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Mr. Ratt Screws Up

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  Mr. Ratt Screws Up c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-12-10 06:14 -0500
    Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-10 13:10 +0100
      Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-12-10 21:21 -0500
        Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-11 11:33 +0100
          Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-12-11 23:27 -0500
    Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up CtrlAltDel <Altie@BHam.com> - 2025-12-11 00:18 +0000
      Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-11 09:33 +0000
    Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-12-11 03:38 +0000
      Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up Robert Riches <spamtrap42@jacob21819.net> - 2025-12-11 04:20 +0000
        Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-12-11 03:53 -0500
      Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-12-11 01:16 -0500
        Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-11 11:43 +0100
          Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up c186282 <c186282@nnada.net> - 2025-12-11 23:30 -0500
            Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-12 12:09 +0100
            Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-12 11:16 +0000
              Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-12-12 13:44 +0100
                Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-12 15:24 +0000
              Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up rbowman <bowman@montana.com> - 2025-12-12 20:02 +0000
                Re: Mr. Ratt Screws Up The Natural Philosopher <tnp@invalid.invalid> - 2025-12-15 19:16 +0000

#78664 — Mr. Ratt Screws Up

Was in the middle of posting here some hours ago
when a small RAT suddenly scurried across my floor.
Never had one indoors.

Immediately ordered the 'ag/pro only' tub of
super rat poison.

However, a few hours later Mr. R was seen scurrying
across the kitchen floor and out onto the back porch.
The porch has an extreme outside door AND a door from
the pre-porch days, sealing off the kitchen.

Cracked the outside door and closed the inner door.

Really not much for a rat to eat here. My HOPE is
that he will take the op to exit.

But the poison is still coming - gonna toss chunks
in a number of places, including the attic, just
in case.

DID look, don't have any workable BB guns
anymore ... and alas Mr. R was too quick
to target anyway.

A few days ago I was installing an IP cam on
an out-building and was bringing little ladders
and tools out there - and left the back door
open for some time. Likely that's when Mr. R
made his ingress.

DON'T want a rat around ... not so much for
the food stuff, but because they have an
obsession for chewing ELECTRICAL WIRES.
That could have rather bad effects .....

My late brother's house had become infested
with field rats - WHAT A PAIN. Put poison
everywhere and found dead, bleeding, rats
every day for a week. ONE greedy one even
dropped dead right in front of the bait
container, ate the WHOLE thing ! Others
were in the works - where pipes came in,
some where a window-mount AC unit was.
Sprayed foam into THAT gap ... and seem
to have suffocated several rats in the
goop.

Fortunately the house was 'underwater' and I had
no intention of paying off the ridiculous mortgage.
Was just 'caretaking' until the bank took it :-)

On the 'survival scale', rats ARE much better
than humans.

[toc] | [next] | [standalone]

#78682

On 2025-12-10 12:14, c186282 wrote:
> Was in the middle of posting here some hours ago
> when a small RAT suddenly scurried across my floor.
> Never had one indoors.
> 
> Immediately ordered the 'ag/pro only' tub of
> super rat poison.
> 
> However, a few hours later Mr. R was seen scurrying
> across the kitchen floor and out onto the back porch.
> The porch has an extreme outside door AND a door from
> the pre-porch days, sealing off the kitchen.
> 
> Cracked the outside door and closed the inner door.
> 
> Really not much for a rat to eat here. My HOPE is
> that he will take the op to exit.
> 
> But the poison is still coming - gonna toss chunks
> in a number of places, including the attic, just
> in case.
> 
> DID look, don't have any workable BB guns
> anymore ... and alas Mr. R was too quick
> to target anyway.
> 
> A few days ago I was installing an IP cam on
> an out-building and was bringing little ladders
> and tools out there - and left the back door
> open for some time. Likely that's when Mr. R
> made his ingress.
> 
> DON'T want a rat around ... not so much for
> the food stuff, but because they have an
> obsession for chewing ELECTRICAL WIRES.
> That could have rather bad effects .....

And can bring illness.

I noticed one in my kitchen years ago. I closed the door to the rest of 
the house, and put poison bait on both sides of the door. Kept the patio 
door open for some hours, hoping she would get out. Apparently she did.

