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Ecology of the Roof RatI know I pissed off yesterday. It does upset me when my food and snacks are eaten (he got more than the Ciobar), and my space invaded. But I had a harsh dose of reality yesterday which left me in tears.
I believe all creatures have a right to live. When my ex was living with me, even the ants she killed upset me to some degree. Now I do the same. But even that bothers me. But Rats...
Ye know, I've never seen a feral rat in Austin before. Rats were creatures you'd find in cages at Pet Smart. Not something that lived in your roof. Well, that's what I thought in any case, but the problem seems much more serious.
Jasper was hearing those critters in our attic for a while. And after doing a little research I learned a wee bit more about the creatures known as roof rats. Apparently, they're quite common, and there are a number of ways to keep them at bay. After last night, that's all I want to do.
You see, I put in a maintenance request yesterday morning. So the apartment staff set out glue traps for the rats with horrifying results. I heard one caught under the stove. I pulled out the bottom drawer to see the poor creature's face pinned to the glue trap with no hope of escape. It's body was probably five inches or so, but nine inches in total length. So in tears and fears, I disposed of the creature in a bag in the dumpster outside.
Then as I was going asleep, I heard another banging under the stove. I went again to see what was there. It was a roof rat about a foot long (head-to-tail) with a foot caught on a trap. I took some photos of it before it escaped which I hope to share when the LOTR CD is done.
This disturbs me greatly. On the one hand, I see a creature who can jump vertically up to four feet, eats my foodstuffs, and craps all over my pantry. It's disturbing as can be to think there are foot long rats running in my walls and through my attic. On the other hand, I see one of God's creatures filling an unfilled niche in the circle of life, and it is cold and hungry.
So the balance in my mind is that the rat can live in my walls and roof, but it is not allowed in my home to eat the little food my meager income can come up with.
So I guess the next step is figure out how Herbert (his new name) is getting into my apartment and preventing him from doing so further.
Course, there is always the cat option. But I'm sorry to say, but that rat was huge. I'd probably bet on the rat over Jasper in an all out fight. Sheesh! Maybe I'll just have to find a good rat catcher...one that's bigger and knows how to fight.
I can see it now: Jasper vs. Herbert. Jasper does a flying kick to the rat's chest. The rat tumbles barrs its' teeth and jumps back at Jasper giving the old 1-2-3 in the face. Jasper shakes his head, glares, and Herbert jumps again. Jasper gazes at the flying rat, then turns tail and runs away to hide under my bed.
Yeah, I definitely need a tougher cat to fend off the rats.
Any case, the moral of this story is there are humane ways to remove rats. Trust me, if you heard a rat shriek with his face stuck to a piece of glue paper, you too would look for more humane ways to defend your home from pests. I mean, they are afterall just trying to survive.
Posted by Marc Gunn on Friday, January 24, 2003 |
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Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers
