Rats

[oddoneout]

What a co-incidence. I'm just about to stick a few dishes of rat-poison in our loft, having heard a few nocturnal scufflings in the night. It goes against the grain (ho-ho) somewhat, as Mrs A and I are generally great supporters of wild-life...witness our environmentally-friendly garden (aka untidy). No other animals have access to our loft, except, I suppose, the occasional mouse.

Late last year I had stray noises in my loft, and it turned out my neighbour had also heard them, but thought it was me moving things around in the back bedroom. Investigation of the space showed droppings which at first I thought might be rat but closer inspection cast doubt. A bit of internet searching and further checks which showed damage to the felt under the tiles I decided it was a squirrel. It was a worry because of the wiring up there, and it wasn't doing much for my already deficient sleep quotient either. The noises stopped shortly after, and later there was an unpleasant smell up there(I didn't put down any poison), so I'm hoping that's an end to it. Except that at some point I will have to go and move the boxes and suitcases in the corner where I think it ended up...
As a postscript I noticed that there were a lot of flies appearing in the house which initially I took as confirmation of demise. They're not, they are cluster flies, really annoying not least because we have them at work and I know that getting rid will not be easy - although at least I don't have bat roosts and swift nests to take into account. Meanwhile I get some exercise chasing around and swatting them - and wondering why the dozens of spiders that were so much in evidence indoors in the autumn are now no longer to be seen.

[Nick Armstrong]

one of the most unexpected and scariest moments in my childhood reading -

Phobics, look away now

[jayne lee wilson]

They do make very affectionate and intelligent Pets....I rescued a wounded one, unusually tame, from the garden a few years ago, and it lived peaceably for a while with other Rats in the rescue-woman-adopter's personal menagerie (she was a latter-day postpunk rocker with a very individual take on life); sadly dying from its injuries later....

[Nick Armstrong]

They do make very affectionate and intelligent Pets....

And of course, let us not forget:

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

And of course, let us not forget:

Beware! It could be Ron Weasley's pet rat, Scabbers, who turned out to be Voldemort's most loyal follower.

[Petrushka]

Rats Away!

I command that all the rats that are hereabout
That none dwell in this place, within or without;
Through the virtue of Jesus that Mary bore,
Whom all creatures must ever adore;
And through the virtue of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John,
All four Archangels, that are as one;
Through the virtue of Saint Gertrude, that maid clean,
God grant in grace
That no rats dwell in the place
That these names were uttered in;
And through the virtue of Saint Kasi,
That holy man who prayed to God Almighty
Of the scathes they did
His meadows amid
By day and night.
God bid them flee and go out of every man's sight.
Dominus, Deus, Sabbaoth, Emmanuel, great name of
God,
Deliver this place from rats and from all other shame.
God save this place from all other wicked wights,
Both by days and by nights,
Et in nomini Patris et Filii et Sancti Spiriti, Amen.

Anon, modernized by Auden (set by Benjamin Britten in 'Our Hunting Fathers'

[oddoneout]

Phobics, look away now

Plenty of meat on that one.

[kernelbogey]

I learned from Patrick O'Brian's novels of the Napoleonic Wars - which I take to contain authentic detail which he had established by research - that rats on navy ships were caught and sold to the junior officers and others to supplement their diet. (They had a special name, which escapes me atm.)

[ardcarp]

They were attracted, perhaps predictably, by the detritus from the bird feeders.

Yes indeed, and they come out quite boldly in daylight to do it. The important thing (if you're bent on getting rid of them as we sadly were last summer) is to use specially designed bait boxes which are locked by a special key at the top and only allow access to rat-sized beasts or less. The bait is a block fixed firmly on a wire inside, so the rat has to reach up to nibble it. This is certainly no danger to birds.

Of course everyone loves Ratty and Mole.

[vinteuil]

I learned from Patrick O'Brian's novels of the Napoleonic Wars - which I take to contain authentic detail which he had established by research - that rats on navy ships were caught and sold to the junior officers and others to supplement their diet. (They had a special name, which escapes me atm.)

..'millers', I think. 'Millers in onion sauce'

See also -

http://www.hmsacasta.com/2017/07/ships-rats.html

.

[Serial_Apologist]

I learned from Patrick O'Brian's novels of the Napoleonic Wars - which I take to contain authentic detail which he had established by research - that rats on navy ships were caught and sold to the junior officers and others to supplement their diet. (They had a special name, which escapes me atm.)

Welsh Rabbit?

[ardcarp]

'millers' I think.

Yes, from "HMS Surprise"? 'Millers' because the rats got dusty among stores of grain and flour.

[kernelbogey]

Yes, from "HMS Surprise"? 'Millers' because the rats got dusty among stores of grain and flour.

Exactly.