But now and then I get a rat in the patio, and I put bait again. One bit 
is enough, they just take up to two weeks to die. This is on purpose, so 
that they don't relate the bait to their friends dying. Clever animals.

One rat got trapped inside a shed I have in the patio, that has the 
laundry machine inside. She almost made a hole in the door frame to get 
out. I put poison, then two weeks later flushed the floor with a hose. I 
did not want smells in the room where I hang the clothes to dry (I can 
no longer hang them out on the sun, danger of air bombardment in the 
form of bird/pigeon poo).

> 
> My late brother's house had become infested
> with field rats - WHAT A PAIN. Put poison
> everywhere and found dead, bleeding, rats
> every day for a week. ONE greedy one even
> dropped dead right in front of the bait
> container, ate the WHOLE thing ! Others
> were in the works - where pipes came in,
> some where a window-mount AC unit was.
> Sprayed foam into THAT gap ... and seem
> to have suffocated several rats in the
> goop.
> 
> Fortunately the house was 'underwater' and I had
> no intention of paying off the ridiculous mortgage.
> Was just 'caretaking' until the bank took it :-)

I had to ask ChatGPT about the meaning of being underwater :-)
Curious expression.

> 
> On the 'survival scale', rats ARE much better
> than humans.
> 


-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#78730

On 12/10/25 07:10, Carlos E.R. wrote:
> On 2025-12-10 12:14, c186282 wrote:
>> Was in the middle of posting here some hours ago
>> when a small RAT suddenly scurried across my floor.
>> Never had one indoors.
>>
>> Immediately ordered the 'ag/pro only' tub of
>> super rat poison.
>>
>> However, a few hours later Mr. R was seen scurrying
>> across the kitchen floor and out onto the back porch.
>> The porch has an extreme outside door AND a door from
>> the pre-porch days, sealing off the kitchen.
>>
>> Cracked the outside door and closed the inner door.
>>
>> Really not much for a rat to eat here. My HOPE is
>> that he will take the op to exit.
>>
>> But the poison is still coming - gonna toss chunks
>> in a number of places, including the attic, just
>> in case.
>>
>> DID look, don't have any workable BB guns
>> anymore ... and alas Mr. R was too quick
>> to target anyway.
>>
>> A few days ago I was installing an IP cam on
>> an out-building and was bringing little ladders
>> and tools out there - and left the back door
>> open for some time. Likely that's when Mr. R
>> made his ingress.
>>
>> DON'T want a rat around ... not so much for
>> the food stuff, but because they have an
>> obsession for chewing ELECTRICAL WIRES.
>> That could have rather bad effects .....
> 
> And can bring illness.
> 
> I noticed one in my kitchen years ago. I closed the door to the rest of 
> the house, and put poison bait on both sides of the door. Kept the patio 
> door open for some hours, hoping she would get out. Apparently she did.
> 
> But now and then I get a rat in the patio, and I put bait again. One bit 
> is enough, they just take up to two weeks to die. This is on purpose, so 
> that they don't relate the bait to their friends dying. Clever animals.
> 
> One rat got trapped inside a shed I have in the patio, that has the 
> laundry machine inside. She almost made a hole in the door frame to get 
> out. I put poison, then two weeks later flushed the floor with a hose. I 
> did not want smells in the room where I hang the clothes to dry (I can 
> no longer hang them out on the sun, danger of air bombardment in the 
> form of bird/pigeon poo).

   It's amazing how well something with a peanut brain
   can outwit we wise mighty humans  :-)

   A few birds are even smarter than rats. Fortunately
   they don't hide in crevices behind cupboards or
   chew electrical wires.

   Anyway, the lesson is that we shouldn't be TOO proud.
   Hundreds of times more brain and, at least survival-wise,
   we're barely ahead of many other little creatures. That's
   a poor return on neural investment !

>> My late brother's house had become infested
>> with field rats - WHAT A PAIN. Put poison
>> everywhere and found dead, bleeding, rats
>> every day for a week. ONE greedy one even
>> dropped dead right in front of the bait
>> container, ate the WHOLE thing ! Others
>> were in the works - where pipes came in,
>> some where a window-mount AC unit was.
>> Sprayed foam into THAT gap ... and seem
>> to have suffocated several rats in the
>> goop.
>>
>> Fortunately the house was 'underwater' and I had
>> no intention of paying off the ridiculous mortgage.
>> Was just 'caretaking' until the bank took it :-)
> 
> I had to ask ChatGPT about the meaning of being underwater :-)
> Curious expression.

