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01 Apr 10 - 08:51 AM (#2877312) Subject: BS: Rat in mi garden what am I gonna do? From: Arnie Better than a rat in mi kitchen I suppose (apologies to UB40). On two days running this week I've seen a large rat walk down the side of my hedge, jump through a picket fence and disappear between my garage and my neighbour's garage where there is a gap of about 2 feet. Anyway, I read that rats breed at an amazing rate if left to their own devices, so yesterday I called out the council rat man - or vermin exterminator as he's called these days. He poked his head over the fence, surveyed the gap between the garages, and pronounced that there was no sign of a rat nest so he wouldn't bother putting down any trap or bait. If I see the rat again, then he'll come and have another look - and it'll cost me £39.50 for the privilege. No sign of Ratty this morning so I'm hoping he's gone on his way. However, does anyone have any expertise in this area as I'd like to know the answer to this: if a rat is seen twice on successive days, is that a sign that it has moved into the area? And if so is it likely to move on again and bother someone else? I should add that there is no waste food or bin sacks left outside as I store them in my garage - and to date they show no sign of rat attack. No doubt to our US friends, a rat is pretty mundane fare but they carry various diseases and could attack one of my too-curious cats. Also I've certainly never had one in my garden before - at least not that I know of! |
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01 Apr 10 - 08:57 AM (#2877316) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Leadfingers Does Air Rifle seem like an option ?? |
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01 Apr 10 - 09:29 AM (#2877337) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Catherine Jayne Seems like a pretty good option Leadfingers! We get the occassional rat in our garden but we live opposite a nature reserve and small river. The air rifle has been mentioned for use in my garden but to be honest the rat isn't doing any harm, it hasn't emptied the rubbish bins everywhere. We get foxes, hedgehogs and squirrals in the garden too. The rat is more scared of the cats and the magpies than they of him! |
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01 Apr 10 - 09:33 AM (#2877339) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Georgiansilver I have lent my Crossman CO2 pistol to friends who have had rats... easier to handle than an air rifle... easier to pick up, point and shoot... no recoil...... Best wishes, Mike. |
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01 Apr 10 - 09:42 AM (#2877345) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Midchuck This might work well. Chambers either .45 Long Colt or .410 shotgun shells. Peter |
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01 Apr 10 - 09:42 AM (#2877346) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Sawzaw Try Just One Bite. |
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01 Apr 10 - 09:49 AM (#2877351) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: MikeL2 hi arnie Two years ago we detected rats in our garden not far from the side door. As it happens I have one of these lights that switches on automatically if anything moves. Some nights the light would go on but I never spotted why. This happens with cats so I didn't bother. Then one night the light flicked on and I saw a large rat bustling down the garden heading away from the house. The next day I inspected the area along that side and noticed a couple of holes. So I called out the council "rat man" who came straight away. He baited the holes with what he called teabags and then lifted a drain cover and baited that too. He came back twice over the next couple of weeks and declared the rat(s) "taken care of ". There was no charge for this. We haven't seen any sign since. I noticed a piece in one of the newspapers some time back which declared that in the UK you are nevr more than 10 yards from a rat !!!! The article went on to blame the Councils for only collecting refuse every fortnight rather than weekly as previous. Cheers MikeL2 |
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01 Apr 10 - 10:12 AM (#2877365) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: bubblyrat A former partner was confronted with the rat problem a few years back.Living next door to a restaurant didn't help; the rats got into our cavity wall,and we could hear them moving about in the bedroom roof,and in the kitchen roof-cavity,trying to scratch a hole through to the food cupboard !! She ( gun-hating Buddhist partner) summoned a Council "Rodent Control Officer" who charged a fortune for little black boxes with "Warfarin" inside.Waste of time & money.Ditto a private "Pest Elimination Consultant",again with expensive black boxes and inhumane ( Warfarin causes rats to slowly bleed to death internally--Yucch !) poison remedies. Again,zero results,and waste of money.Finally,she allowed me to buy some rat-traps ( just like mouse-traps,only much bigger,so DON'T let your fingers get caught--it HURTS !).I baited these with Edam cheese,laid them along the edge of the patio/garden wall,and killed 2 or 3 rats every night for a week or more . Problem solved !! I am also happy to shoot them ( and rabbits,pigeons,or grey squirrels ) if you can't face it yourself---I live in Oxfordshire,and could do with a little "retirement" job !!! OK ??? I will NOT,under any circumstances,use,or advocate the use of,any kind of poison or other chemical method of pest control.Armed Forces firearms-trained on .303 Bren Gun,.303 Lee Enfield rifle,.38 Webley revolver, 9mm Lanchester sub-machine gun: Showing my age,I think !! |
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01 Apr 10 - 10:21 AM (#2877368) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: SINSULL We had a rat infestation in our formal gardens in NYC when a grocery wholesaler moved into the neighborhood. They were huge and everywhere. Had no fear of people. They would beg. It took months of poison and a fine from the city at the wholesaler to clean up the problem. His trucks were the source. None tested positive for rabies so at least that wasn't a problem. One night on the subway I happened to be i the last car of the train. The doors opened at Queens Blvd and there were piles of trash on the station overrun with rats. We had to stamp our feet and throw things to keep them off the train. It was like a horror movie - hundreds of them. I have no fear of the beasties but I didn't want to be overrun by them. M |
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01 Apr 10 - 12:34 PM (#2877451) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: beeliner I've never known the old-fashioned trap to fail. Bait it with peanut butter or part of a Milky Way. If you're worried about kids or pets, there are safe (for everyone but the rat) traps available. |
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01 Apr 10 - 12:51 PM (#2877464) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk Aw, what the heck? I know a lady who has a big birdfeeding setup outside her house. It is patronized by vast number of birds, a few squirrels, and one rat. The rat has been coming there for years now. He has harmed nothing and hurt no one. One rat outside is not a problem. If you get many rats and they come inside your house, that can be a problem, but one rat in your garden is not a problem at all as far as I can see. He's just a small rodent, for heaven's sake, and he's looking for food same as any other small rodent does. If he's not in your house, what's the problem? Ever seen the movie "Ratatouille"? ;-) You might feel kindlier toward rats if you did. |
