard it the next night and the next. That night, I heard a scuffle and screaming and crying. It seemed like a half dozen somethings. A raccoon baby? That really frightened me. I rushed to the sticky rat trap.
There it was, about 6 inches long, excluding the tail. It was stuck by its back feet and legs to the trap. It was straining to go through the door, behind the door and into the next room.
Take a deep breath, Linda. A plastic coat hanger was the thing I got to beat him to death. Nope, I am not hitting him hard enough. The more he struggles and pulls, the less of his feet are stuck. He is getting loose.
Now, the next part is sort of stupid. I wanted to catch him with black Duct Tape, Alligator Brand. So, i got a square butter box and affixed the duct tape to it on one side. Then, I cut a little slit in the other side and stuck a metal pants hanger in it and tried to stick it to the rat. S%#t! It won't stick to his hair. He bites a lot and I give up and see he is barely stuck to the glue trap. I ran to get renuzit to spray him. Nope, not lethal enough!
Next to the Renuzit was coil cleaner left over from exbf spraying it on the ac. I sprayed that on him and he screamed horribly and seemed to try to cover his face with his front paws. Unmercifully, I sprayed him until he was soaked and his face was full of the coil cleaner. But, he was moving and I was afraid I would be bitten.
I jumped in the car and was going to Walmart at two in the morning to buy something to stick to him, more sticky rat traps. Halfway there, I thought the coil cleaner probably loosened the sticky! Now, that was dumb!
When I got home, he was gone. The next night when I came in the door, the stench was unbearable. It still is. The dead rat is behind something that I cannot move. Exbf will be here Friday.
The next day, I went to Tractor Supply and told the man my story. (He sold me Patsy Cline.) He had put two huge wooden and metal rat traps in my cart. When I told him about the disintegration of my home and numerous entries now for rats, he grabbed the electric rat killer, placed it in the cart and solemnly said, "This is what you need." It has been here since Tuesday and there were two rats cavorting in there. Now, nothing.. But, I feel better. Tonight, I have heard nothing, nothing.
The guy said I needed a dog when I lamented I did not have a cat and asked him if he knew someone with a good mouser. He did not. And, no I won't have a cat in the house.
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This is where Mr. Rat enters.
There are three electric plates for him to step on, powered by 4 C batteries. I keep wanting to try it and see how hard the jolt is. I won't/
The back
The directions say to put peanut butter inside one of these holes. I did.
Sounds vicious, doesn't it?
I installed the batteries. A green light blinks once to show the trap is set and working. A green light blinks continuously when a rat has been electrocuted. The light turns red when the trap needs a new battery. This unit says it will kill 50 + rats. Oh, goody! He assured me it did work.
Now, I am $60 poorer. I know, a rat trap or two would be $10. But, I tried and cannot pull the killing bar back to cock the trap. The guy was concerned I would break a finger. My fingers are little. He said he almost broke a thumb. His hands and fingers were really huge. If it hurt him, it would break me!
Everyone recommended rat bait. The problem with that is, my chickens might come across a poisoned rat. Then they would die.
This makes it hard to pay bills since I had to not pay a bill to buy a rat trap. The rat rattles my nerves. It rattles my nerves because I just know it is in something I love, chewing it up, making a nest!
Your turn
Got any rodent stories? Have you ever used one of these electric rat killers? Know anyone who has used the device? Is it any good?
I got one of those after I was awakened by something running down my arm which was outside the blanket. I too, squealed. Luckily it was only a mouse. My rat zapper (brand) it in constant use as I live above a river. I catch 1-2 every year about this time. I have 2 useless little dogs and an even more useless fat cat.
ReplyDeleteKristine,
DeleteSee? That could happen to me. I only have useless chickens, at least when it comes to rodent control. Thanks for not making me feel like such a ninny to have to electrocute rats.
We had rats living under a cement pad. They were making short order of my strawberries and tomatoes. My dogs knew they were there, but couldn't get them. They had tunneled to my compost bin that was next to the pad. I placed rat poison bars in the compost, and covered them with chocolate syrup. I had the top of the compost covered too. I went thru 8 bars. I put two out every nite for 4 days. On day 5, one came out late morning. It was acting goofy. My dogs were growling, they never attempted to bite it ( they had killed rats before). My husband shot it. The next day, another came out, we shot it too. These rats were huge. Swe tore out the cement pad this spring. Haven't seen any since. We never have had them in the house.