   It became quite common in USA, maybe ten years ago.

   Basically means you owe more than the property is worth.

   Do now hear it applied to somewhat similar situations,
   like running up so much CC debt that you'll NEVER be
   able to pay it down. Even heard it applied to "relationships",
   as in losing so much cred with a sig other that the
   relationship is doomed, now in a flaming death spiral.

>> On the 'survival scale', rats ARE much better
>> than humans.

   We keep wanting to make AI people ... as if we don't
   have enough already. For posterity, maybe we should
   work on some AI stainless-steel RATS instead, a
   little easier, COULD survive nuke wars or meteors
   or whatever  :-)

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#78789

On 2025-12-11 03:21, c186282 wrote:
> On 12/10/25 07:10, Carlos E.R. wrote:
>> On 2025-12-10 12:14, c186282 wrote:

...

>> And can bring illness.
>>
>> I noticed one in my kitchen years ago. I closed the door to the rest 
>> of the house, and put poison bait on both sides of the door. Kept the 
>> patio door open for some hours, hoping she would get out. Apparently 
>> she did.
>>
>> But now and then I get a rat in the patio, and I put bait again. One 
>> bit is enough, they just take up to two weeks to die. This is on 
>> purpose, so that they don't relate the bait to their friends dying. 
>> Clever animals.
>>
>> One rat got trapped inside a shed I have in the patio, that has the 
>> laundry machine inside. She almost made a hole in the door frame to 
>> get out. I put poison, then two weeks later flushed the floor with a 
>> hose. I did not want smells in the room where I hang the clothes to 
>> dry (I can no longer hang them out on the sun, danger of air 
>> bombardment in the form of bird/pigeon poo).
> 
>    It's amazing how well something with a peanut brain
>    can outwit we wise mighty humans  :-)
> 
>    A few birds are even smarter than rats. Fortunately
>    they don't hide in crevices behind cupboards or
>    chew electrical wires.

Pigeons poo. They poo a lot. The damn things do not have sphincters, so 
they poo with the effort of taking off. Right on my door steps. They 
also poo on top of my car, in the middle of the glass.

They poo in my patio, anywhere. I can no longer hang my clothes to dry, 
I have to dry them out inside which costs money.

> 
>    Anyway, the lesson is that we shouldn't be TOO proud.
>    Hundreds of times more brain and, at least survival-wise,
>    we're barely ahead of many other little creatures. That's
>    a poor return on neural investment !
> 
...>>> Fortunately the house was 'underwater' and I had
>>> no intention of paying off the ridiculous mortgage.
>>> Was just 'caretaking' until the bank took it :-)
>>
>> I had to ask ChatGPT about the meaning of being underwater :-)
>> Curious expression.
> 
>    It became quite common in USA, maybe ten years ago.
> 
>    Basically means you owe more than the property is worth.

Yeah. Terrible situation. Probably happened to many people here with the 
house building bubble a decade ago, when it burst.
>    Do now hear it applied to somewhat similar situations,
>    like running up so much CC debt that you'll NEVER be
>    able to pay it down. Even heard it applied to "relationships",
>    as in losing so much cred with a sig other that the
>    relationship is doomed, now in a flaming death spiral.
> 
>>> On the 'survival scale', rats ARE much better
>>> than humans.
> 
>    We keep wanting to make AI people ... as if we don't
>    have enough already. For posterity, maybe we should
>    work on some AI stainless-steel RATS instead, a
>    little easier, COULD survive nuke wars or meteors
>    or whatever  :-)
> 
Heh.
-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#78866