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01 Apr 10 - 12:56 PM (#2877465) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: pdq Best bait for a rat trap is fresh-cracked walnut pieces. Avoid touching bait with your hands since the little devils have a great since of smell. Peanut butter gets stale almost immediately, especially in the summer and in warm parts of a house. Not good choice. |
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01 Apr 10 - 01:03 PM (#2877470) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: GUEST,Hardiman the Fiddler If you can locate the hole put broken glass down into in and cover in with a piece of wood. Place a glass jar into a strong bag and break it up with a hammer until it's around fingernail size. Rats have arteries in their front feet and once cut cannot control the bleeding. I used this method twice and it seemed to have done the trick. Also place broken glass among some minced meat close to their exit/entry point. |
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01 Apr 10 - 01:07 PM (#2877472) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Janie When we lived out in the country we looked out one day to notice 2 rats under the birdfeeder. They fled under the well house when we opened the door. On further exploration, there was an entire colony of rats that had dug a burrow under the pump housing. I won't recount the gruesome details of what we went through to eliminate what eventually turned into more than 60 rats, but during the time we were trying to eliminate them, some of them made their way into the storage compartments of the Airstream we were living in. It took months to get rid of them. Since that time, I can not abide rats and assume that if there is one, there will be more. Norway rats live in large family groups. |
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01 Apr 10 - 01:07 PM (#2877473) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: bubblyrat Ratatouille ! Pronounced " Rat-A-Tyoo-Eee" by most English people, but of course, " Rat-A-Twee-Uh" by the French ; Which version do YOU prefer, mes amis ?? |
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01 Apr 10 - 01:10 PM (#2877474) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk Horrifying! I am actually witnessing a large number of people here openly conspiring to commit murder upon a harmless little animal in various hideous ways. How would you feel if someone was plotting to do this to you or to your beloved cats? Hmm? ;-D |
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01 Apr 10 - 01:12 PM (#2877476) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Charmion The kind with tomatoes, eggplant (aubergine), zucchini (courgettes) and lots and lots of garlic. WRT rats: may I suggest a brisk, non-nonsense cat? Worked for me. |
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01 Apr 10 - 01:18 PM (#2877483) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: pdq Please, folks, let's not litter the backyard with sharp broken glass. Even if the glass burried, a dog will eventually dig up the pieces and get hurt. Then there are children who play in the same yard. Best anti-rat tool is still the trap, spring-loaded or Hav-a-Heart type. Bait will result in li'l dead bodies where you don't want them at all: in your car, house, garage, attic... |
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01 Apr 10 - 01:22 PM (#2877486) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: open mike this sort of trap is easily available in U.S. at hardware and feed stores. http://www.havahart.com/store/live-animal-traps you still have to decide how to move/get rid of the critter...which can be a problem if it is one of these: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/skunk/ |
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01 Apr 10 - 01:41 PM (#2877501) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: gnu There is no such thing as ONE rat. And, rats WILL get into your house if they decide to do so. Years ago, I talked to a "rat guy" who told me a number of stories. One awed me. Next to the hole through the 200mm thick concrete wall were several hundred rat carcasses. He said they died gnawing the wall to get into a large cattle barn. Wore their teeth down and bled to death, all for the common goal. He told the owner to keep all the cattle in the pasture for four nights in a row. On the fourth night, he plugged the hole an hour before dawn. He had reversed a vent fan and hooked up an exhaust hose to his truck tailpipe. It took two days to remove over 5000 rats from the barn. Terminate the rodent with extreme predjudice. |
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01 Apr 10 - 03:20 PM (#2877574) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Greg F. Ignore it and go about your business? |
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01 Apr 10 - 03:36 PM (#2877591) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: gnu Ignore it? That's what LH said. But, of course he would. He has never seen a rat in his "garden". And for good reason. He harbours extremely viscious attack dogs which dispatch said vermin with such extreme predjudice, precision and velocity that it's over and done as if they were never there, and without a trace. |
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01 Apr 10 - 03:41 PM (#2877597) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: olddude I didn't have a rat but lots of squirrels got into my garage, I live trapped the little devils and moved them ... you can get them at any hardware store and the smaller ones work for rats also |
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01 Apr 10 - 03:44 PM (#2877601) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: gnu A squirrel is a rat with a bushy tail. |
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01 Apr 10 - 04:18 PM (#2877620) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk It's true, gnu. Dachshunds are voracious rodent killers, and if I had a full sized Dachsie here, he would be sudden death on rats and other rodents. However, the only Dachshund presently resident here is a grossly fat old miniature version who is too lazy (and too cowardly) to attack even his own shadow! The rodents are entirely safe, I assure you. For the moment... I am well aware that squirrels are rats with bushy tails. That's why I am so fond of both rats and squirrels. ;-) I encourage the local squirrels and chipmunks in every way I can. The chipmunks will practically eat food from my hand now. |
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01 Apr 10 - 04:22 PM (#2877624) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: beeliner Deer are rats with antlers. |
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01 Apr 10 - 04:24 PM (#2877626) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: pdq Politicians are rats with their hands in your pockets. |
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01 Apr 10 - 04:25 PM (#2877628) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk And most of them are lawyers too! |
