Twelve Grumps of Christmas - Number Five, A Winter Rat
By jb78000
@jb78000 (15139)
December 2, 2010 1:33pm CST
anybody got mixed feelings on winter wildlife? i've started putting crumbs on my windowsill and hanging fatballs since the snow began. for birds. so this morning i went to put my makeup on at the windowsill and was pleased to see some little tweets just a few inches away from me. however the tweets also had a furry little friend sitting beside them.
now i like rats, and i am happy mr ratty got a meal, however this was just far too close. i know there aren't any wild rats in this building - i have bags of petfood and they would last two minutes in the face of a rat infestation. rats are clever though, and i don't want to encourage mr ratty or his friends, they'd find a way in sooner or later. any ideas? - i'd like to carry on feeding the birds without encouraging wild ratties.
3 people like this
10 responses
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
2 Dec 10
hi jb ye old rabbit I like Dawn's idea of luring Mr.Rat to some neighbors you really do not care for.I do not know much about rats but
hear they love to eat.Yes right under your nose was a bit too close for Mr.Rat.Another idea is to have a f ew cats around too. lol lol.
2 people like this
@Torunn (8607)
• Norway
2 Dec 10
Placing a cat in your windowsill is probably not a good option :-)
Put the crumbs on something hanging in the air? If possible. You get lot of stuff that's supposed to be squirrel secure, and I suppose they will be quite rat secure too.
There's some birds searching for food at my veranda. I've been thinking about putting out food for them, I don't think rats will be a problem though as I live on the 6. floor and there's not really anywhere for them to climb up. There's a bunch of crows living on top of the block, I'm not quite sure I want them on my veranda. Although I could take pictures of them ....
Crow with crane in the background. They're building at the hospital just across the road, and in the mornings it seems like the crane is going to come up on my veranda.
1 person likes this
@jb78000 (15139)
•
3 Dec 10
i am thinking once the birds realise there is food going on my windowsill they will start clearing it away very quickly. all i need to do is get the birds trained to come when they see the window opening (which they will do) and then wait until the food is gone before going out. going to start leaving a little out in the morning until the penny drops. one little bird is no use, need to get all the others to catch on.
@urbandekay (18278)
•
3 Dec 10
No, though someone else may have but I see you are right
all the best urban
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
3 Dec 10
RATZ...you say! I am NOT a rat lover! BUT...I do love my winter "feathered" friends....and this is how I feed them!
1. Large pine/fir cones
2. Suet from local butcher/meat store
3. Peanut Butter
4. Bird seed (good quality)
5. String (I use clear fishing line)
6. A large multi-pronged branch (or use your imagination and hang from trees)
Tie lengths of string to cones! Mix bird seed and suet together..cover the cones in peanut butter, roll in the bird/seed suet mixture with some pressure! When completely coated hang from the branch! I anchor the branch on the railing of my deck, where I can see it from my kitchen & family room window...selfish and enjoyable site!
And, our "local birdwatchers" group tells me the suet fat & oil from peanut butter is very healthy for them, and adds fuel to their diet to keep them warmer...and guess what.........NO UN-INVITED R A T Z!!!!! Furthermore...Mr. Rat will find a way to get into your home....and EAT ANYTHING he wants. Cheers!
@pergammano (7682)
• Canada
3 Dec 10
EGADS...NO! I am so glad, it was your hamsters! I think the RATZ in my area are producing by "binary fision"...seems one, and only one gets in, and somehow, some miracle...there is a RAT PACK.
Just a reminder...RATZ and MICE, the only two rodents blessed with a "flexible" rib cage, and it is said the rat can enter your home thru a hole the size of a Cdn. quarter...Mice, the size of a Cdn. dime Guess I will have to send you one of each, so you will know which size holes to plug...LOL!
@jb78000 (15139)
•
3 Dec 10
if their head can get through a gap the rest of their body can follow. applies to all rodents i think. well mr ratty got frightened off by the flash of my camera - wanted to check what kind of ratty he was. looked this morning and the fatball i couldn't be bothered unpicking is still intact apart from a few beakmarks. think mr rat has decided to take his chances elsewhere.
@jb78000 (15139)
•
3 Dec 10
i thought mr rat had found his way inside last night. heard all this scurrying in the bedroom, which went on so long i thought mr rat had got trapped. i put the light on and went looking, thinking i could probably catch him and toss him outside, problem solved. it wasn't mr rat. i'd left the hamster cage door ajar earlier.
1 person likes this
@dawnald (85146)
• Shingle Springs, California
2 Dec 10
Put lots of food down the road outside the house of somebody you don't like?
Seriously, it's the same problem here with squirrels. Unless you can find a food receptacle that the birds can get into and the rats can't, once they're attracted to a place with food, you're in trouble.
1 person likes this
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
3 Dec 10
SIGHS HEAVILY: THINKS: ISN'T IT OBVIOUS?
Send for Toad of Toad Hall to get rid of the rats sweetie. If you see any parrots then please take good care of them until I can send for them . Any more problems? And no I cannot clear away the snow. The single son - th one that you are not interested in - sent me some amazing photos of the snow. am glad that I am not there. Keep warm
1 person likes this
@djbtol (5493)
• United States
3 Dec 10
If you want to take an aggressive approach, it is time to mix some rat poison in with the food. I know this may present a problem for your little tweets, but maybe you could stand it if you are not yet on a first name basis. Think ahead to next week when there will be more tweets, but not rats.
If you are lucky, the rat will bring his friend along for breakfast.
@GardenGerty (160879)
• United States
8 Dec 10
Sounds like the problem is solved. I would have been the one to say hang the food from the trees. Maybe equip your feeding station with a flashing light.
@irisheyes (4370)
• United States
10 Dec 10
Appropos of nothing, your picture looks a lot like the albino rat of Ardmore, Pennsylvania. I saw him once. Thought he was a cat crawling into a sewer. Folks told me later that it wasn't a cat (even though it was as big as a very large feline ) but it was Ardmore's famous albino rat. He's not exactly an urban legend here, just sort of a small town legend that we are fond of and like to talk about. lol