On 12/11/25 05:33, Carlos E.R. wrote:
> On 2025-12-11 03:21, c186282 wrote:
>> On 12/10/25 07:10, Carlos E.R. wrote:
>>> On 2025-12-10 12:14, c186282 wrote:
> 
> ...
> 
>>> And can bring illness.
>>>
>>> I noticed one in my kitchen years ago. I closed the door to the rest 
>>> of the house, and put poison bait on both sides of the door. Kept the 
>>> patio door open for some hours, hoping she would get out. Apparently 
>>> she did.
>>>
>>> But now and then I get a rat in the patio, and I put bait again. One 
>>> bit is enough, they just take up to two weeks to die. This is on 
>>> purpose, so that they don't relate the bait to their friends dying. 
>>> Clever animals.
>>>
>>> One rat got trapped inside a shed I have in the patio, that has the 
>>> laundry machine inside. She almost made a hole in the door frame to 
>>> get out. I put poison, then two weeks later flushed the floor with a 
>>> hose. I did not want smells in the room where I hang the clothes to 
>>> dry (I can no longer hang them out on the sun, danger of air 
>>> bombardment in the form of bird/pigeon poo).
>>
>>    It's amazing how well something with a peanut brain
>>    can outwit we wise mighty humans  :-)
>>
>>    A few birds are even smarter than rats. Fortunately
>>    they don't hide in crevices behind cupboards or
>>    chew electrical wires.
> 
> Pigeons poo. They poo a lot. The damn things do not have sphincters, so 
> they poo with the effort of taking off. Right on my door steps. They 
> also poo on top of my car, in the middle of the glass.
> 
> They poo in my patio, anywhere. I can no longer hang my clothes to dry, 
> I have to dry them out inside which costs money.
> 
>>
>>    Anyway, the lesson is that we shouldn't be TOO proud.
>>    Hundreds of times more brain and, at least survival-wise,
>>    we're barely ahead of many other little creatures. That's
>>    a poor return on neural investment !
>>
> ...>>> Fortunately the house was 'underwater' and I had
>>>> no intention of paying off the ridiculous mortgage.
>>>> Was just 'caretaking' until the bank took it :-)
>>>
>>> I had to ask ChatGPT about the meaning of being underwater :-)
>>> Curious expression.
>>
>>    It became quite common in USA, maybe ten years ago.
>>
>>    Basically means you owe more than the property is worth.
> 
> Yeah. Terrible situation. Probably happened to many people here with the 
> house building bubble a decade ago, when it burst.
>>    Do now hear it applied to somewhat similar situations,
>>    like running up so much CC debt that you'll NEVER be
>>    able to pay it down. Even heard it applied to "relationships",
>>    as in losing so much cred with a sig other that the
>>    relationship is doomed, now in a flaming death spiral.
>>
>>>> On the 'survival scale', rats ARE much better
>>>> than humans.
>>
>>    We keep wanting to make AI people ... as if we don't
>>    have enough already. For posterity, maybe we should
>>    work on some AI stainless-steel RATS instead, a
>>    little easier, COULD survive nuke wars or meteors
>>    or whatever  :-)
>>
> Heh.

   They will need a modern version of Carl Sagan's
   outer-space disc stashed in there somewhere - so
   we won't be entirely forgotten if the Aliens
   find them a million years from now.

   I think I've seen approaches for decomposing
   organic matter and getting some electricity
   from the process. The proposed AI rats could
   thus subsist on most anything made of carbon
   and hydrogen. Reproducing, a bit more difficult.

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#78726

On Wed, 10 Dec 2025 06:14:01 -0500, c186282 wrote:

> Was in the middle of posting here some hours ago when a small RAT
> suddenly scurried across my floor.
> Never had one indoors.
> 
> Immediately ordered the 'ag/pro only' tub of super rat poison.

I had lived in my current home for 12 years when I first caught a glimpse 
of a tiny mouse scurrying around.  Turns out, it was a family of two.  I 
believe they had just recently set up residence, as there were just the 
two, as if they had just been married and were starting out their lives 
together in a new residence.

I put down about 4 sticky pads in various locations.  I caught the first 
one on day one and the second on on day three.  They are very effective, 
clean, easy to use, and don't offer chances for a poisoned one to decide 
to purposely expire inside a wall just to be an asshole and try to run you 
out of your home with the putrid smell.

If you are gay, you can take the captured rat or mouse a good distance 
away from your home while still attached to the pad and pour some olive 
oil on its paws and it can walk off the pad.