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02 Apr 10 - 04:43 AM (#2877901) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: GUEST,Shimrod There are two gardens to the left of my garden and one to the right. The three adjoining gardens are extremely neat and tidy - whilst mine is a 'jungle' (I prefer to think of it as a 'nature reserve'. One year the lady who owned the extreme left hand garden spotted a rat - and promptly went 'apeshit'! Soon news of this rodent intrusion was all over the neighbourhood. In the fullness of time fingers were pointing at me because jungles and nature = vermin ... don't they? To cut a long story short it eventually transpired that the lady in the adjoining left hand garden had all sorts of elaborate bird feeders hanging from every tree and bush. These were being raided by grey squirrels who, being messy eaters, were spilling bird food on to the ground below the feeders - and it was this spilled food that was attracting the rats. I spotted this from my kitchen window and all I had to do was to tell the lady with the garden to the right of mine ...and soon I was left to cultivate(or not) my jungle in peace. |
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02 Apr 10 - 05:30 AM (#2877916) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: mayomick Has anyone ever seen a little rat ,do they exist? Whenever you hear people say they've seen a rat , it's always large , usually huge. |
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02 Apr 10 - 05:36 AM (#2877919) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Alan Day A rat trap is the idea that appealed to me as I own dogs. Poison will only cause the rats to stagger around until dead, at this point they are caught by the dogs and it kills them. I caught a rat in the trap, took it for a ride in the car and let it go. It did not enjoy the ride but at least I didn't kill it,or my dogs. Al |
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02 Apr 10 - 08:30 AM (#2877988) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Wolfhound person In the UK rat traps (the sprung kind) can be bought from Machine Mart. Mind yer fingers!! We tried peanut butter as bait but the critters are clever and won't touch it. They're coming through the spaces in our 2 foot stone walls and into the kitchen. We block each hole as it happens. They're also in the attic and the unused chimney spaces. Cat is one answer but the dogs wouldn't tolerate it, and anyway, like LtS, I like my tits too much. Might try the mince & ground glass approach...I just want them outside, not inside. Or I could buy another wolfhound.... Paws |
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02 Apr 10 - 08:48 AM (#2877998) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: MikeL2 Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk - PM Date: 01 Apr 10 - 01:10 PM < "Horrifying! I am actually witnessing a large number of people here openly conspiring to commit murder upon a harmless little animal in various hideous ways. How would you feel if someone was plotting to do this to you or to your beloved cats? Hmm?" > hi LH I include below a paragraph from the "rat Dept" of our Local Council. ""Rats In medieval times the black ship rat bought fleas carrying bubonic plague to England. But 200 years on we now have the brown or sewer rat. They do not carry the plague but spread Leptospirosis, Salmonella food poisoning, Typhus, Trichinosis and Tapeworms."" This doesn't sound like harmless to me !! Cheers MikeL2 Rats In medieval times the black ship rat bought fleas carrying bubonic plague to England. But 200 years on we now have the brown or sewer rat. They do not carry the plague but can spread Leptospirosis, Salmonella food poisoning, Typhus, Trichinosis and Tapeworms. |
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02 Apr 10 - 08:51 AM (#2878000) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: MikeL2 Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Charmion - PM Date: 01 Apr 10 - 01:12 PM < " WRT rats: may I suggest a brisk, non-nonsense cat? Worked for me." > We have two cats but they don't seem to be able to control the rats. OK they kill the odd one but they blighters breed VERY quickly !! Cheers MikeL2 |
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02 Apr 10 - 08:53 AM (#2878001) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: GUEST,kendall We have a sure fire way to deal with such vermin; it's called a second amendment. |
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02 Apr 10 - 09:13 AM (#2878012) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Greg F. but can spread Leptospirosis, Salmonella food poisoning, Typhus, Trichinosis and Tapeworms. Yup- just like dogs and cats can and do. |
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02 Apr 10 - 09:39 AM (#2878028) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Becca72 I'm with Little Hawk on this one. Leave the poor little guy alone. Live and let live, ya know? But then, I've always had a fondness for rodents, as my father can attest :-) I'd have pet rats if I didn't already have 3 cats. My nephews have had several as pets over the years. |
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02 Apr 10 - 10:01 AM (#2878038) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: MikeL2 hi becca I too am an animal lover...cats dogs etc etc But we live in an urban situation and the rats here are big black sewer rats.... Not friendly furry little blighters these !! Reagards MikeL2 |
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02 Apr 10 - 10:12 AM (#2878044) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Uncle_DaveO "Rat in my garden, what'll I do? Rat in my garden, what'll I do? Rat in my garden, what'll I do? Skip to my Lou, my darlin' !" Dave Oesterreich |
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02 Apr 10 - 10:39 AM (#2878075) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: GUEST,Shimrod What's very seldom mentioned, in discussions like this, is that plagues of vermin, disease etc. tend to occur because we humans have f***ed up the ecological balance. I was browsing in my local bookshop the other day and came across a book about '6 modern plagues' (unfortunately I didn't note the title or the author). A quick skim of this book suggested that many diseases, like AIDS, Lyme Disease, West Nile Disease etc. are related to ecological imbalances. If we disrupt ecosystems, in the way that we habitually do, certain organisms go extinct, whilst others (like rats) breed uncontrollably and ultimately cause us problems. Still (he said into a deafening silence), we all know that the environment is invisible and irrelevant, isn't it? Only human aspirations and ambitions mean anything. Silly me for even mentioning it! |
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02 Apr 10 - 10:46 AM (#2878081) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: GUEST,leeneia "No doubt to our US friends, a rat is pretty mundane fare but..." Good grief, what is that supposed to mean? Arnie, I assure you that we in U.S. do not take rats for granted. We are mostly clean and orderly people, and we don't tolerate rats around our homes. If you have a rat around your place, go to a store, buy some rat poison, follow the directions, and get rid of it and its fellows. |
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02 Apr 10 - 10:49 AM (#2878089) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk I'm far more worried about my fellow man, MikeL, than I am about the occasional rat. ;-) I simply don't worry about any kind of rodent unless he enters my house. Then he is trespassing and creating a mess, and I deal with him in whatever way works...a lot of mice have met a sudden end in mousetraps here, and the odd one has been caught in a live trap too, and taken a few miles away and released. The trouble with the live traps, though, is sometimes I forget to check them soon enough and the mouse dies a hideous lingering death by thirst and starvation. I figure it's better if they go quickly than go that way. Outside rodents are my friends. I was just out there feeding the chipmunk again. I haven't seen a rat yet, but if I did I'd say "Hi!". (You really must rent the movie "Ratatouille" and watch it. You might experience a real epiphany if you did.) I have to admit that I resent the moles a bit, because they mess up the lawn, but it's a minor annoyance. I'd rather have wild animals around and have a slightly less than perfect lawn than have a perfect lawn and no wild animals. Good news - the Blue Jays returned today! And the birdbath appears to be getting a good deal of use too. There was a Robin in it this morning, vigorously cleaning his feathers, flapping around, and having a grand time. |
