Rat in my Kitchen

[Pawbah]

I don't post too many new topics, but I wanted to talk about this.
OK, for the past few weeks my family has thought that we had a little mouse living in the kitchen. It has happened before so we weren't surprised. We set out little mouse traps but they weren't working. The bait would be gone but there would be no mouse. Now I like Mice so I don't mind sharing the same living area that much. I know it's not good, because who knows what it could be carrying, but mice are cute, so I wasn't in a hurry to kill it.

Well, today I heard a noise and I looked into the Kitchen and I saw something moving and I was like, "oh, the mouse!" Then the "mouse" stood up on it's little back legs and stuck it's sniffy noise in the air. I then realized that this is not a mouse. This is a freaking huge rat. I freaked out and called my dogs, I don't know why, I don't want my dogs near the rat. Then I called my mom and now I'm too freaked out to go into the kitchen.

So I'm posting here to ask if anyone has any tips on how to get rid of a rat. Because I only have little mouse traps and I don't think they would work too well.

[Partymember]

Buy some rat traps at your local hardware store. They're much bigger.

Or you can always borrow a scruffy Jack Russel from a friend. Or a good cat.

[Cassini90125]

If all else fails, call an exterminator.

[pitbulllady]

You should have left the dogs in there. Dogs are usually much better than cats when it comes to taking out rodents. Better yet, get a ferret...or a snake. Rats don't even like to hang out where they smell snakes! Rat traps will work, like Partymember said, but they are messy when they finally do nail their quarry, AND if you're not careful, they will get your finger, and a rat trap can easily break a finger! The exterminator will put out poison bait, in some place where your dogs can't get to it, but you can buy the stuff at a hardware or ag supply store and do that yourself. You'll still have to deal with a rotting carcass somewhere that you can't get to it to remove it, though.

pitbulllady

[Partymember]

Yeah, poison can be messy when they die behind the walls. I would go with a dog, personally. Ever see an Airdale (sp?) terrier? They're huge! IIRC the small ones we're used to were bred small from those original dogs to hunt rats in mineshafts in Scotland.

[Pawbah]

AH man, some of this sounds gross. I don't think I want to do poison with the whole dieing behind the wall thing. I think my dogs are wimps, this rat has been here for a while and they haven't done anything about it yet. I'm probably going to go with a trap of some kind.

Thanks everyone for the info!

[Sparky]

I've never had to deal with rats as pests before (just pets ;) ), but I've had excellent luck trapping mice with these black, enclosed mousetraps (http://www.acehardware.com/sm-d-con-and-reg-ultra-set-and-reg-covered-mouse--pi-1279062.html). I believe they make them for rats too, you might want to try them? As far as mousetraps go, I highly recommend this type of trap.

(And mice are criminally cute! Of course, I think rats are cute too.)

[Pawbah]

Thank you Sparky. I think I like that trap best. :)

[scary_dream]

You'll still have to deal with a rotting carcass somewhere that you can't get to it to remove it, though.

EW, I know this... a mouse apparently died of natural causes in one of our really deep closets, so we didn't know about it until MAGGOTS started coming through a knothole in our wall! It was digusting!

Also, since rats can be cute, too, if you don't want to kill the rat, they have humane traps that just TRAP the rat without killing it. Then you're free to just let it go somewhere away from the house. Same goes with sticky traps, as long as you get the thing off with cooking oil and don't leave it there to die.

[One Radical Dude]

I'm indifferent to rodents. I think as pets, they can be pretty nice. One of my friends used to have pet female rats, and I got to handle them. When I see one running around the house, however, it does scare me a bit, and the fear of them biting me or carrying a disease exists.

[Sparky]

Oh by the way Pawbah, the best bait for mice in my experience is Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. 8D I used to have pet rats, and although peanut butter's not good for them (they can choke on it) they LOVE it. If you don't have luck with other baits I recommend Reese's, as its sweeter, and therefore smells stronger, than straight pb.

(I've had to deal with mouse outbreaks far more often than I'd like to admit! Just about everywhere I've lived, college included, we had mice at one time or another.)

[Invader Bloo]

Also, since rats can be cute, too, if you don't want to kill the rat, they have humane traps that just TRAP the rat without killing it. Then you're free to just let it go somewhere away from the house. Same goes with sticky traps, as long as you get the thing off with cooking oil and don't leave it there to die.

Rats cute?! 8D No that's mice, not rats.

Ugh... I hate rats. We used to have some in our garage. But they're all dead now, that was before we had a cat. We haven't had them since. (Our cat hangs in the garage where her food & litter is)

[jekylljuice]

Heh, I like rats, much more so than mice - obviously I wouldn't want them crawling around my cupboard, but the domesticated variety can make very intelligent and affectionate companions (I've been informed that they're actually a lot more rewarding to keep as pets than the routine hamster, since they don't sleep all day and are much less likely to bite), and the wild variety can provide a lot of amusement value with the various stories you hear about their cheerful defiance (however hard humans strive to stop them, the rats will find a way...). At the very least, you've gotta admire that impressive vitality of theirs.