If you aren't gay, or a woman, just take the pad outside and turn it 
upside down and stomp on the pad to end it quickly and effectively.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#78775

On 11/12/2025 00:18, CtrlAltDel wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Dec 2025 06:14:01 -0500, c186282 wrote:
> 
>> Was in the middle of posting here some hours ago when a small RAT
>> suddenly scurried across my floor.
>> Never had one indoors.
>>
>> Immediately ordered the 'ag/pro only' tub of super rat poison.
> 
> I had lived in my current home for 12 years when I first caught a glimpse
> of a tiny mouse scurrying around.  Turns out, it was a family of two.  I
> believe they had just recently set up residence, as there were just the
> two, as if they had just been married and were starting out their lives
> together in a new residence.
> 
> I put down about 4 sticky pads in various locations.  I caught the first
> one on day one and the second on on day three.  They are very effective,
> clean, easy to use, and don't offer chances for a poisoned one to decide
> to purposely expire inside a wall just to be an asshole and try to run you
> out of your home with the putrid smell.
> 
> If you are gay, you can take the captured rat or mouse a good distance
> away from your home while still attached to the pad and pour some olive
> oil on its paws and it can walk off the pad.
> 
> If you aren't gay, or a woman, just take the pad outside and turn it
> upside down and stomp on the pad to end it quickly and effectively.

I had a lot of mice when my ex wife managed to kick in the grille to the 
underfloor vents under the Aga cooker.

I used proper spring traps and cheese.  Real cheese - not 'Murrican' cheese.
killed the little buggers instantly. Life is tough out here in the 
countryside.


Found some really good ones that lasted.

Then I got a 3D printer and printed a new grille and hot glued it in place.
No more mice.



-- 
When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over 
the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that 
authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it.

  Frédéric Bastiat

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#78743

On Wed, 10 Dec 2025 06:14:01 -0500, c186282 wrote:

> Was in the middle of posting here some hours ago when a small RAT
> suddenly scurried across my floor.
> Never had one indoors.

A rat or a field mouse? I've never seen a rat around here although there 
are plenty of field mice. It's not very good rat habitat.

I leave the rodent problems to the Cat Force. 

When I was a kid we dried some squash/pumpkin seeds in the fall and that 
attracted mice. My mother had a thing about mice so my father put down 
some poison. It was some sort of phosphorous concoction that smoked as you 
spread it on the bread. No more mice.

Fast forward to just before Christmas when there was a cold snap. The dog 
had a house out in the chicken house but we let him in the cellar. Of 
course he found the long forgotten rat poison. Scratch one beagle. 

No way would I use poison. I'd rather not kill the hawks, eagles, cats, 
raccoons, and other things that might eat a dead rat. 

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#78750

On 2025-12-11, rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Dec 2025 06:14:01 -0500, c186282 wrote:
>
>> Was in the middle of posting here some hours ago when a small RAT
>> suddenly scurried across my floor.
>> Never had one indoors.
>
> A rat or a field mouse? I've never seen a rat around here although there 
> are plenty of field mice. It's not very good rat habitat.
>
> I leave the rodent problems to the Cat Force. 
>
> When I was a kid we dried some squash/pumpkin seeds in the fall and that 
> attracted mice. My mother had a thing about mice so my father put down 
> some poison. It was some sort of phosphorous concoction that smoked as you 
> spread it on the bread. No more mice.
>
> Fast forward to just before Christmas when there was a cold snap. The dog 
> had a house out in the chicken house but we let him in the cellar. Of 
> course he found the long forgotten rat poison. Scratch one beagle. 
>
> No way would I use poison. I'd rather not kill the hawks, eagles, cats, 
> raccoons, and other things that might eat a dead rat. 

In my part of the US, there are two products (that appear to be
exactly the same thing but with different labeling) called MouseX
and RatX.  The active ingredients are salt and corn gluten.  Zero
risk of harm to children, other humans, dogs, cats, other
wildlife.  The corn gluten coats the cilia in the rodent's
digestive tract, which signals the rodent's brain that it is full
of food and water, so the rodent starves and dehydrates itself to
death.  The effect happens ONLY with rodents of the rat/mouse
type.

A few years ago, some small rodents got into the crawlspace under
my house and from there to the space around the shower stall.
Ever night, they would have a party scritching around the shower
stall.  After I found MouseX, I removed the chrome cover around
the control valve unit and poured the product into the hole,
which put it on the 2x4 footer of the wall.  That night, the
party sounds were different than earlier.  The next night and
essentially every night since, nothing but the sweet sounds of
silence.

