PLASMO
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Reged: 13/03/2008
Posts: 2052
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About two years ago we had a lot of building work near our house, and we discovered that rats one or two were venturing into our garden, I contacted the council and sure enough they sent the rat catchers etc to investigate. He put a trap down, and after a fairly long time, the rats seemed to have decided they disliked our garden and were not to be seen again. Until this morning, I opened the bedroom window and just happened to see two of them scurrying across the garden.
Has anyone else had any experience with these creepy creatures. I know they dont hurt you, but the thought of trying to sell our house, and showing people into the garden, and meybe seeing a rat or two using our facility is not very appealing.
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PLASMO
member
Reged: 13/03/2008
Posts: 2052
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Im so shocked I forget to sign off above. Sorry Plasmo xx
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debenjane
member
Reged: 11/01/2008
Posts: 548
Loc: suffolk
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We had rats as we back on to farm land. My OH set traps but to no avail so our neighbour put rat poison down where the cats and dogs couldn't find it and hey presto it seems to have worked. Fingers crossed. I hate the thought of seeing them in the garden.
Why did Noah bother to add a pair to the Ark?
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Chatelaine
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Reged: 23/08/2007
Posts: 2283
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Sure!! This here is in fact the countryside, so rats, mice, etc are all part and parcel of the "fun".....
Found some baby rats in one of my compost containers.... so, what do you do...??? I tried to handrear them but the last little one died after 4 days.... I am a sucker for all animals..... they were rather sweet and sooooo enormously clean. So endearing the way they eagerly held on to the "teat" of the syringe filled with "baby milk"....
And yes, they I have seen their family amble across my garden, playing and romping about..... Oh well, as long as they stay away from the house, let them live in peace! With my cats, I think that they will stay well clear anyway.
 Proclaim me "mad" or odd or weird..... that is OK......
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pinkannie
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Reged: 16/09/2007
Posts: 1038
Loc: switzerland
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Poor you Plasmo! For some reason I can't bear rats or mice. I'd call the rat disposal team whoever they are but as Chatelaine says they are part and parcel of the countryside.
Some years ago, YD came back from a night out with a rat under her jumper. Someones dad had said he would dispose of it (pet rats offspring) if the someone did not give it away pronto. So my lovely kind daughter said she'd have it. It still gives me the creeps to think of the year or so we had it. Have never understood the attraction. She didn't either I think. But our cats did. Oh yessir. The song and dance we had keeping her bedroom door closed and the rat in his cage....
I was a too-soft mum I think. I'm sure. Shuddddderrrrr.............  
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Pinkannie
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Duffy
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Reged: 14/02/2008
Posts: 1273
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Yes we have had rats under the decking..some little blue pellets put pay to them..although I dont mind them I know the disease and pest side of things..... We havent had any since but you are never more than 5ft from a rat!!!!..and I think if one of each in 5yrs there are 2000 rats...or something like that!!..Gorgeous!!!..think of all those cute little babies!!!...Arhhhh!!..x
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Duffy
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Reged: 14/02/2008
Posts: 1273
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Chatelaine..that is exactly what I would do...My OH put the pellets down...but over the years I have tried to hand rear alsorts that the cat brought in or I found abandoned in the garden!!....Im a sucker for all animals to!!
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PLASMO
member
Reged: 13/03/2008
Posts: 2052
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Thanks for that everyone, I love all animals to, even the rats, but apparently they give birth every 12 weeks!!! can you imagine how many must be around us all. Also the land where our house was built used to be countryside, so really we have disturbed their home at the end of the day. Plasmo xx
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Poppyc
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Reged: 16/02/2008
Posts: 208
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Never forget that in any city you are never 6ft away from a rat. They're pretty smart creatures - survival experts but I don't want them near me. Can't understand why anyone would feed them etc (unless they are the pet variety) they wee everywhere, gnaw cables and cause disease. When I lived in Vietnam in the 70s they were the size of cats and when we went to the cinema and the lights went down we all put our feet up on the seat above out of their way. The local girls in the Flower Market used to just kick them out of the way even although they were wearing flip flops. They got into our house and in case your imagining a hovel it was the British Ambassador's Residence and very grand. The same ambassador told me he'd eaten rat up country. Like chicken he said and very clean because it had been reared in a paddy field. Not something I wanted to emulate!
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Duffy
member
Reged: 14/02/2008
Posts: 1273
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A Chinese I used to live near uncovered a huge rat ..what would it be..a gaggle of rat...herd of rats...rat set??...anyway...a load of rats...next door to the Chinese...the thing is for months I had been saying the chicken didnt taste like chicken...My OH said it was the marinade??....I wasnt so sure...
