Topic: Rattus norvegicus/Rats/Rowland/Vermin

[CHOPPER]

Bins and Bird tables are the biggest attractors for rats.

Don't let bins over flow and have a closeable  lid. Bird feeders - if you can't catch the throw away of birds on a floor tray and clean regularly, then you're going to run the  risk of enticing rats in.

Poisons are too prone to taking out potentially other animals, I prefer to shoot them, though we don't have many left now, a bit like magpies, who are sky rats.

[CraigDS]

Probably bringing it back for his turtle mates.

That was the joke I made to my gf at the time. She didn’t get the reference 

[Crosby Nick]

That was the joke I made to my gf at the time. She didn’t get the reference 

This country.

I saw the official Spurs Twitter announced Romero with a bad So Solid Crew reference and no fucker knew what they were going on about. I’ve never felt so old.

[princeoftherocks]

Mate, you should read 1984. 

Yeah,  by mate i mean fellow red and white kopite.

[redbyrdz]

There's lots of rats here, and they're there all the time. I know because the cat brings them in quite often. Usually young ones, just out of baby age. The older ones are probably too careful, there's lots of cats here too! I'm pretty sure they are rats, I only got a mouse brought in once.

The only time I've seen a big adult rat during the day was when it had been poisened. Poor thing tried to drink all the water from a drain in my yard and ate the moss on the concrete, signs of poisoning.

I think they are quite cute to be honest.

[Slippers]

There's lots of rats here, and they're there all the time. I know because the cat brings them in quite often. Usually young ones, just out of baby age. The older ones are probably too careful, there's lots of cats here too! I'm pretty sure they are rats, I only got a mouse brought in once.

The only time I've seen a big adult rat during the day was when it had been poisened. Poor thing tried to drink all the water from a drain in my yard and ate the moss on the concrete, signs of poisoning.

I think they are quite cute to be honest.

Most of the rats we see are hanging out of next door's cat's mouth,some of them are almost as big as her.

[TheMissionary]

The thread title piqued my interest, "got to have a squint at that". 

Then it wasn't about the Stranglers first album, it was about people's encounters with big mice.  How disappointed was I?

[rob1966]

There's lots of rats here, and they're there all the time. I know because the cat brings them in quite often. Usually young ones, just out of baby age. The older ones are probably too careful, there's lots of cats here too! I'm pretty sure they are rats, I only got a mouse brought in once.

The only time I've seen a big adult rat during the day was when it had been poisened. Poor thing tried to drink all the water from a drain in my yard and ate the moss on the concrete, signs of poisoning.

I think they are quite cute to be honest.

Mate of mine used to have pet rats and they were lovely things.

However, my mate used to work in an engineering firm in one of the old 3 storey warehouses on Sefton Street and he walked into the canteen one morning at 7am to be confronted by a wharf rat, he said it was fucking huge, as big as a cat and just sat looking at him. He lobbed a spanner at it and it just sneered before ambling away. It then climbed into the cooker and when he pulled the door open, the back was gone and there was a hole in the wall the fuckers had made.

[Alan_X]

Are they Hanging Around?

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/tw2apT8MWVQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/tw2apT8MWVQ</a>

Rattus Rattus is the other common species but whichever you get they are nasty fuckers if they get into your house. We had the telltale rat droppings last year and you need to be really carefull cleaning up. Their shit can contain some horrible diseases. Had pest control in who thought they probably got in through the drains and up through the toilet bowl. Had the waterboard check the interceptors and also closed up any holes.

Had a mouse pop up through a hole in a concrete floor so put traps down.

All been clear for a while now.

[Crosby Nick]

How can you tell the difference in species Alan? The ones I see by the river are brown and about the size of my foot (not counting the tail).

You see the odd dead one by the canal from time to time which is a bit grim.

[Nobby Reserve]

Bins and Bird tables are the biggest attractors for rats.

Don't let bins over flow and have a closeable  lid. Bird feeders - if you can't catch the throw away of birds on a floor tray and clean regularly, then you're going to run the  risk of enticing rats in.

Poisons are too prone to taking out potentially other animals, I prefer to shoot them, though we don't have many left now, a bit like magpies, who are sky rats.

That really cold & snowy winter in 09/10 I put a bird feeder out hanging from a tree branch cos the snow was thick on the ground and everything was frozen. Wasn't a very good one, as the nuts and seeds used to just spill out onto the tray then onto the floor below.

A couple days later I saw squirrel tracks in the snow leading from the back of the garden to below the feeder then back again. There were more tracks the next day. Then I saw the squirrel making its scampering way across the snow and it wasn't a squirrel. The feeder went in the bin.

[El Lobo]

My bosses office looks out on our car park and one day he just shouted 'little bastard', and he'd seen a rat outside just run up his car tyre. When he went home later he slammed the door first....and it shot out and off like a rocket! About a week later he was having issues with the electrics on his car, took it to a local garage who told him said rat had gnawed through a load of wires and it was gonna cost him £200 to fix. He started parking in another businesses car park purely to avoid this fucking rat feasting on his car..... few weeks later started having the same issues, took it garage again and the rats only followed him to the new car park and started chewing on his wires again!