-- 
Robert Riches
spamtrap42@jacob21819.net
(Yes, that is one of my email addresses.)

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#78764

On 12/10/25 23:20, Robert Riches wrote:
> On 2025-12-11, rbowman <bowman@montana.com> wrote:
>> On Wed, 10 Dec 2025 06:14:01 -0500, c186282 wrote:
>>
>>> Was in the middle of posting here some hours ago when a small RAT
>>> suddenly scurried across my floor.
>>> Never had one indoors.
>>
>> A rat or a field mouse? I've never seen a rat around here although there
>> are plenty of field mice. It's not very good rat habitat.
>>
>> I leave the rodent problems to the Cat Force.
>>
>> When I was a kid we dried some squash/pumpkin seeds in the fall and that
>> attracted mice. My mother had a thing about mice so my father put down
>> some poison. It was some sort of phosphorous concoction that smoked as you
>> spread it on the bread. No more mice.
>>
>> Fast forward to just before Christmas when there was a cold snap. The dog
>> had a house out in the chicken house but we let him in the cellar. Of
>> course he found the long forgotten rat poison. Scratch one beagle.
>>
>> No way would I use poison. I'd rather not kill the hawks, eagles, cats,
>> raccoons, and other things that might eat a dead rat.
> 
> In my part of the US, there are two products (that appear to be
> exactly the same thing but with different labeling) called MouseX
> and RatX.  The active ingredients are salt and corn gluten.  Zero
> risk of harm to children, other humans, dogs, cats, other
> wildlife.  The corn gluten coats the cilia in the rodent's
> digestive tract, which signals the rodent's brain that it is full
> of food and water, so the rodent starves and dehydrates itself to
> death.  The effect happens ONLY with rodents of the rat/mouse
> type.

   Aww ... MUCH too kind, and uncertain  :-)

> A few years ago, some small rodents got into the crawlspace under
> my house and from there to the space around the shower stall.
> Ever night, they would have a party scritching around the shower
> stall.  After I found MouseX, I removed the chrome cover around
> the control valve unit and poured the product into the hole,
> which put it on the 2x4 footer of the wall.  That night, the
> party sounds were different than earlier.  The next night and
> essentially every night since, nothing but the sweet sounds of
> silence.

   The damned things can get into almost anywhere and
   set up house. Then they BREED like mad. In a few
   months they OWN your home.

   At least until they chew all the electric wires
   and burn it down.

   Cockroaches are annoying, nasty, but rats are
   another level.

   Survival-wise, rats and mice are a good step or
   two beyond humans. It's true. That makes it kind
   of a war to the death - win, or ELSE.

   Some big cities nowadays have LOST the fight, the
   things - LARGE often - have taken over. It'll be
   doom in several dimensions.

   Get back to us when they chew off yer children's toes.

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#78759

On 12/10/25 22:38, rbowman wrote:
> On Wed, 10 Dec 2025 06:14:01 -0500, c186282 wrote:
> 
>> Was in the middle of posting here some hours ago when a small RAT
>> suddenly scurried across my floor.
>> Never had one indoors.
> 
> A rat or a field mouse? I've never seen a rat around here although there
> are plenty of field mice. It's not very good rat habitat.

   Common 'field rat' - size here is between
   a typical mouse (which I've never seen) and
   a city rat.

> I leave the rodent problems to the Cat Force.

   Used to have cats ... but no more.

> When I was a kid we dried some squash/pumpkin seeds in the fall and that
> attracted mice. My mother had a thing about mice so my father put down
> some poison. It was some sort of phosphorous concoction that smoked as you
> spread it on the bread. No more mice.

   I've ordered some stuff with "bromo-something". It was
   the highest-rated. Probably rots their little guts.

> Fast forward to just before Christmas when there was a cold snap. The dog
> had a house out in the chicken house but we let him in the cellar. Of
> course he found the long forgotten rat poison. Scratch one beagle.
> 
> No way would I use poison. I'd rather not kill the hawks, eagles, cats,
> raccoons, and other things that might eat a dead rat.

   Note you're not supposed to put the rat poison
   EVERYWHERE ... just near the typical, preferably
   indoors, cracks and crevices the rodents like.
   You don't throw it out in the yard.