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02 Apr 10 - 01:35 PM (#2878237) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: McGrath of Harlow Here's a blues I came across about the fact that You're Never Far From A Rat. Not bad at all. According to this report 20 yards is the average distance, if you're in London. Most Londoners seem to find that this isn't much of a problem. There are worse neighbours you can have than the odd rat. |
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02 Apr 10 - 01:40 PM (#2878239) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: pdq Mudcat's own SuzyT (aka Suzy Thompson) does an old Memphis Minnie song called "One Black Rat", but that one had two legs. |
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02 Apr 10 - 03:42 PM (#2878325) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk I knew a woman who kept pet rats (and numerous other rodents). The rats were very friendly, affectionate, clever little things. Needless to say, they were much friendlier and more relaxed around humans than their wild cousins who may have had some quite unpleasant encounters with the world's most troublesome biped. |
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02 Apr 10 - 03:44 PM (#2878328) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Gurney In cities, rats often live in the sewers. People feed them when they use wastemasters/sink disposal units. Poison is dreadful stuff. It takes hours to kill the poor screaming, gasping beast, and if anything eats the carcase, that dies too, as Alan said. Traps only work a couple of times. Rats are smart. Buy or borrow a terrier. Rats know what's clever. |
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02 Apr 10 - 03:51 PM (#2878335) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk Indeed, there is probably nothing more effective at killing rats than "ratter" breeds of smallish dogs. These would include terriers and some dachshunds (the more aggressive and active ones). Look for a standard size Dachshund who is lean, alert, and active, and you have an excellent ratting dog. The rat will either be exterminated or he will depart the area. This way the rat has a good chance to make up his own mind about leaving, and I like that approach. |
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02 Apr 10 - 03:59 PM (#2878341) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Don Firth Oh, hell! Uncle Dave (02 Apr 10 - 10:12 a.m.) beat me to it!! Don Firth |
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02 Apr 10 - 03:59 PM (#2878342) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk Hey! Here's another surefire solution: Collect a few bucketfuls of Tiger urine. Mountain Lion urine will also suffice in a pinch. Sprinkle it around all the areas where you fear rat penetration might occur. Wait 24 hours. Then sprinkle it all around the edge of your entire property. Rats are terrified by the smell of Tiger urine, and they will flee the area. You will need to renew the Tiger urine only about once a month to remain rat-free. |
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02 Apr 10 - 04:05 PM (#2878346) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Don Firth But I'd be very careful collecting the tiger urine!! Don Firth P. S. Uh . . . at your local supermarket? |
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02 Apr 10 - 04:06 PM (#2878348) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: pdq One may conjecture that obtaining said Tiger urine may be more fraught with peril than living in the proximity of a few Rattus rattus. |
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02 Apr 10 - 04:34 PM (#2878363) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: JohnInKansas Just be glad you don't have one of THESE in your garden. John |
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02 Apr 10 - 04:35 PM (#2878364) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk Yes, but think of the homeowner's peace of mind after the rats are gone... ;-) |
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02 Apr 10 - 05:21 PM (#2878394) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Richard Bridge Jack Russell Terrier. Or a slightly larger dog, but it does need to be compact and quick. My former lodger's "Bull Jack" (it was about the same length as a normal Jack, but about the same across and all muscle, and bred for dog fighting in the Essex tradition of "Put two dogs in dustbin and sit on lid. The one that comes out alive wins") was known to eliminate full grown foxes. But you may need more than one dog because Weill's disease can take dogs too. There is at least one 'catter or ex-catter who used to work in ratting, with two Jack Russells and an unlicensed .22 rifle. |
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02 Apr 10 - 07:54 PM (#2878459) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: gnu Re air rifles. You have to use one with enough power (muzzle velocity) to do the job. Your aim has to be accurate and that takes practice. You have to know how to be accurate in aiming the rifle and in discharing the pellet. You have to know how to set up a sure and clean shot. Unless you understand all of these, an air rifle is definitely not the proper choice. Further, even if you do, there is always a chance of not dispatching an animal quickly and, worse, of simply wounding. Now, for a former RAF airman such as Leadfingers, this is an easy task. Every Brit soldier is a crack marksman, but every crack marksman =needs to be trained and needs to practice. Unless one has such training and practice, an air rifle is just not a good idea. I have such training but I would still attempt the employ a live trap. If one has access to an air rifle, well, the shot would then be much more sure. Or vehicle exhaust. As far as not terminating it, I disagree. |
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02 Apr 10 - 08:13 PM (#2878470) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk Fine. Your name has just been added to the International Rat Defamation Offenders' List, and you will be held accountable for your hostile statements and your actions, should they lead to unnecessary bloodshed. |
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02 Apr 10 - 08:22 PM (#2878475) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: gnu You are against bloodshed? Use the vehicle exhaust, or a y-stick. Much more humane than a weiner dog. |
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02 Apr 10 - 08:52 PM (#2878490) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: ranger1 Richard Bridge beat me to it, nothing like a terrier to take care of a rodent problem. |
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02 Apr 10 - 09:23 PM (#2878506) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Don Firth About the air rifle: I had a friend who owned a Crossman CO2 pellet gun. He took a shot at a rat and hit it right in the fuselage, knocking it a couple of feet. The damned thing got up and started to run away. My friend, who was a darn good shot, had to shoot it twice more before it finally died. Hardy little buggers! Don Firth |