Besides, I anticipate that rats are going to be very much in vogue this summer, what with the upcoming release of Pixar's Ratatouille.

The only thing that puts me off wanting to keep a pet rat of my own is their typically short lifespan...like most rodents, they only seem to have a very meagre two or three year's worth of life in them, which is too short for me. If I'm ever getting a rodent, then it's going to be something a bit more hard-wearing, like a chinchilla. They can live an average of 10-15 years, so I'm told.

Fortunately we've never had any infestations at my house worse than a handful of common or garden ants (and cat fleas, which are a given). There has been the odd occasion in which my cats have carried live mice into the house and then...misplaced them. In which case, the problem usually rectifies itself.

[pitbulllady]

Heh, I like rats, much more so than mice - obviously I wouldn't want them crawling around my cupboard, but the domesticated variety can make very intelligent and affectionate companions (I've been informed that they're actually a lot more rewarding to keep as pets than the routine hamster, since they don't sleep all day and are much less likely to bite), and the wild variety can provide a lot of amusement value with the various stories you hear about their cheerful defiance (however hard humans strive to stop them, the rats will find a way...). At the very least, you've gotta admire that impressive vitality of theirs.

Besides, I anticipate that rats are going to be very much in vogue this summer, what with the upcoming release of Pixar's Ratatouille.

The only thing that puts me off wanting to keep a pet rat of my own is their typically short lifespan...like most rodents, they only seem to have a very meagre two or three year's worth of life in them, which is too short for me. If I'm ever getting a rodent, then it's going to be something a bit more hard-wearing, like a chinchilla. They can live an average of 10-15 years, so I'm told.

Fortunately we've never had any infestations at my house worse than a handful of common or garden ants (and cat fleas, which are a given). There has been the odd occasion in which my cats have carried live mice into the house and then...misplaced them. In which case, the problem usually rectifies itself.

I agree with you on rats here, since I also find them to be cute, especially when they're young and go through that "gawky" stage like puppies, with too-big feet and ears and not enough of anything else! They're also very intelligent and can be very affectionate. Mice, in contrast, at the MOST will just tolerate being held, and are MUCH smellier and more likely to bite. Both are being bred in a nice variety of coat colors, patterns, and textures, or if you prefer, no coat at all! Still, like you said, they have very short lifespans, and in my case, I'm horribly allergic to their dander(which even the wrinkly hairless rats have in abundance). I started breeding rats years ago as snake food(hey, snakes gotta eat, too), and found that they made wonderful pets, much better rodent pets than hamsters or gerbils, in my opinion. I sold a lot of surplus baby rats as pets. Now, I can't even go in a building with live rats or mice, due to my asthma, and have to buy pre-killed frozen rodents to feed my snakes, and even THOSE cause me some degree of misery.

pitbulllady

[Pawbah]

I went to work and saw the Ratatouille trailer and started laughing cause of my current situation. If the rat in my Kitchen started cooking then maybe I wouldn't have to get rid of it.

Sparky, Thanks for the Peanut butter tip. I'll keep that in mind.

[Partymember]

you could rent a mongoose for a day.

Or (if you live in a rural area) borrow a friend's outdoor cat. They're always bringing me dead rodents as presents.

[Cassini90125]

you could rent a mongoose for a day.

Or (if you live in a rural area) borrow a friend's outdoor cat. They're always bringing me dead rodents as presents.

Mine used to bring home birds but not all of them were dead. :P

[montitech]

I think most rats are a bit too big for the common cat, but cats are good and may spook it.

Poison as mentioned above does work, From what I hear. the poison dehydrates the rat, so they try to find water. So if the rat is traped in the house (sort of speak) then it would get caught in a wall. Typically when poisoned they wind up in the basement. I remember we found a dead 8 inch rat in the kitchen closet when I was a kid.

I would suggest the nonkilling traps, they are like racoon traps but smaller. the only problem with them is where do you put the rat. If you put it outside, It would proboly make its way back in. and then some towns have laws that prohibit transporting wildlife (and rodents). so you may want to give your local animal controle a call to check on the laws and options.

Monty :-/

[Partymember]

Mine used to bring home birds but not all of them were dead. :P

i pulled a live chickadee outa mine's mouth. Bird flew away.

[AerostarMonk]

We have a rat and mouse problem. Though that's nothing compared to the whistle pig problem in the ceiling. Apparently they fight the other rodents for dominance, and then fight each other. Ah, the Wild West.

[Pawbah]

OK Update on Nicodemus (My name for the rat)

We think he has moved out of the house. We took so long deciding what to do about him that we think he just left. My mother cleaned out the pantry where he was staying and she found nothing, but she put a trap there. Apparently he had chewed his way through a couple boxes and some other stuff. We have two traps out now in case he comes back. I hope he doesn't as they are not no-kill traps :'(. Hopefully he stays away... hopefully he didn't just go to the neighbors.

