Moving to the sticks (4 Viewers)

[rettucs]

Or at least out of/far (ish) away from Dublin.

Anyone have any thoughts of doing this? I'm currently 60/40 on it, specifically to Kilkenny. Already started looking at gaffs there. The idea being that theres 10 years left on the mortgage on the gaff in Dublin but there's enough paid off to be able to sell up, clear the rest of the mortgage and buy something outright, or close to outright. And, get a bigger gaff and live closer to the city.

In a lot of ways its a no-brainer. The only possible spanner in the works could be the work situation. I'm currently fully remote and will be for as long as I'm in this company. But its unlikely this company will be around a year from now. It'll either go to shit, or get bought out.

anyways, anyone else ever think of doing anything similar?

 

[Reets]

I have contacted Rentokil.

Yes, a cat would be good, and my the little girl would love one, but I'm super allergic and not keen on the idea of having to medicate myself in order to live in my home.

Rentokil are decent, when they show up. If you have them coming out more than once, you might need to chase them up.
We’ve used them for years and had the poison traps in the apartment where 2 dogs and a cat live, and they’ve never tried to get at the traps.
If it’s the dander, are there any non allergenic dogs that are good ratters?

 

[flashback]

The kids and I moved back "home" a few months ago. We're living in the cabin my granny lived in - which hadn't been lived in for 20 years. The freedom for Squigglyboy (11 last week!) and squigglygirl (5) is great, but we also have stress. We've had water coming though ceilings (all sorted now), electricity is currently by means of an extension lead from my parent's house so I can't use a cooker and we have to limit how many devices operate at once, internet is via mobile phone hotspot and we have no hot water. All that I could cope with... but now the rats are looking for somewhere cosy and have managed to find their way in... my brave little girl actually came face to face with one this morning. 23 years in Dublin with the worst I had to deal with being spiders and silverfish. I'm not able for this. After seeing the rat this morning I couldn't even re-set the trap the fucker had somehow escaped unscathed. The 4 set yesterday killed two mice. There is a reason that in 27 years of not living here I NEVER EVER lived on ground floor.

not so sure about Nick Nack Paddy Rats, but NYC rats are massive lads altogether, and wily.

So, you need to kinda get them used to the food prior to trapping. If they're already eating then you're sorted there, just use that same bait.

Then you have to get them used to the traps, so I'd just leave them there all the time to try to confuse them. They'd only be set sometimes.

And I used these... like cage things, with a flappy door and a trip pad. I'd be able to hear it trip, so I'd quickly grab it and leg it off with the poor unfortunate creature. I didn't want his mates' getting spooked.

And those really thick gardening / welding gloves to pick up the trap with, because they'd be fairly fucked off in that thing when they see you coming.
I think this covers my rat trapping knowledge, but I'll add details if they occur to me.

Essentially it's a mission, it takes a while, and you kind of have to train them to not bother with you because you're too much trouble.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

Agree with @flashback - rats need to try the food and know it’s safe. They can’t vomit so they are extremely careful about ingesting anything new (but that’s why poison works so well on them because once they eat it, they’re fucked). So having the bait on an un-set trap allows them to habituate to it. They love things like fruit jelly, bacon, and peanut butter. Then set the trap when they’ve gone for the food a couple of times.

And if you’re re-using a cage, pour boiling water on it (outside, away from the house) to clean it so they don’t smell the fear off it from the previous rat.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

NYC rats are massive lads altogether, and wily.

How big are we talking? In grams if you can estimate it (purely out of interest)

 

[flashback]

How big are we talking? In grams if you can estimate it (purely out of interest)

I don't know. It's a bit like seeing stuff when you're swimming, it looks massive when you're in their domain.

Like, if you see them in the subways they were merely beefy enough. If you actually have one in your hand effectively... jumping around and stuff...

Put it this way, I had a racoon trap that I used to trap feral cats in too. A rat set that off once.


-- edit, I like that rinsing with boiling water trick. This never occurred to me.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

I don't know. It's a bit like seeing stuff when you're swimming, it looks massive when you're in their domain.

Like, if you see them in the subways they were merely beefy enough. If you actually have one in your hand effectively... jumping around and stuff...

Put it this way, I had a racoon trap that I used to trap feral cats in too. A rat set that off once.


-- edit, I like that rinsing with boiling water trick. This never occurred to me.