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02 Apr 10 - 09:25 PM (#2878508) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: open mike rodents do carry plague these days, as well as hanta virus. campers are warned not to feed chipmunks i had lots of fun as a kid feeding chipmunks and ground squirrels. my cousins even caught one and brought it home with them. it lived many years. |
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02 Apr 10 - 10:28 PM (#2878521) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk Boy, if there were any more things to worry about these days, it would just get too stressful to go on living, eh? ;-) |
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03 Apr 10 - 12:14 AM (#2878552) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Gurney Air rifles today can be different to the ones I had in my youth. I borrowed one (to shoot a duckling) and the thing pumped up to very effective pressure. It was damaging the metal paint can I was using to sight it in, through two layers of carpet. Before anyone takes me up about the duckling. Some bastard had broken its bill trying to catch it. It couldn't eat. The other eight siblings and two from an earlier clutch survived to fly, and some still come back for a meal sometimes. |
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03 Apr 10 - 04:22 AM (#2878611) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Richard Bridge I cannot take credit for "Terrier" as such, Ranger1. Someone said that above. But, specifically, the Jack Russell terrier and the Parson Jack Russell Terrier (and in the travelling communities, crossbreeds from them with other useful things, eg Italian Greyhound if you want a fleet dog, or Staffordshire Bull Terrier if you want a burly one) are the dog of choice for ratting in the UK. Many other crosses are less useful because of the range of snub noses in smaller dogs - and you don't want a snub nose on a ratter. Apart from muzzle length, I don't know why wire-haired terrier breeds are less used tor ratting. Maybe the smooth coat makes it easier to clean a dog after ratting and check for wounds, which need cleaning very promptly in the case of ratbites. Until recently the KC did not recognise the Jack Russells as breeds (as it did not the Border Collie) but I think the state of play now is that the Jack Russell is recognised, but not the Parson Jack Russell. I would not have suggested a Dachshund. Miniatures are too fragile, and Standards would I think not have the needed agility. They might have a place for going down holes, but then they would be in trouble if attacked from behind, being unable to turn because of their length. Also the long back is very prone to injury. |
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03 Apr 10 - 04:31 AM (#2878613) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Richard Bridge Parson Jack Russell Terrier comparison of Jack and Parson Jack The second page shows a good example of what to my eyes looks a typical Jack Russell - squatty, relatively burly, amiably menacing! |
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03 Apr 10 - 04:34 AM (#2878614) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Arnie leeneia - "No doubt to our US friends, a rat is pretty mundane fare" I wasn't suggesting that in the US you have rats all over the place. I meant that a rat would be pretty mundane fare compared to the skunks, porcupines, raccoons etc. that appear from time to time on threads from our US friends. Sheesh! Seems like however carefully you phrase a comment, someone somewhere is gonna take offence.... Anyway, thanks everyone for the useful suggestions. I don't think I'll be going down the route of shooting the rat though - I'd have to sit out there for hours waiting for it to put in an appearance - and then would probably only wing it. Poison seems a bit extreme as well as I do harbour a bit of a soft spot for little beasties and couldn't contemplate it slowly bleeding to death. Best idea seems to be a quick, clean death via a rat-trap. As it happens, I haven't spotted the rat for a few days now, so possibly it's moved on and saved me the trouble! . |
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03 Apr 10 - 10:56 AM (#2878744) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk I've been in touch with the International Rat Defence League, Arnie. The rat in question contacted them after having become aware of your hostile intentions. "What do I do?" he asked. "I have a raticidal human in the garden!" The counsellors at the IRDL advised him to avoid any confrontation for the time being and move to a safer location until a suitable remedy can be found for this undesirable infestation of homo sapiens, the most dangerous lifeform on Earth. ;-D |
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03 Apr 10 - 10:58 AM (#2878747) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Richard Bridge Well, at least most of us bipeds don't leave an endless trail of urine as we proceed, since most of us have both bladders and some bladder control! |
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03 Apr 10 - 11:07 AM (#2878755) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk WHAT are you implying, sir? Are you looking to get on the IRDL's "unfair" list? Hmmm? Is that what you have in mind? |
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03 Apr 10 - 11:56 AM (#2878770) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: gnu The IRDL came after me for for a wicked wrist shot up against the baby barn doors with my Yvonne Cournoyer autographed Victoriaville hockey stick. It was a mouse, not a rat! Those rat Nazi's will stir up trouble wherever they can. They claimed it was a rat and said they had a witness... a neighbour... one a them there tree huggin, ratsass kissin yuppies. But, since there was no evidence after Maggie ate the varmint, they decided not to continue in court because it woulda cost a lot to try to get DNA samples confirmed. Even if they coulda lifted any DNA from the baby barn, they woulda had a hard time proving that DNA was from the rodent I scored a goal with. They did ask a judge for a search warrant to seize Maggie's litter box but the judge said, "Get the fuck outta here you crazy bastards." My barrister and solicitor has advised me not to say anything about the pending case involving mice in the neighbour's mailbox. |
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03 Apr 10 - 01:48 PM (#2878840) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: GUEST,leeneia Arnie, I know of two ways to get rid of rats which do not harm other creatures. First you find its tunnels. Then you put bags of poison in the tunnels and bury them. Wear clean gloves so as not to leave your scent on the bags. Details like that should be covered in the directions. Another way it to burn a fusee-type device in the tunnel. This is not for near the house. I feed the birds, and once every few years we get a rat or two. These two methods have got rid of them. Thanks for explaining about the skunks, possums, etc. |
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03 Apr 10 - 01:56 PM (#2878843) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: GUEST,crazy little woman Did you get a really good look at this 'rat'? Cause maybe it's a BNP squirrel which has shaved its bushy tail. Shine a flashlight on it and look for studs, piercings, tattoos, etc. |
