MY much-loved pet parrot lives in a large cage, in our large screen-enclosed back room. There is always bird seed scattered everywhere and every rat or mouse within smell-shot of our place, homes in on this free feed.
When we had a cat who slept in the room they stayed away. Puss Puss was an ex-feral who'd lived life tough for the first 18 months of her life. She was an excellent mouser and although only small, I am sure she gave the rats a run for their money too. Sadly a little while ago,Puss Puss succumbed to a mystery auto-immune disease.
Now, let the fun begin.
Within weeks of her demise the vermin declared open house in our back room.
I like mice and my kids kept rats for pets. They are sweet, intelligent animals. I didn't want to kill them, but I didn't want them as house guests either.
I tried every soft option I could find to evict them. I donned gloves and set live traps. These would be emptied under cover of darkness in the local park. I set an electronic device to zap them quickly and humanely. They sat and ate the food in it, totally oblivious to the electricity that was supposed to despatch them. As they got cheekier and I got more desperate my options became less soft. I put out traps, horrible springy things that snapped together with a deadly bang. Success, and then remorse. Poor things! But vermin are clever, especially rats. The traps soon remained empty.
Then I finally decided on "the blockade". I staked-out the back room every night and patiently noted the comings and goings, pinpointing where these critters were getting in. Then I systematically blocked every possible entrance. YES!. So far.
If they come back I am getting another cat, or maybe I will borrow my daughter's Aussie Terrier.
My husband says I am missing the obvious permanent solution. "Get rid of that noisy, messy bird!" NEVER!
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| RIP Puss Puss - the Verminator. I miss you. |
2 comments:
I think you're on to something blocking the passageways that those rats utilize to invade your abode. Having voiced that, I'd still obtain a cat for two reasons: 1. to fill the void of Puss Puss (and meanwhile get a cat from the shelter which is eventual death otherwise); and 2. to round up the vermin that laugh at you and your hubby in the darkness, biding their invasion time.
Looks like we both have undercover missions under the cover of darkness. Haven't seen you down at the park on the nights I'm there perhaps we could carpool?
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