ReplyDeleteJ and M,
ReplyDeleteI wonder why the dogs did not bite them? I wonder why it took so long to kill them. They eventually would have come into your house!
We used to feed wild birds. I bought huge bags of bird food and had probably 7 or 8 feeders ringing our deck. All was well for several months .....Then the rats began to appear. Of course they would thrive here. The seeds that the birds kicked out of the feeders became a regular rat buffet! Now we only feed humming birds!
ReplyDeleteThis next little story happened way back in the 1960's while I was living in Louisiana. The toilet was across from the sink which had a built in laundry hamper. One evening I had just sat myself on the toilet when I saw a mouse run out from the hamper. It startled me so much that I jumped up and tried to run from the room...... forgetting that I had my pants down around my knees! I tripped myself and fell to the floor. The little mouse was frightened too and he also went for the door. The scared little mouse ran up and down all over my prostrate body. I swear just thinking of it I still can feel his busy little feet! It is a wonder that I didn't pee myself!
It sounds as if you are well prepared for your rat safari! Keep us posted!
Janet,
DeleteI have heard that birdfeeders drew rats. But, It never happened at my feeder that I no longer fill because pantry moths lived in the feed I kept indoors. Well, maybe it happened and I did not know it.
Falling is hilarious but not funny at the time. Having the mouse run all over you is just scary and horrendous. No wonder you can feel it still. I am starting to feel it myself. Thanks for first the reminder and then the funny story.
Heaps of rodent stories but the most recent was last week when the grandkid ws here. I had a mattress on the loungeroom floor for her. Early on before dark we saw a mouse come out and go over near the woodbox. It looked like it had eaten bait but we didn't tell her that it was sick. I tried to catch it but it got way. Two days later I was packing up the mattress and rugs...and there was a squashed mouse mixed up in the sheets. flat as a tack, poor thing. We had been walking on, sitting on, sleeping on the mattress for 2 days so don't know how long the mouse was dead for but it was quite flat.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't help laughing at Janet, sorry.
We are such girls. So funny.
Barb.
Barb,
DeleteOh my! Sleeping on a mouse. I would not want to ever sleep there again. Ack! Yes, I was such a girl in my panic. Yes, Janet's story was funny. Thanks. I feel better.
Oh Linda. I need to say. There is NO WAY that I could have tried killing that rat you caught. It just wouldn't happen, I wouldn't use sticky traps for that reason. What to do if you caught something and it was distressed like that. They do need to be killed though but I'd like it to be quick or unseen by me. I was going to get one of those electic zappers but I'm sure they were much more expensive than that. I might have another look.
ReplyDeleteBarb.
Well, Barb, obviously I cannot kill it either. That is the girl part. I just did not want to hit it too hard. If there were anyone here, I would not have been over there, scaring myself to death. Exbf was not going to be here until this Friday. The unit cost $54 with tax and $6 for the batteries.
DeleteIf I thought the sticky would hold, I would go with that, but he was trying to bite me, so picking it up would have been a problem. It is just gross to think about.
Why didn't you get a trash can and turn upside down on it till you could get someone over there to help? Hate mice and rats!!
ReplyDeletetana50,
DeleteMy usual mode for bugs is to put a glass over them. This was in a tight place where I could barely get to him. Picture a door opening away from you and the mouse trying to get into that space between door and wall. Plus, he had pulled the sticky trap up close and tried to get away in the crack. I should have gotten the kitchen tongs to pick up the trap and then thrown the tongs away! It as screaming so and just frazzling my nerves.
Jacksonville is full of rats. Soon after I moved into my house, the dogs killed one rat, and then another a few days later. They brought the first one to the door as a gift for me. I did not like picking it up with a garbage bag to get rid of it, but I couldn't get to a shovel or anything else helpful. The second time Favorite Young Man was here. He took care of the nasty bastard.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Janie,
DeleteOh, at least you have dogs, good, brave dogs. I so agree on not picking it up at all. Yuck! I love guys because they are so brave and not grossed out or scared. Why is Jacksonville full of rats?