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03 Apr 10 - 01:59 PM (#2878844) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: gnu A SKINTAIL? Oh dear. Flamethrower! |
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03 Apr 10 - 02:02 PM (#2878847) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk Oh, the vile insults and innuendo!!! There's a lot of prejudice out there against rats. |
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03 Apr 10 - 02:06 PM (#2878852) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: GUEST,999 Unless you can afford to feed it, call the military. |
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03 Apr 10 - 02:14 PM (#2878860) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: gnu Well, I am in a way. When I was about 11 years old, my best friend's dog, Buttons, a small ratter, got bit by one. The rat lasted about three seconds. Buttons lasted about ten days. Ever since, I kinda prefer dogs. Although there is a small yapper two houses away that I would like to use as bait in a rat trap. |
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03 Apr 10 - 02:28 PM (#2878867) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk BOO!!!!!!!!! |
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03 Apr 10 - 02:56 PM (#2878878) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: MikeL2 hi everyone You lot are not taking this seriously at all...... And now not only do have have rats, I have ants too. Whaaaaaaa do I do??????.......maybe I train the ants to eat the rats....er.....er...er.... maybe not a great idea. Help Police... ....or maybe I just go and get ratted... cheers Mikel2 |
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03 Apr 10 - 03:43 PM (#2878897) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Richard Bridge Smear the rats with honey. The ants will follow them to the ends of the earth and eat them alive. |
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03 Apr 10 - 04:36 PM (#2878933) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk I have ants too. Carpenter ants. Now THERE's a real problem! I think I'll start a thread about it... |
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03 Apr 10 - 06:12 PM (#2878993) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Ebbie They say that if you see one rat there are at least 20 more that you haven't seen. One of my brothers lived at home with our parents; one day when I arrived there, he showed me a rat colony he had discovered under a couple of sheets of plywood. I kid you not: There were withing hundreds of them under there, many of them still blind and hairless but other young old enough to explore curiously their suddenly bright world. The adults had all bolted. I never asked him what he did with them; didn't really want to know. |
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03 Apr 10 - 07:35 PM (#2879067) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk But, Ebbie, what if there really is just one rat? Do you realize how offensive these kind of sweeping cultural stereotypes such as "there never is just one rat" are to the solitary rat? |
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03 Apr 10 - 07:46 PM (#2879075) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk When SOLITAIRE'S the only rat in town! And every road he takes just takes him down While life goes on around him everywhere This rat plays SOLITAIRE! And keeping to himself begins to squeal The cheese he put aside someone did steal Another losing game comes to an end The cheese is gone again! |
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03 Apr 10 - 07:59 PM (#2879083) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Gurney And I though LH was a folkie! And Gnu has a BABY barn. I'm in the wrong forum. People keep telling me that. |
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03 Apr 10 - 08:37 PM (#2879096) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Stilly River Sage I answered your carpenter ant question, George. The same site has information about rats, also, but more scattered around. I have two dogs who love to catch rats. They're in the 45 to 55 pound range and are tenacious hunters. A pit bull (American Staffordshire Terrier) and a catahoula/blue heeler mix. We live on a creek and they've got a taste for hunting. Squirrels, possums, and yes, they both got skunked a couple of years ago. The pit killed the skunk, which tells you how persistent she is when she's hunting. Usually getting the spray is enough to chase off most dog breeds. They get snakes, mice, and have caught the occasional pigeon. And rats. They leave the toads alone, because the toads taste bad (intentionally). We used to have an owl that would hunt in the back, and it still might, but the pit bull sees it and barks at it till it leaves, even if it is up on the tall ham radio antenna next door. She doesn't want the competition, though the owl at least eats what it catches. SRS |
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03 Apr 10 - 08:45 PM (#2879097) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk Thanks, Stilly. Boy, that must have been one astonished skunk. |
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03 Apr 10 - 08:50 PM (#2879101) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Stilly River Sage It was sure two really stinky dogs. . . |
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04 Apr 10 - 12:27 PM (#2879405) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: EBarnacle A ways back, when my ex and lived in a garden apartment, a rat wandered inside. I believe it was a young one, looking for a home. About 3 seconds after it passed the threshhold, our larger cat [about 20 lb but NOT fat] attacked it. Shortly thereafter, there was one dead rat and one very proud cat. My input was staying out of the way and cheering him on. Of course, Chongo Chimp would also fill this ecological niche. |
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04 Apr 10 - 12:33 PM (#2879408) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: McGrath of Harlow Give me a choice between a rat and a trigger-happy neighbour who fancies his or her sharpshooting skills, and I'd take the rat every time. I'd feel safer. |
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04 Apr 10 - 12:41 PM (#2879415) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Ebbie "Do you realize how offensive these kind of sweeping cultural stereotypes such as "there never is just one rat" are to the solitary rat?" LH I liked my answer from yesterday which appears to have vanished into the wild blue yonder. What I said was: "Rats are social animals. It is far more demeaning to a rat to assume that they are alone." |
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04 Apr 10 - 12:42 PM (#2879416) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk Be very glad that you don't live next door to Chongo. He uses a Thompson submachine gun most of the time for "pest control". |
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04 Apr 10 - 01:55 PM (#2879463) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: gnu When my old man was teenager in the 30s he had a white rat. He earned top dollar as a night watchman at a large foodstuffs warehouse next to the river. He would go to sleep, knowing that any other rats who entered the warehouse would leave quickly when confronted by his rat and not return. He was offered good money for the rat but never sold it because he considered it a good luck charm. |
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04 Apr 10 - 01:55 PM (#2879465) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: gnu Gurney... I don't have a baby barn anymore. Now, I have a garage. |