[L4Red]

My bosses office looks out on our car park and one day he just shouted 'little bastard', and he'd seen a rat outside just run up his car tyre. When he went home later he slammed the door first....and it shot out and off like a rocket! About a week later he was having issues with the electrics on his car, took it to a local garage who told him said rat had gnawed through a load of wires and it was gonna cost him £200 to fix. He started parking in another businesses car park purely to avoid this fucking rat feasting on his car..... few weeks later started having the same issues, took it garage again and the rats only followed him to the new car park and started chewing on his wires again!

Plenty of cars on our road have had their wires chewed etc, when the rats get into the warm engine bay I guess.

Horrendous for them round here, walk around in broad daylight and the council do sweet FA

[Nobby Reserve]

Plenty of cars on our road have had their wires chewed etc, when the rats get into the warm engine bay I guess.

Horrendous for them round here, walk around in broad daylight and the council do sweet FA

I know there's the 'law of unintended consequences' but if I had a 'eradicate the entire species' button, it'd be close between these and mosquitos/midges

[Lee1-6Liv]

How can you tell the difference in species Alan? The ones I see by the river are brown and about the size of my foot (not counting the tail).

You see the odd dead one by the canal from time to time which is a bit grim.

Your foot has a tail? 

[Crosby Nick]

Your foot has a tail? 

Just can’t tie my laces.

[So… Howard Philips]

Mate of mine used to have pet rats and they were lovely things.

However, my mate used to work in an engineering firm in one of the old 3 storey warehouses on Sefton Street and he walked into the canteen one morning at 7am to be confronted by a wharf rat, he said it was fucking huge, as big as a cat and just sat looking at him. He lobbed a spanner at it and it just sneered before ambling away. It then climbed into the cooker and when he pulled the door open, the back was gone and there was a hole in the wall the fuckers had made.

Ha. My Uncle John was a storeman in Dysons in Grafton Street. In the late 70s their ratter gave birth to a litter and he gave my dad a little black kitten. Within weeks it was out and about killing everything in sight leading to him being belatedly christened Sid, after Sid Vicious. He'd often claw at the backdoor with some hald dead creature in his jaws leading to my mum chasing him away with the yard brush.

He was a right bastard of a cat.

[rob1966]

Ha. My Uncle John was a storeman in Dysons in Grafton Street. In the late 70s their ratter gave birth to a litter and he gave my dad a little black kitten. Within weeks it was out and about killing everything in sight leading to him being belatedly christened Sid, after Sid Vicious. He'd often claw at the backdoor with some hald dead creature in his jaws leading to my mum chasing him away with the yard brush.

He was a right bastard of a cat.

That's just remined me of a story my Ma told me about their cat they had when she lived in Everton. This cat killed everything in sight until one day this huge rat was on the cellar steps and the cat shit itself and legged it. Think one of my uncles managed to kill the rat.

[Sir Capon of Debaser]

Rob's Father : Well, aren't you crackers just cute as the dickens?

RAWK : You're Rob's parents?

Rob's Mother : Yes, all his life.

Rob's  Father : Say, would you crackers like to hear about the time we met Roland Rat?

RAWK : [impatiently]  No, that's okay.

Rob's  Father : Ooh, it must have been about seven, eight years ago. Me and the little lady was out on this boat, you see, all alone at night, when all of the sudden this huge creature, this giant Rat from the 1980s Kids Television Era, comes out of the water.

Rob's  Mother : We was so scared, Lord have mercy, I jumped up in the boat, and I said, "Thomas, Thomas, what on earth is that creature?"

Rob's Father : It stood above us looking down with these big red eyes...

Rob's  Mother : Oh, it was so scary!

Rob's Father : ...and I yelled, I said, "What do you want from us, Roland?" And the monster bent down, and said, "I need about tree-fiddy."

[long pause]

RAWK : What's tree-fiddy?

Rob's  Father : Three dollars, and fifty cents.

Rob's  Mother : Tree-fiddy.

RAWK : He wanted money?

Rob's  Father : That's right. I said, "I ain't givin' you no tree-fiddy, you goddamn Rat! Get your own goddamn money!"

Rob's Mother : I gave him a dollar.

Rob's Father : She gave him a dollar.

Rob's Mother : I thought he'd go away if I gave him a dollar.

Rob's Father : Well, of course he's not gonna go away, Mary! You give him a dollar, he's gonna assume you got more

[rob1966]

Capon, you're a fucking loon

[Sir Capon of Debaser]

Capon, you're a fucking loon

haha its from South Park

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Rats are so cute

[Elmo!]

We had pet rats when I was a kid. They are great pets, infinitely better than hamsters or guinea pigs. I had a coupleof degus as an adult, and they are nice but you can't train them tricks and aren't as tame as rats.

Always think about getting some but have never got round to it.

[wampa1]

Rats are the lowliest and most despised of all creatures. If they have a purpose, so do we.

[joe buck]

The thread title piqued my interest, "got to have a squint at that". 