I don't know. Maybe they like warm, humid weather and large cities. After Favorite Young Man first saw one in the garage, I called my realtor. She said, Now you know Jacksonville's dirty little secret. She warned me that some of the squirrels running on high wires were not squirrels, too. After the boys killed the two rats, that was it. They were gone. Sadly, they went to the neighbor's house and got inside the walls. He had to use the services of an exterminator several times. I think they were hanging out in my garage because lots of junk provided good hiding places and the house had been unoccupied for several months before my purchase was complete.
DeleteJanie,
DeleteWell, it is warm and humid here. I live a block from a hospital-turned-assisted-living facility. There are always rats over there.
On the telephone wires? How creepy. You are probably right about the house not occupied and the junk. I imagine they do prefer having a place of their own instead of sharing with people, but they will adapt...lol.
Make sure your chicken feet is kept in a metal container.I keep mine in a metal garbage pail with a lid. I also clean the chicken pen and run every night so there is no food left in there - don't want critters with tails, bears or snakes roaming around in there after the chickens are locked in the coop for the night, I had a mouse in the nest box once, but a trap set under the coop finally got it after a week. Cute little thing, though. A rat, not so cute!
ReplyDeleteChickenmom,
DeleteI keep the chicken food in the kitchen. I don't buy food for them. Also, I never clean out their pen to get old food out. Rats came when I had no chickens. But, they were not cavorting in my kitchen except for once. I trapped it and found the hole and never had another. I cannot bend over so far so many times. Plus, things could get under their pine straw even if I tried to keep it clean. Yes, I know these are all the best ideas. Thanks.
I'm surprised the chickens did not eat the mouse under their coop. Thanks for coming by and sharing.
Darn keyboard typed feet instead of feed. Thanks for knowing what I meant. Surprised too that the chickens didn't eat the mouse - they usually eat anything that moves - even little toads and birds!
DeleteChickenmom,
DeleteAt first, it was startling. Then, immediately I knew what you meant. My hens need to learn to stalk things besides bugs to get their protein. Well, I don't see them for hours, so they may get a mouse now and then.
In 1995 my father remarried and moved. Shortly after he left I started hearing things in the attic. It took several months before he heard it (he and his new wife would come down for a week or so each month - I was in his house so he had things he needed to do). He bought me these cute little mouse traps - they were covered and once a mouse was caught all you saw was the tail sticking out the end - release the wire and dump the mouse in a paper bag for disposal. Worked great - I think the first full day I caught 6 mice. I was fine with those little traps right up to the second live mouse at which point I happily went to the store and bought the poison. The cat and two dogs were instructed to leave any dead rodents in place and we all lived happily ever after (except the mice of course).
ReplyDeleteThe Hurricane had mice in her high school dorm room. She would catch them in the traps that don't kill them, but one also needn't look at them. Then she'd put the trap outside and let the mouse freeze to death overnight. Go to sleep, little mousie. It will be over soon. Of course, she had to dump out the dead, frozen mouse, but I'll take a dead mouse over a live one any day.
ReplyDeleteOh yuck, you did well. I was outside gardening and a large rat ran past me, a few days later I saw one dead and laying on the patio. I have no idea how it died. Anyway I got my 19 year old daughter to pick it up and get rid of it, and then she threw it into next doors garden. Of course I told her off but i was pleased to see it gone!
ReplyDeleteeh. One got into our house and Joe saw it's little red eyes glowing from inside my pantry. With a broom, he got it into the garage where it climbed inside the engine compartment.. Then he backed the car out and went in search of potholes to bounce the car through. NEVER was so much work put into trying to get that critter out of the house.
ReplyDeleteBUT, I couldn't try those sticky pads because all I could think of was its grizzly death. But anything would be better than having you poking it to death with a wire coat hanger!!!
I used a plastic coat hanger! I really don't care that it dies a grizzly death. I have stomped mice before. Rodents are shown no mercy.
DeleteNow, one in the pantry is gross. Thankfully, you have Joe. I need a Joe...lol. of my own.
There is nothing like ruining the shocks to dislodge a rodent!
Thanks for the story.