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04 Apr 10 - 01:58 PM (#2879467) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Ebbie Hmmm. gnu, why? Were the wild rats intimidated by the white, presumably larger, one? Or was it a case of territorial rights? I would think the tame and wild rats would interbreed. |
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04 Apr 10 - 02:23 PM (#2879481) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk The animal who has "territorial rights" (first claim) can usually pull rank on the one who doesn't. We had a pet squirrel, for instance, and he lived mostly indoors but he liked to go outside too, when we would take him to our country place. Only problem was, the squirrels who inhabited the grounds there would drive him off their territory. He quickly decided that HIS territory included the back porch, however, and he would drive them off that if they dared come too near it. Since the wild squirrels had never really bothered to include the back porch in their official holdings, they were quite intimidated and they would back off at once...but they held unquestioned sway over the garden. The White Rat had obviously established territorial rights over the workplace, and thus had the confidence to defend it effectively. (And he also had backup...his human friend...and that would increase his confidence.) |
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04 Apr 10 - 03:54 PM (#2879542) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Rapparee I can't help it. Every time I see this thread I want to break into song! Rats in the garden, what'll I do? Rats in the garden, what'll I do?.... |
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04 Apr 10 - 04:44 PM (#2879560) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: gnu Kinda, yes, on both counts... maybe.... my aunt Annabell, who was crazy as a bag of rats (and I mean that in the most affectionate way) told me of the white rat and told me that it was because the other rats revered the white rat. She also likened it to the superstition that Dad, whose white rat would fetch his boxing gloves on command and ride his shoulder into the ring held three Maritime Canada boxing weight division championship titles at one time. It was all because of the white rat. Yeah, me too. But Aunt Annabell could string a lad of twelve years of age along. Your mileage may vary. |
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04 Apr 10 - 05:49 PM (#2879592) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: bbc We feed the birds (the squirrels, the chipmunks &, occasionally, the raccoons & opposums). We have a few wood rats that live under the deck, who eat the food that the birds drop. The rats are shy &, as far as I can tell, have made no attempts to enter the house. They are our least welcome guests, but don't really seem to do any harm. Thanks, Little Hawk, for speaking on their behalf. I'm always a bit embarrassed to admit to having rat guests, but am not willing to stop feeding the other furred & feathered folk. Here's a photo I took of one of the little guys this winter. Sometimes, watchful tolerance is a good policy. best, Barbara |
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04 Apr 10 - 05:57 PM (#2879599) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk Beautiful pictures, Barbara! I was out today taking pictures of the chipmunk, who now trusts me and expects to be fed peanuts, so he comes really close. |
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04 Apr 10 - 10:37 PM (#2879750) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: GUEST,leeneia I never heard of wood rats before. They might be all right to have around. But the Norway rat is dirty and destructive. I believe they even have been known to kill infants. |
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04 Apr 10 - 11:07 PM (#2879760) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk "I believe they even have been known to kill infants." So have dogs, cats, and a great many other common animals that we take for granted and profess to like. We don't take rats for granted, because they don't appear to meet our immediate needs (emotional or otherwise). They are therefore considered "inconvenient" to our purposes. I can easily imagine how another society in a different time might regard dogs the same way: All dogs would be feral dogs in such a social order. No one would have ever thought of domesticating them. Therefore they would all be regarded as treacherous, unreliable, and dangerous. The roaming packs of those feral dogs would be despised for robbing food, killing livestock, and menacing travellers. They would even be said to have (gasp!) killed babies on some rare occasions! You see, leeneia, our ideas about all these things are formed by one thing: Our culture. We grow up in a culture, and that culture plants a million arbitrary ideas in our heads. We quite arbitrarily decide to domestic some species as "pets" (dogs, cats, mynah birds, tropical fish, etc.), domesticate and eat others (chickens, pigs, ducks, cows, etc.), hunt and eat others (fish, deer, moose, wild ducks, etc.), and exterminate still others as hated "pests" (rats, mice, etc.). It's almost all arbitrary what a culture decides to do...though it does appear to make sense within its own established parameters. You're born into it, you grow up believing it, and you obey it for the rest of your life. You develop standard reactions to dogs, cats, rats, mice, different kinds of birds, food, clothing, social ritual, etc. Why do people say "gesundheit" when someone sneezes??? Because they saw their parents do that! Well, it always seemed ridiculous to me, so I don't do that. I tend to challenge cultural habits if I can't see any real practical justification for them. People should take a look at ALL their standard cultural assumptions about EVERYTHING from time to time and ask themselves, "Where the heck did this come from? Why do I believe it? Might I not believe it, given other circumatances? Is it real or is it something somebody made up, and no one alive now even knows why? The Chinese and many East Asians eat dogs. Right now. Why? Because their culture says it's okay to do that. So it IS okay in their culture, but that's arbitrary. The Aztecs bred dogs to eat for the same reason. It's arbitrary, leeneia. You might just as well have been born in a society where everyone kept pet rats and loved them, and thought it was totally normal to do that. If they did, they still might not like wild rats all that much...we have problems with wild dogs, after all, that's for sure...and wild dogs are WAY more dangerous than wild rats are. They'll kill you outright if a pack of them goes after you. However, you can't say for sure what people in that society would say about wild rats...because they are nowhere near as dangrous as wild dogs are. They might say, "Oh, look! A wild rat! Isn't he cute!" So think about cultural conditioning a bit, okay? No culture has the last word on anything. We just make it all up as we go along. ;-) |
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04 Apr 10 - 11:22 PM (#2879765) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Jeri Dingoes ate my baby... Rats got the bad reputation because they eat our stored food and host fleas that spread plague. Add in the fact that they can't be trained to be useful, and you've got a pest instead of a symbiote. Don't get me wrong, I get along with most animals, including tame rats. I used to keep them as pets. I think it's natural to view a competitor for food and a link in the plague chain with no easily recognizable characteristics as 'bad'. Take your ants, for example. Judging by other things I've read from you, I don't understand why you think it's OK to kill them. Rats eat grain intended for us, squirrels eat food intended for birds, skunks live in places we don't want them, but they all have to survive. So do carpenter ants, who only want a full stomach and a nice, rotten place to live. Jeri, with a humidifier going 24/7 in my previously sogged basement. |