Then it wasn't about the Stranglers first album, it was about people's encounters with big mice.  How disappointed was I?

me too brilliant album theres lots of rats down here you can see the whites of there
eyes they got sharp teeth deep breath and lots of diseasesssssssss

[Nobby Reserve]

Rats are the lowliest and most despised of all creatures. If they have a purpose, so do we.

Below even Mancs?

[rob1966]

Rats are the lowliest and most despised of all creatures. If they have a purpose, so do we.

Rats by Pearl Jam

They don't eat, don't sleep
They don't feed, they don't seethe
Bare their gums when they moan and squeak
Lick the dirt off a larger one's feet

They don't push, don't crowd
Congregate until they're much too loud
Fuck to procreate till they are dead
Drink the blood of their so-called best friend

They don't scurry when something bigger comes their way
Don't pack themselves together and run as one
Don't shit where they're not supposed to
Don't take what's not theirs, they don't compare

They don't scam, don't fight
Don't oppress an equal's given rights
Starve the poor so they can be well fed
Line their holes with the dead ones' bread, no no

They don't scurry when something bigger comes their way
Don't pack themselves together and run as one
Don't shit where they're not supposed to
Don't take what's not theirs, they don't compare

They don't scurry when something bigger comes their way
Don't pack themselves together and run as one
Don't shit where they're not supposed to
Don't take what's not theirs

They don't compare, rats
They don't compare, rats
They don't compare

Oh
Ben, the two of us need look no more
Ben, the two of us need look no more
Ben, the two of us need look no more
Ben, the two of us need look no more
Ben, the two of us need look no more
Ben, the two of us need look no more

[Son of Spion]

Alpha and his new friend.

[Son of Spion]

Rats are the lowliest and most despised of all creatures. If they have a purpose, so do we.

Gary Neville says hi.

[Millie]

That first post reminds me of a scene out of The Rats by James Herbert.

[Pistolero]

Get yourself a West Highland Terrier...beneath the cute exterior lies a ratter extraordinaire...

[rob1966]

That first post reminds me of a scene out of The Rats by James Herbert.

Read that as a kid, I remember the part about the couple getting eaten on Shell Island, which I think most of us have likely visited at some point.

[Millie]

Read that as a kid, I remember the part about the couple getting eaten on Shell Island, which I think most of us have likely visited at some point.

Yep - scared the life out of me that book.

[AlphaDelta]

Some superb replies here, RAWK never lets you down.

Latest update, the pest control fella from the council turned up yesterday, but unlike the first guy who was dour, matter-of-fact and was gone within five minutes, this guy was literally Bez from The Happy Mondays on speed!
He gleefully had his head in bushes, down drains, sniffing the grass and basically behaving like a Manc Steve Irwin rat catcher! All was well and talk was turning to footy until he went into the entry (thats alleyway/ginnel/jigger for those unfamiliar) and came crashing back into my garden, hawking and barking going "uhhhh fookin hell, uhhhh Jesus!".

Turns out he'd found the nest which was underneath some paving flags in the entry and had found a dead rat, which the smell was rather distinctive. 

He had the rats carcass by the tail and was swinging it about, much like the scene from Kes when 'aw Jud' is swinging the bird round in the house!

The fookers are literally all over the street, infact, all over Page Moss! 

[Nobby Reserve]

Yep - scared the life out of me that book.

Likewise.

So I read the sequel. And the one after. And several other JH books 

[rob1966]

Some superb replies here, RAWK never lets you down.

Latest update, the pest control fella from the council turned up yesterday, but unlike the first guy who was dour, matter-of-fact and was gone within five minutes, this guy was literally Bez from The Happy Mondays on speed!
He gleefully had his head in bushes, down drains, sniffing the grass and basically behaving like a Manc Steve Irwin rat catcher! All was well and talk was turning to footy until he went into the entry (thats alleyway/ginnel/jigger for those unfamiliar) and came crashing back into my garden, hawking and barking going "uhhhh fookin hell, uhhhh Jesus!".

Turns out he'd found the nest which was underneath some paving flags in the entry and had found a dead rat, which the smell was rather distinctive. 

He had the rats carcass by the tail and was swinging it about, much like the scene from Kes when 'aw Jud' is swinging the bird round in the house!

The fookers are literally all over the street, infact, all over Page Moss! 

When I worked in our branch in Picton Road, we found a dead rat in a partition wall, one of the lads picked it up on a spade and the thing split in half and all these maggots fell out and this smell hit us. I spent the next 5 minutes puking down the drain.

[AlphaDelta]

When I worked in our branch in Picton Road, we found a dead rat in a partition wall, one of the lads picked it up on a spade and the thing split in half and all these maggots fell out and this smell hit us. I spent the next 5 minutes puking down the drain.

Not surprised, grim that!

[Crimson_Tank]

haha its from South Park

I AINT GONNA GIVE HIM NO TREE-FIDDY WOMAN!

[rawcusk8]

I AINT GONNA GIVE HIM NO TREE-FIDDY WOMAN!

Brilliant episode.

[Ziltoid]

Read that as a kid, I remember the part about the couple getting eaten on Shell Island, which I think most of us have likely visited at some point.

Bought the trilogy a while back for a fiver. With CGI they should revisit it and make a film or 3 season x 6 eps.