The biggest I’ve held is about 800g and it was massive.

I’ve held a rat that size too.

 

[flashback]

The biggest I’ve held is about 800g and it was massive.

I’ve held a rat that size too.

Almost a bag of sugar. OK. That's big.
I'm not sure it was that big.

You'd see them trucking around with stuff, like there was a famous video when I was there of one lad with a slice of pizza. I saw one with a lunch roll, mainly still in its wrapper. Once they're on the tracks they're safe and they know it, you might as well not be there.

Just reading stuff here:

The adult rat can squeeze through holes or gaps 1 inch (25 mm) wide, jump a horizontal distance of up to 4 feet (1.2 m) (or vertically from a flat surface to 3 feet (0.91 m)), survive a fall from a height of almost 40 feet (12 m),[4] and tread water for three days.[5]

Imagining this experiment cracked me up. Lads in the lab putting the rat in, checking back 15 minutes later.
Still going?
Yah, he's grand.
Fuck sake, I've got to head off home. I'll see yis tomorrow.
Next day - HE'S STILL GRAND!

Three days in - Ah for fucks sake lads. Is one of you taking him out for breaks or something? This is science boys, we can't be fucking about here. Has anyone tried lobbing them off buildings by the way?

 

[egg_]

I dunno why everyone is so anti-rat - surely with those superpowers we ought to be trying to be on their side?

 

[magicbastarder]

I've a book here about rats in NY if anyone wants to borrow it.

 

[egg_]

Yes, a cat would be good, and my the little girl would love one, but I'm super allergic and not keen on the idea of having to medicate myself in order to live in my home.

An outdoor cat? When we started keeping chickens maybe 15 years ago rats would come after the hen food. Neither poison nor traps made a difference, but when we got a cat they disappeared. He never came in the house (well, not until he lost a leg years later) - I put a cat flap and a bed in the boiler house for him, and he'd sleep in there when it was cold.

Poison is pretty disastrous for wildlife fwiw. Mice, hedgehogs, and anything that might eat a dead rat - foxes, badgers, grey crows, magpies, ravens, etc

 

[flashback]

I've a book here about rats in NY if anyone wants to borrow it.

https://mediacdn.nhbs.com/jackets/jackets_resizer_xlarge/25/259306.jpg

?

It's a good laugh if it's this one.

An outdoor cat? When we started keeping chickens maybe 15 years ago rats would come after the hen food. Neither poison nor traps made a difference, but when we got a cat they disappeared. He never came in the house (well, not until he lost a leg years later) - I put a cat flap and a bed in the boiler house for him, and he'd sleep in there when it was cold.

Poison is pretty disastrous for wildlife fwiw. Mice, hedgehogs, and anything that might eat a dead rat - foxes, badgers, grey crows, magpies, ravens, etc

yeah, they're very picky about what they eat - strange as that sounds, and they have an amazing sense of smell, so they tend to ignore or learn about poison quickly. Then everything else eats it.
Outdoor cats are also murder machines... but yeah, anecdotally when the feral cat population got a foothold where i used to live the rats did fuck off to some extent.
What definitely doesn't do anything at all are those stupid squeaking sound alarm things.

 

[Cornu Ammonis]

Almost a bag of sugar. OK. That's big.
I'm not sure it was that big.

You'd see them trucking around with stuff, like there was a famous video when I was there of one lad with a slice of pizza. I saw one with a lunch roll, mainly still in its wrapper. Once they're on the tracks they're safe and they know it, you might as well not be there.

Just reading stuff here:



Imagining this experiment cracked me up. Lads in the lab putting the rat in, checking back 15 minutes later.
Still going?
Yah, he's grand.
Fuck sake, I've got to head off home. I'll see yis tomorrow.
Next day - HE'S STILL GRAND!

Three days in - Ah for fucks sake lads. Is one of you taking him out for breaks or something? This is science boys, we can't be fucking about here. Has anyone tried lobbing them off buildings by the way?

They can also survive without water for 3-4 weeks. Not a drop. They were built to survive. They’re amazing creatures, just not necessarily in your house.

 

[flashback]

They can also survive without water for 3-4 weeks. Not a drop. They were built to survive. They’re amazing creatures, just not necessarily in your house.

The daughter brought up the possibility of a pet rat.

