More invaders
By Gee19
8 comments
Tuesday 4 November 2008
What a change. The sun has been shining today. I even hobbled (looking for the sympathy vote here!) out into the garden to take a photo of it. Looks very stormy in the picture and night-like but it was taken at midday. My back is a bit better today and, checking things out on a medical website, it says to keep going as normal so I will try bowls this evening. They may have to bring me home in a wheelbarrow but who cares?
This morning I put bird seed out onto the bird table for the first time for ages and was thrilled to see my two lovely collared doves arrive soon after. I hobbled (sympathy again please!) to get my camera and was delighted to see a little blue tit feeding on the evening primrose seeds just beneath the bird table. Then a saw a long tail and thought ‘Great! a long-tailed tit’. Then the doves and blue tit disappeared very rapidly and the ‘long tailed tit’ appeared on the bird table – it had four legs, long whiskers and a very long tail!! Some metamorphis, eh? Or perhaps I should get my eyes checked?
We do have a problem with rats, because of the closeness of the duck pond there is always food around for them. I stopped doing a compost bin because a family of rats moved into it. I try to think of them of non-furry tailed squirrels but somehow it’s not the same! I did manage to get a picture before Ratty disappeared but I know he will be back and will probably bring the family. I suspect they use the mole tunnels to move around the garden – they are all in league against me (more sympathy please!). Mole obviously came first to spy out the lie of the land and now the army are moving in. Help!
4 Nov, 2008
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Comments
Hi Arlene - Don't worry - before retiring I worked as Lab Secretary for the Public Health Laboratory Service (before it became Health Protection Agency) so know the problems very well - Weil's disease (Leptospirosis). Our local council deals with the problem but it always returns. At least I know they are around - lots of people won't admit they have a problem as they think it somehow reflects badly on them!
4 Nov, 2008
~ glad to hear your'e so clued up~ some people think they look just like the pet ones!
My husband tried using cages and we caught and released about 8/9. They were on my bird table after the food,had the bird table in front of the kitchen window and they were really bold! if you rushed outside they were back before your back was turned.
Since we moved the bird table and put the poison down we have had no problems thank goodness!
nb Have a box of latex gloves from ebay~ good value!
4 Nov, 2008
Arlene ~
That must have been a nightmare with the rats on your bird table. Years ago I had rats on an outdoor rabbit cage. Not nice.
Gee19 ~
Rats often live and breed under sheds, so that would be an area worth checking out. I'm sure the medical website, which wants you to keep going as normal, would thoroughly approve of your repeatedly bending your back to peer under sheds.
Just keep the wheelbarrow handy for rescue missions ~
for you, not the rats :o)
4 Nov, 2008
I hope you'll be able to sort the rats out Gee.
I like your blogs. You write them in such a humorous way.
You have plenty of my sympathy too for your back . I know what it's like.
5 Nov, 2008
Hi Everyone - thanks for all your advice and concerns. I have contacted the Council today and they are coming out tomorrow. Decided it was too risky to deal with myself because of Chloe and tortoises (although they are not in garden at the moment and I am worried about leftovers next summer!). I do feel wicked because, after all rats are little living creatures the same as everything else, but I don't want to be overrun. How do Buddist's cope with rats?
Have scrubbed and disinfected the bird table (and myself!) so will watch and wait to see what happens. Also had my lovely son-in-law check out the tortoise house for me just in case anything had moved in but all is well and vacant!
You are a lovely lot of people. Thanks again.
PS - back much better. Went to bowls last night but couldn't play so came home again. At least the walk did me good!
5 Nov, 2008
~i am as really against killing anything as you are but we spent weeks trapping and relocating and there was always another one!
~we moved all the young ones and then must have disposed of the breeding pair- we found two large ones-but in the end we were all at risk including the dogs but it was done with reluctance!
5 Nov, 2008
Hi Arlene - it is difficult isn't it? Our local council wanted to put poison down for the squirrels because they had found a way into some local sheltered housing. There was an uproar when all the residents said how much they enjoyed seeing the squirrels so the council decided to fill the hole instead! Don't know why they didn't think of that first!!
No sign of Ratty today but I know Chloe has been out sniffing around so that may have deterred him for the moment.
5 Nov, 2008
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`~ Hi Gee~
Don't hang around get rid of it asap!They spread all sorts of disease~wear gloves to go near the bird table and wash your hands the minute you go back inside! A friend caught meningitis which they attributed to rat urine.
Had the same problem earlier this year and caught a nasty infection!
We found in the end that trapping them and releasing miles away didn't work so had to get some rat atak! Very effective! ..Will stop them moving them in.Believe you don't need them!
4 Nov, 2008