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04 Apr 10 - 11:59 PM (#2879775) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk I don't think it's necessarily "Okay" to kill anything, Jeri...if you don't have to or you don't have a darned good reason to. (smile) And I harbour no hostility against carpenter ants. They're very interesting little creatures. But I do have a practical concern here...which is that carpenter ants who are living in my house will inevitably destroy the strength of various wooden structures upon which my house depends...given enough time...and will damage the value and integrity of the house in so doing. Therefore, it would be best (from my point of view) to remove them from the house. Since I have no practical way of doing that except to kill them...it becomes a question of balancing one thing (my desire not to hurt them) against another thing (my desire not to have them hurt my house). It's a question of establishing priorities. My house has to take priority in this case. It weighs larger in the scheme of things (for me) than the ants do. I do my utmost not to hurt anything that can be simply removed in a nonharmful manner if it's causing some problem. Similarly, ants will attack anyone who invades or damages their nest...to the best of their ability. They're defending their house. I'm defending mine. You are quite right as to way rats got a bad reputation. However, it's still quite possible that another (hypothetical) society might have decided, for completely arbitrary cultural reasons of their own, to venerate rats, keep them as pets, worship them, train them to be circus performers or any other darned thing under the sun. That's what people are like. They make up a set of ironclad beliefs and customs for ideas that seem like good ideas to them at the time. The next generation repeats those beliefs automatically. After a few generations no one (except a few philosophical types like me...and a few teenage rebels, probably) even thinks to question those beliefs. And that's why we might all be keeping cute little rats as pets and exterminating wild cats and dogs right now... ;-) And someone would say to you, "Cats and dogs have been known to spread disease, damage property, kill pet rats, and even kill human babies!!!" Horrifying creatures! They MUST be destroyed on sight! That's how human culture works. It arbitrarily praises one set of things and arbitrarily damns another. It gets all dramatic about it too, because everyone loves a good drama, right? ;-D |
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05 Apr 10 - 12:06 AM (#2879777) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: EBarnacle Rats are our competitors. Cats and dogs [usually] cooperate with us and are friendly. We kill competitors. |
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05 Apr 10 - 12:32 AM (#2879785) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Little Hawk Yes, that is the case now, Ebarnacle, because in this civilization we live in we have already domesticated dogs and cats and they have thus become useful to us. Dogs have served mainly as guards and companions, for hunting other animals, and in war. Cats have served mainly as rodent catchers and as companions. They would be of no use whatsoever to us, though, if we had never thought to domesticate them in the first place. We might then consider them as our competitors, the same way we now consider rats. Wild dogs and cats would certainly threaten our pets and livestock, and the dogs would threaten us directly. Rats could also be useful as companions and pets to any society that chose to domesticate them and regard them as such. They are very smart and affectionate when they are domesticated and treated kindly. |
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05 Apr 10 - 02:58 AM (#2879804) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: GUEST,Guest from Sanity Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? Rat in the garden??!!!?? Send him all expenses paid, to Washington to 'represent' you, with the other, fat rodents! GfS |
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05 Apr 10 - 03:39 AM (#2879816) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: The Fooles Troupe Rats in the garden, what'll I do? Rats in the garden, what'll I do?.... Skip to My Lou, my Darling! Boom Boom! :-) |
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05 Apr 10 - 03:52 AM (#2879822) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: Jim Carroll Try This, Jim Carroll The Waterford Boys (Trad) For Fun and Diversion we have met together I tell you from Waterford hither we came We crossed the Big Ocean in dark stormy weather Our pockets were light and our Hearts were the same Sad at leaving Old Ireland we're once more on dry land By the roadside a tavern I chanced for to spy And as I was melting my pockets I felt in For the price of a drink I was mortally dry For we are the boys of such Fun and such Eloquence Drinking and Dancing and all other Joys For Ructions Destructions Diversions an Devilment Who's to compare with The Waterford Boys In the tavern I rolled in the landlord he strolled And good morrow says he and says I if you please Will you give me a bed and then bring me some bread And a bottle of porter and a small piece of cheese My bread and cheese ended I then condescended To take my repose sure I bade them good night When under the clothes I was trying to doze First I stuck in my toes and then popped out the light Well I wasn't long sleeping when I heard something creeping And gnawing and chawing around the bed post My breath I suspended but the noise never ended Thinks I you have damnable claws for a ghost Now to make myself easy for I felt rather lazy Well over my head I again pulled the clothes When "Moses what's that", sure a great big jack-rat With one leap from the floor jumped right up to my nose For we are the boys.... Well I reached for a hobnail and made him a bobtail And wrestled with rats to the clear light of day When the landlord came in and he said with a grin For your supper and bed you've five shillings to pay "Five shillings for what, now don't be disgracing yourself" Says I to the rogue "if you please, when I can't sleep With these rats you've the devil's own face on you To charge me five shillings for dry bread and cheese" Oh the landlord went raring and lifting and tearing He jumped through the window and he kicked in the door When he could go no further he roared "Meela murder, these rats they are eating me up by the store Sure they sleep in my stable they eat from my table They've wrestled my dogs and they've killed all my cats" "Truth then" says I "just give me those five shillings And I'll tell you a way to get rid of the rats" "I will then" said he "we'll invite them to supper And dry bread and cheese lay before them for sure Never mind if they're willing, but charge them five shilling And devil the rat will you ever see more" |
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05 Apr 10 - 04:03 AM (#2879827) Subject: RE: BS: Rat in the garden what am I gonna do? From: The Fooles Troupe Shut the door they're coming through the windows |
