new member with rats!

Digit · #31 (**permalink**) 02-05-2009, 08:36 PM

Totally illogical, Captain.

True, but then, we are illogical.
A comment from the Reader's Digest some years ago...
My grandmother rode a horse but was terrified of motor cars,
My mother drove a car but was terrified of flying,
I fly but am terrified of horses!

Roy.

BigAl · #32 (**permalink**) 02-05-2009, 09:26 PM

The human perception of risk is truly a strange and illogical thing.

Meta menardi · #33 (**permalink**) 02-05-2009, 10:21 PM

Put "Flamborough rat" into your search engine. A problem caused by slightly strange circumstances, but not something i want in my back garden.

Having said that, I have to say that we lived in a very old farmhouse at one time, the buildings were infested with rats, drive round the back in a car and turn the lights on, the ground heaved with them as they ran for the drains and the dark. We had 2 small children at the time, they played outside all the time, but I didn't like it very much, the garden was trapped regularly and a peripheral ring of traps maintained. I would never ignore the problem, rats HAVE to be controlled, but perhaps not exterminated.

Rat sandwich, anyone?

Lyndap · #34 (**permalink**) 03-05-2009, 05:12 PM

I watched a truely amazing thing today.I've moved the bird feeders out of the ivy so they hang away from foraging rats.However i saw a young rat today sitting on a bush under the feeder.Suddenly he launched himself off the bush onto the feeder (this is a plastic seed feeder !).He literally hung on the base with his paws either side,body and back legs hanging ,with his head in the feeder hole.He was there for about 5 mins,then he just let go and fell back into the bush. I was amazed.
So the bush has been severly pruned! ,And the neighbourhood cats back.So who knows if he'll catch one!