   If they go outdoors and die, there's a (slight)
   chance something will find/eat them and get a
   dose as well. However small animals decompose
   rather quickly outdoors ... fairly narrow window.

   And anything that's keen to eat 7-day dead rat,
   I probably don't want THAT around either  :-)

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#78791

On 2025-12-11 07:16, c186282 wrote:
>    Note you're not supposed to put the rat poison
>    EVERYWHERE ... just near the typical, preferably
>    indoors, cracks and crevices the rodents like.
>    You don't throw it out in the yard.

The last type of rat poison bait I bought comes in small hard pieces of 
about 2 or 3 cm on the side, with a hole in the centre, with the 
intention that you tie them somewhere so that they can not take it home.

-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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#78867

On 12/11/25 05:43, Carlos E.R. wrote:
> On 2025-12-11 07:16, c186282 wrote:
>>    Note you're not supposed to put the rat poison
>>    EVERYWHERE ... just near the typical, preferably
>>    indoors, cracks and crevices the rodents like.
>>    You don't throw it out in the yard.
> 
> The last type of rat poison bait I bought comes in small hard pieces of 
> about 2 or 3 cm on the side, with a hole in the centre, with the 
> intention that you tie them somewhere so that they can not take it home.

   Looks like the stuff I got ... green blocks ?

   Didn't bother to tie them to anything, but I
   suppose there might be reasons. Better use
   metal wire though, even a little mouse can
   cut through string almost instantly.

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#78902

On 2025-12-12 05:30, c186282 wrote:
> On 12/11/25 05:43, Carlos E.R. wrote:
>> On 2025-12-11 07:16, c186282 wrote:
>>>    Note you're not supposed to put the rat poison
>>>    EVERYWHERE ... just near the typical, preferably
>>>    indoors, cracks and crevices the rodents like.
>>>    You don't throw it out in the yard.
>>
>> The last type of rat poison bait I bought comes in small hard pieces 
>> of about 2 or 3 cm on the side, with a hole in the centre, with the 
>> intention that you tie them somewhere so that they can not take it home.
> 
>    Looks like the stuff I got ... green blocks ?

No, mine are pink.

> 
>    Didn't bother to tie them to anything, but I
>    suppose there might be reasons. Better use
>    metal wire though, even a little mouse can
>    cut through string almost instantly.

Right.

-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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#78904

On 12/12/2025 04:30, c186282 wrote:
> On 12/11/25 05:43, Carlos E.R. wrote:
>> On 2025-12-11 07:16, c186282 wrote:
>>>    Note you're not supposed to put the rat poison
>>>    EVERYWHERE ... just near the typical, preferably
>>>    indoors, cracks and crevices the rodents like.
>>>    You don't throw it out in the yard.
>>
>> The last type of rat poison bait I bought comes in small hard pieces 
>> of about 2 or 3 cm on the side, with a hole in the centre, with the 
>> intention that you tie them somewhere so that they can not take it home.
> 
>    Looks like the stuff I got ... green blocks ?
> 
>    Didn't bother to tie them to anything, but I
>    suppose there might be reasons. Better use
>    metal wire though, even a little mouse can
>    cut through string almost instantly.
> 
> 
I hate poison, especially after watching a friends cat die in Italy from 
rat poison.

Traps are much cleaner and safer and in general catch only what you want.

You just need to wipe down the occasional blood spatter

-- 
Microsoft : the best reason to go to Linux that ever existed.

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#78922

On 2025-12-12 12:16, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> On 12/12/2025 04:30, c186282 wrote:
>> On 12/11/25 05:43, Carlos E.R. wrote:
>>> On 2025-12-11 07:16, c186282 wrote:
>>>>    Note you're not supposed to put the rat poison
>>>>    EVERYWHERE ... just near the typical, preferably
>>>>    indoors, cracks and crevices the rodents like.
>>>>    You don't throw it out in the yard.
>>>
>>> The last type of rat poison bait I bought comes in small hard pieces 
>>> of about 2 or 3 cm on the side, with a hole in the centre, with the 
>>> intention that you tie them somewhere so that they can not take it home.
>>
>>    Looks like the stuff I got ... green blocks ?
>>
>>    Didn't bother to tie them to anything, but I
>>    suppose there might be reasons. Better use
>>    metal wire though, even a little mouse can
>>    cut through string almost instantly.
>>
>>
> I hate poison, especially after watching a friends cat die in Italy from 
> rat poison.
> 
> Traps are much cleaner and safer and in general catch only what you want.
> 
> You just need to wipe down the occasional blood spatter

