Well, well! Here I am, blogging. And look at my snazzy new site. I believe I used the old design for about 10 years. I feel quite hip and fresh now.

So, a status report: it’s about 4pm on a Tuesday and nice and quiet in our little bay. The hens have laid their daily quota and pecked about 1/2 of their sunflower seeds ration. The garden’s watered, the beagles are snoozing at my ankles, and it’s the perfect temperature in here, while being sunny and gorgeous outside.

What’s to disturb this paradise?

 

RATS!

Well…I’ve been having a battle of patience with a family of rats in our garden. In a very inconsiderate fashion they have been eating all the greens I planted for us and the chickens. All the lettuce, cabbage, even some pretty flowers have been mown down. I especially feel they are thumbing their twitchy little noses at me when I see a trail of cabbage leaves heading straight to where I assume their den is.

To discourage them, every evening I remove every food source I can (which is mainly the chicken feeder). But that means I’m up at the crack of dawn when the chickens start squawking for their breakfast.

The rats don’t seem inclined to just pack up and go, so I have been trying every type of trap known to mankind’s ingenuity. I felt very sorry for the one rat we’ve caught so far…a little guy who got stuck on a sticky trap which I killed quickly and humanely. But the rest of the rats have sprung (but evaded) the standard spring-loaded mouse trap thingys. I’ve tempted them with peanut butter. Cheese. Chocolate. (Shouldn’t a last meal be fabulous?) But they’re not interested, other than to mock me by having a ratty party around it, spraying urine, and then pooping on it.

So back to the store yesterday…and we’ve now got a couple of gravity traps decorating the garden. These are angled pipes which once a rat goes in, it tilts the pipe and the door slams shut. Then one either drowns the rat in the pipe or takes them elsewhere to release them.

If they’d just mosey in we will take them out into the countryside and let them go. I’m making a public promise, rats! Do you hear me? There are witnesses! But if they don’t take me up on my relocation offer within 3 or 4 days I’m seeing no option to using poisoned bait, which I really, really, don’t want to do. One, it’s a horrible way to die, and two, I don’t want to risk the beagles or the chickens eating it or a rat carcass. (Beagles eat any/every thing.)

I wish the rats would just go away. Or I’d love any suggestions or advice on how to get rid of them…

I’ve caught up!
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6 thoughts on “I’ve caught up!

  • Avatar
    June 24, 2014 at 6:07 pm
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    Hi Jennifer. ..Two things…..you could try a plug in deterrent which emits a noise they don’t like if you have an outside plug..otherwise get a couple of cats. We have a resident mouse in the kitchen which has managed to evade the trap and eat the food in it so far. Unfortunately the cats have lost interest as there is too many creatures to get outside. Sadly where there are cooks there are usually rats. Otherwise get your self a jack Russell
    Hope you are well and the glass is doing ok. Jan xx

    Reply
      • Jenefer
        June 24, 2014 at 7:37 pm
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        Thanks Jan. I hadn’t thought of a noise repellent. Will look in to if such things are available on Malta. One of the pipe traps captured a lizard this afternoon but he was happy to scamper away unharmed. Then I checked the spring-loaded trap and it had caught a rat! Wonder if that’s some sort of cosmic answer to me asking for help. I felt sorry for the little guy, but at least he died instantly, and with a mouthful of chocolate.

        Reply
  • Avatar
    July 27, 2014 at 2:18 am
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    I really like what you guys are up too. Such clever work and exposure!
    Keep up the very good works guys.

    Reply
  • Avatar
    July 28, 2014 at 5:59 pm
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    Reply
  • Avatar
    July 29, 2014 at 3:27 pm
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    Reply

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