Taking drastic action. #Ulog 17
Morning Steemians,
So I have been mentioning we have had a vermin problem in the downstairs part of the house now which we thought we had conquered but it seems not. About three to four weeks ago we had a mice infestation, being that we live in the country this is inevitable that this might happen. We have three dogs and no cats yet because a cat would slowly have to be integrated into the household, but it is on the cards I assure you of that.
Credit Pixabay
With the help of glue traps, we found these to be very efficient in tackling the issue which were baited and left in kitchen cupboards and every morning we woke up to find mice were caught on them, I think we actually caught 9 which we were relieved and the problem seemed to go away.
But then it got a whole lot bigger.
We have been hearing scurrying in the walls in the new living room, being this was the old barn I kind of anticipated there might be a problem, and there was this time it was not mice it's RATS!!
Well I say that plural, but actually I think just one, compared to the indicator from the mice droppings, I knew it was a rat due to the size and the low amount of droppings left. So first things first tried the glue traps. Note do not even try to attempt to catch rats with Glue Traps even if it says on the packet because it will not work, they are too big for them and too strong so they can simply walk on the trap pick up the bait and scuttle off to eat it.
Rats are a proverbial pain, not only are they vermin they eat everything and I mean everything, yesterday I emptied the sink and head water pouring into the cupboard underneath, when I checked it out, I saw that the overflow pipe which is soft flex they had chewed numerous large holes in the pipe clearly to get water.
So the first thing we tried was a spring loaded cage trap, which is a humane one, we baited it and left it to do its job, but after a day or two nothing was caught.
So then we added some dog biscuits inside of it as we know it loves eating the dog biscuits, but the clever little so and so managed to get the biscuits out without triggering the trap. I was at the end of my tether i could take no more, it was time to call for drastic action.
Bring out the poison.
So the other day @ravijojla and I were in town and she took me to a veterinary pharmacy, and I got some poison which comes in what look like candy almost. I was told to keep them well out of the way of the dogs and put them where we knew the rat was going. So yesterday we placed them in the places that we knew it had been waiting for it to take the bait.
It worked
Happy to say this morning almost all of them are gone and some have been eaten what have been left there, so now we need to let it take its course and after a few days I can be rid of them. I know it is not a humane way to deal with this issue but we are not talking about the cute cuddly rats like what @yidneth has, these that are infesting are vermin which spread disease and bacteria and being that they are getting in the kitchen, I have to take drastic measures. Because all the other options are exhausted. It does not make me feel good to have to do such a thing.
So hopefully for now that will be an end to this nightmare, and I am hoping that if it ever happens again we will already have a cat who will be able to take care of the problem.
Have a great day.