Rodent Update

The official word on the mice is : They Are Not Mice. They are Rats.

That is why the mouse traps did not catch anything.

That is likely why my mouse traps are Missing In Action.

The new cat killed a large rat shortly after we left on vacation. How do I know it was shortly after we left? The maggots told me. They were getting hungry. Wasn't much left of that rat.

The cat killed another, smaller, rat shortly before we got home. How do I know it was shortly before we arrived? The blood was still wet, and the body was not yet stiff.

And the smell! Oh, it was awful!

I set up the tent in the yard so I could empty the utility trailer into it. Then, I lined the utility trailer with some heavy plastic, and started throwing things out. Anything that was touched by rat poop or maggots.

The living room was cleared right out, and I rented a carpet cleaner on Monday. On Mondays, I get to keep it for 48 hours for the price of 24 hours.

I cleaned the carpet, then I cleaned the carpet, then I used a strong bleach solution in the carpet cleaner and bleached the life out of the carpet.

Then I did it all over again the next day.

I've had the fan running, all the windows open, and the heat turned on trying to dry out the carpet. It still smells in here... I'm hoping total dryness will make the rest of the odour go away.

I checked on the areas I used the spray foam. The rats chewed right through it! Someone suggested using steel wool to stuff the holes. I did that as soon as we got home. It is still in place.

End Of The Roll is opening just down the road soon, so I want to wait to buy new flooring from them. I've wanted to remove the carpet since I moved in here, anyway. This smell is giving me good reason to stop putting it off.

I received my Ratzapper right before leaving on vacation. The instructions said rats are very intelligent, so to put bait into the trap with no batteries until the rats had taken the bait. As soon as one rat successfully takes food out of the trap, other rats will follow, no matter what happens to his buddies after that. They hadn't taken the bait yet when I left, but it was all gone when I got home. I have batteries and bait in the zapper now, but have not caught anything yet.

FdM asked me if any of my neighbours was doing a major rennovation or yard work. The answer is "yes". I now have 2 neighbours engaged in major rennovations. One of them is also doing some serious landscaping. That is why I all-of-a-sudden have rats. Their homes have been disturbed.

Now, they have been disturbed in my home, too. I eliminated their food supply, I set out scary mouse traps, and I have a dangerous cat.

I'm still not sure they are gone.

But it shouldn't be long now.