But then somehow decided she'd compromise to maybe a Guinea pig, since a girl in her school is setting up a guinea pig breeding industry in her bedroom.

By the way, has anyone heard the racket out of guinea pigs? Just chuntering away there making all kinds of strange noises. A rat is starting to look attractive in comparison. She then informed me that a possum would obviously be the ideal pet, because they're so cute. A possum. JFC like.

 

[seanc]

I'm reminded of my one and only FB stupid-argument where I recommended a trap for mice and rats to a friend who was having this problem. It was something I saw here actually, a spinning stick with bait above a bucket of water/poison.

It's a good trap, I'll try to find it again.

Anyway, I spent a couple of days defending myself from lockdown-addled teenagers saying I was a sick person for murdering deh aminals!

Edit and sidenote: the naked mole rat could hold the key to immortality. Amazing, horrible animals.

 

[magicbastarder]

https://mediacdn.nhbs.com/jackets/jackets_resizer_xlarge/25/259306.jpg

?

It's a good laugh if it's this one.

that's the one. i did a quick google on it earlier, and i thin it was on goodreads it got mixed reviews; most of the negative onews were basically 'not enough rats in the book'

 

[Squiggle]

Thank you all for the advice and helpful comments. There are two cats (belonging to my brother and his wife) and bordre collie (good ratters) outside already, and they come and sniff around up here regularly (outside).

I am really uncomfortable with the idea of poison. I called Rentokill, they claim their bait is safe, doesn't cause secondary poisoning - but still not sure. It would be less than 600 for three visits, indoor and outdoor bait boxes and poison etc... which doesn't sound like much but is two weeks income for me at the moment and I have so many other things I need to spend money on, like getting a reliable electricity supply. I'm still trying to figure out what the best option is. I can't risk cheffwed electrical cables or my kids getting sick or bitten. We're not feeding them, no food or water they can access inside, but they don't need to eat in here, there is an orchard full of fruit outside the door.

Before we moved in I cleared back all the shrubs and trees my Granny plated beside the walls and have kept it clear and had my handyman seal up any holes we could find, but we must have missed some. Rentokill would put down tracking gel stuff which might help with that.

The daughter brought up the possibility of a pet rat.

But then somehow decided she'd compromise to maybe a Guinea pig, since a girl in her school is setting up a guinea pig breeding industry in her bedroom.

By the way, has anyone heard the racket out of guinea pigs? Just chuntering away there making all kinds of strange noises. A rat is starting to look attractive in comparison. She then informed me that a possum would obviously be the ideal pet, because they're so cute. A possum. JFC like.

I shared a sitting room with a friend's guinea pigs for 3 nights... they're so loud... she messaged me a year later to apologise. She'd had her sister and her husband staying and given them her room so she had to try and sleep with the guinea pigs and she said that until then she had no idea how bloody noisy they were so she was apologising to everyone she had forced to share a room with them over the years. She also had a massive fat rabbit who lived in the kitchen and would throw noisy tantrums by jumping as high as it could and slamming down on the tiled floor.

Personally I cannot understand anyone wanting a pet rodent of any kind, not a big fan of indoor animals in any event, even without allergies. At the end of the day you can't trust any animal to not lash out and bite or scratch someone. But this feels like desperate times.

 

[ernesto]

I've pet experience with mice, rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits etc

The best craic are hamsters and guinea pigs.

 

[magicbastarder]

hedgehogs are great. but they're not good ratters and you're not allowed keep them as pets (the native ones anyway).

 

[the_jen]

I called Rentokill... It would be less than 600 for three visits

Have you tried the council? I'm Dublin city centre so maybe it's different, but I called the council when I saw a rat and they came out and set traps for two or three weeks and came back and collected them.

The rat is still here, happy and healthy, but the council experiment was at least speedy and free.

 

[Squiggle]

Have you tried the council? I'm Dublin city centre so maybe it's different, but I called the council when I saw a rat and they came out and set traps for two or three weeks and came back and collected them.

The rat is still here, happy and healthy, but the council experiment was at least speedy and free.

That would be nice, but I don't think it is something the County Council will do, rats etc are part of the scenery in the countryside, and they serve a purpose I guess. I'm glad that the council responded to your call, even if it wasn't an effective solution.

One of my traps did catch a rat (the rat?) last night. Yuck though!