I have a deathless trap for rats. I bought it for the rat that entered 
my kitchen, but the rat chose to leave the kitchen. I just did not know 
if it was still inside or was gone.

https://www.amazon.es/dp/B000QVSCH6

Another for mice:

https://www.amazon.es/dp/B08GSPTCKR

I also bought a box of 6 traps, of the normal kind, which I put on the 
patio. The bait disappeared, but none triggered or caught anything.

https://www.amazon.es/dp/B083QHJGPH

-- 
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;

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#78934

On 12/12/2025 12:44, Carlos E.R. wrote:
> On 2025-12-12 12:16, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>> On 12/12/2025 04:30, c186282 wrote:
>>> On 12/11/25 05:43, Carlos E.R. wrote:
>>>> On 2025-12-11 07:16, c186282 wrote:
>>>>>    Note you're not supposed to put the rat poison
>>>>>    EVERYWHERE ... just near the typical, preferably
>>>>>    indoors, cracks and crevices the rodents like.
>>>>>    You don't throw it out in the yard.
>>>>
>>>> The last type of rat poison bait I bought comes in small hard pieces 
>>>> of about 2 or 3 cm on the side, with a hole in the centre, with the 
>>>> intention that you tie them somewhere so that they can not take it 
>>>> home.
>>>
>>>    Looks like the stuff I got ... green blocks ?
>>>
>>>    Didn't bother to tie them to anything, but I
>>>    suppose there might be reasons. Better use
>>>    metal wire though, even a little mouse can
>>>    cut through string almost instantly.
>>>
>>>
>> I hate poison, especially after watching a friends cat die in Italy 
>> from rat poison.
>>
>> Traps are much cleaner and safer and in general catch only what you want.
>>
>> You just need to wipe down the occasional blood spatter
> 
> I have a deathless trap for rats. I bought it for the rat that entered 
> my kitchen, but the rat chose to leave the kitchen. I just did not know 
> if it was still inside or was gone.
> 
> https://www.amazon.es/dp/B000QVSCH6
> 
> Another for mice:
> 
> https://www.amazon.es/dp/B08GSPTCKR
> 
> I also bought a box of 6 traps, of the normal kind, which I put on the 
> patio. The bait disappeared, but none triggered or caught anything.
> 
> https://www.amazon.es/dp/B083QHJGPH
> 

I bought these and got all 5 mice over 3 days

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07FPTQC79

The bait goes in a tunnel that they have to push open with their noses.
Best traps I ever had


-- 
"If you don’t read the news paper, you are un-informed. If you read the 
news paper, you are mis-informed."

Mark Twain

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#78948

On Fri, 12 Dec 2025 11:16:46 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

> Traps are much cleaner and safer and in general catch only what you
> want.
> 
> You just need to wipe down the occasional blood spatter

The last time I had a mouse I constructed a small triangular tube from 
cardboard, put some cheese in one end, and balanced it on the counter over 
a 13 gallon trash can. Mice like tubes and cheese. Go for the cheese and 
gravity does the rest. Throw mouse out the door to the waiting cats. 

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#79196

On 12/12/2025 20:02, rbowman wrote:
> On Fri, 12 Dec 2025 11:16:46 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
> 
>> Traps are much cleaner and safer and in general catch only what you
>> want.
>>
>> You just need to wipe down the occasional blood spatter
> 
> The last time I had a mouse I constructed a small triangular tube from
> cardboard, put some cheese in one end, and balanced it on the counter over
> a 13 gallon trash can. Mice like tubes and cheese. Go for the cheese and
> gravity does the rest. Throw mouse out the door to the waiting cats.

Well it certainly is a plan!

I have no cats these days however, and its long way to the badger sett

-- 
“Some people like to travel by train because it combines the slowness of 
a car with the cramped public exposure of 
an airplane.”

Dennis Miller

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