[Partymember]

OK Update on Nicodemus (My name for the rat)



hah! Secret of NIMH style.

[Pawbah]

hah! Secret of NIMH style.

YES! The Rats of NIMH Rock. That was one of the reasons I didn't want to kill the rat.

[Partymember]

YES! The Rats of NIMH Rock. That was one of the reasons I didn't want to kill the rat.

i liked that movie alot :)

[I LIKE CEREAL!DD]

I liked the book alot.....it was sad,happy,dramtic,and cute!!:cheese:

[Pawbah]

The book I didn't like so much because Justin dies in it. I liked the movie where he... doesn't die. :bloogrin:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a32/WingedBandit/justin1.jpg

[jekylljuice]

Actually, according to the book's sequel, Racso and the Rats of NIMH, Justin survived (and remember, his fate had been left somewhat ambiguous in the original novel). But then again, since the follow-ups were written not by Robert C. O'Brian but by his daughter (I think), it's debateable as to whether they should be considered cannon. I certainly have no problem disregarding the second sequel RT, Margaret and the Rats of NIMH.

O'Brian's novel absolutely knocked my socks off at the age of 10, and I've always held a deep and unrelenting respect for it ever since, which may explain why, when I finally saw it, I didn't really care for the movie. After following the source material quite extensively for the first half or so, they suddenly started making some truly sweeping deviations which were, in my opinion, unnecessary. Ah well, it was better than An American Tail, at any rate - I don't have any problem with musicals, but the transition between regular narrative and song in that movie just felt totally off.

[Wendi]

Maybe the rat in the kitchen is trying to learn how to cook! :]

[Medikor]

Well as cute as a mouse or rat may be, it would be in your best interest to remove it. We don't want you getting sick. If you really want to avoid killing it then I suggest the kind of trap that I used on squirrels.
It's like a long box that you put bait in one end and it has a trap door on the other so when the rodent goes in, the door shuts and traps it. Then all you have to do is take it somewhere away from your house and release it. No mess, no fuss, and you and the rat will both be happier.:D
The traps look like this.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_988790_988790

[Pawbah]

Actually, according to the book's sequel, Racso and the Rats of NIMH, Justin survived (and remember, his fate had been left somewhat ambiguous in the original novel). But then again, since the follow-ups were written not by Robert C. O'Brian but by his daughter (I think), it's debateable as to whether they should be considered cannon. I certainly have no problem disregarding the second sequel RT, Margaret and the Rats of NIMH.

O'Brian's novel absolutely knocked my socks off at the age of 10, and I've always held a deep and unrelenting respect for it ever since, which may explain why, when I finally saw it, I didn't really care for the movie. After following the source material quite extensively for the first half or so, they suddenly started making some truly sweeping deviations which were, in my opinion, unnecessary. Ah well, it was better than An American Tail, at any rate - I don't have any problem with musicals, but the transition between regular narrative and song in that movie just felt totally off.

I had heard that justin doesn't die in the next novel, but I also saw that it was written by someone else. So was Justin still being alive what the original author intended?
I saw the movie before I could even talk and I was pretty much brought up with it. So, I have a very special place in my heart for it. I read the book years and years later. I really like it, it's very good. I just really didn't like how it ended.

Wendi: I already thought the rat might be trying to learn to cook. Which is why I changed my avvy.

Medikor: Thanks for your adivce, although I don't know if the rat is still in the house I appreciate it.

[jekylljuice]

I had heard that justin doesn't die in the next novel, but I also saw that it was written by someone else. So was Justin still being alive what the original author intended?

Those were my thoughts too. Since the two succeeding novels, written by his daughter Jane Leslie Conly, were published long after his death, we'll never know for sure what O'Brien himself would have made of them. Despite a couple of contradictions with the original story, I seem to remember the first sequel, Racso and the Rats of NIMH, being a pretty good read, but the second RT, Margaret and the Rats of NIMH, which involved the rats having to make communications with the human world, was somewhat weaker, and seemed to take things to an extreme even for an anthropomorphic fantasy. It was a pretty central plot point that the Rats of NIMH were able to read and write, but, unless I missed something, I don't remember it ever being established in O'Brien's novel that they could actually speak to humans in plain English.

[Pawbah]

"RAT" Update:
Tonight I came home to a surprise. The porch light was out so I couldn't see very well, but when I took out my flashlight I noticed something on the path leading up to the porch. My cat apparently left a present for me there.

It wasn't a rat, it was a mouse. A vary large dead mouse. My sister-in-law said it was the biggest she's ever seen. I'm betting that this is my "rat" as we don't have many rodents in the area and it's the biggest mouse I have ever seen. So I feel a bit silly for freaking out about this mouse. I'm glad it didn't die in the traps we set out... though death by a cat isn't so great. Oh well, Thank you everyone for your support and advice. It means a lot to me.