Rat and egg fried lice anyone???....Said in a Chinese accent!!!
Hey Petroushka...You know the song..there were rats rats big as blooming cats in the ...in the what..???..cant remember the last bit!!!..Is it yard..dont think it was cinema..could have been !!!
Edited by Duffy (15/05/2008 14:10)
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pinkannie
member
Reged: 16/09/2007
Posts: 1038
Loc: switzerland
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Oooh Plasmo fancy giving birth every 12 weeks. Thank goodness I'm not a rat. I'd have boobs to my knees and a belly held up with braces....
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Pinkannie
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mjm
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Reged: 25/01/2008
Posts: 3679
Loc: Aberdeenshire
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LOL, thanks for that, you are soo funny, and first thing in the morning too!!
When we first moved here 7 years ago, the place was heaving with rats, they used to jump up the bird table and eat the nuts, all in broad daylight too, they used to tear at the nut hanger and that would make light work of that.
My dog wasnt too impressed either, she caught one once, it squeaked, she let it go, hadnt got a clue what she was meant to do with it. she looked at me as if to say "Im a guard dog, not a terrier!"
OH soon sorted it, little blue pelletts!!!
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ChrissiFi
member
Reged: 28/06/2006
Posts: 772
Loc: Somerset
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We went for the little blue pellets when they moved in under our shed (think they were attracted in from the fields by the rubbish someone a few doors down seemed to be accumulating). We occasionally get mice under the stairs and I'm afraid a trap deals with them (not an humane one as it they're released they'll find their way back). The dogs sit with their noses against the understairs cupboard door if the think we've got 'visitors' in there so we soon deal with them.
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Jinxy
member
Reged: 06/03/2008
Posts: 67
Loc: Wiltshire
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Found a dead rat on the front door step the other morning. I assume one of our cats had brought it home as a present! I'm used to finding little dead mammals or birds, but it was a bit of a shock to see a whopping, great rat.
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Chipmunk
member
Reged: 02/02/2008
Posts: 1491
Loc: North Yorkshire
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Love animals but HATE rats, I put it in capitals as they are the one thing that would'nt/could'nt touch. Just thinking about their tails makes me feel queasy.
When we had our horses we used to find the odd one drowned in the water bucket but I always had to get someone else to move it.
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Foxie
member
Reged: 09/08/2007
Posts: 2731
Loc: South London
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We had rats in our road, it turned out that when the houses were built, the original sewer outlet hadn't been properly sealed off and that is how they were surfacing.
I phoned the council and asked to speak to the rat catcher and was told that the rodent operative would contact me! (We can do posh down here in south London!!)
Anyway the Council RO visited and we have had no more furry sightings.
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Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make all of them yourself. Eleanor Roosevelt
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Peregrine
member
Reged: 04/02/2008
Posts: 2585
Loc: shropshire
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Rats yuk,
It's the tails... I've gone all goose bumpy just thinking about them!!!
perry
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pinkannie
member
Reged: 16/09/2007
Posts: 1038
Loc: switzerland
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Thats it, Perry it's the tails..those rings round'em give me the creeps...ooohhnonono they're vile and yucky and deserve all the blue pellets there are...sorry, I jsut can't stand them.
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Pinkannie
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Elsie
member
Reged: 05/01/2008
Posts: 1390
Loc: Aberdeenshire
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Rats, yuk! We had a horrible one living in our garden in Jakarta. It eventually drowned in the pool after being chased by our loopy golden retriever - for once, that dog did something useful!
I remember working in London, and seeing them all scurrying around the tracks in the tube station. Yuk, yuk, yuk.
We have a guinea pig and have had a few hamsters - nothing with a tail enters the elsie home - unless it barks!
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valaber
member
Reged: 28/03/2008
Posts: 2266
Loc: South Wales
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We had them a few weeks ago - I don't mind if they're by the canal or in the fields but thee were running rigt past the back door - and breeding, well lke rats. Blue pellets seem to have done the job - but do make sure they aren't where dogs, cats or birds can get them because theya re lethal...
It was the Store, Duffy, the Quartermaster's Store - we used to sing it for hours on car journeys when I was a child, making up more and more horrible verses! My favourite used to be
There were bees, bees, wth kilts and hairy knees,
In the Store,
In the Store
There were bees, bees with kilts and hairy knees
In the Quartermaster's Store.
I can still imagine those bees! Funnily enough, when I tried to find a pic of a bee in a kilt on photobucket, there wasn't one- whyever not???? 
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