Living in Harmony With Rats

My kitchen is basically a cover over the rear yard of the house and although it's enclosed and I never leave out food waste and empty the bins, I had a family of rats move in!
The big rat is the mummy rat I assume and I have also seen a couple of smaller ones, especially at night when I flick on the light and go into the kitchen as they scurry bck to their hiding place. To be honest, they have been there for a couple of weeks and as the big rat seems to have a broken leg and can't run quickly or jump, I'd left them alone, just making sure everything was more thoroughly cleaned up with Dettol but then the wife spotted one.......time to say goodbye!
Now as a kid, I used to keep them as pets. They are very affectionate and highly intelligent creatures. Thais, despite their Buddhist principles simply kill them in traps or whack them, but I can't do it so they needed to be caught.
I pulled out a plastic basket I keep some old Tupperware type containers in and plastic carriers I use for bin bags as I suspected that's where they might be hiding and sure enough, huddled in the corner were two sets of eyes staring up at me. They aren't actually that small, about thesize of a fully grown mouse but they are cute and have jet black eyes.

I picked up the basket gently so as not to make them jump out and carried it through the house and out of the front into the yard, cheeks nipped tightly in case they made a bolt for it whilst I was actually walking through the house!

They didn't, and I put the basket down outside. After a few seconds, one jumped out, then the other and ran behind the bins, and at the back of the water tanks. Oh, then another! In total there were 7 of them and are now tucked away in my front yard. I hope the wife doesn't see them.....or the local cats.

As for mummy and her bad leg. Sadly I found her dead on the floor in the kitchen when I got home tonight, it looks like another rat came over the wall through a gap and attacked her as she had some wounds. The new rat is obviously running and climbing OK as there is no sign of it now but tomorrow will be a day filling gaps and trying to stop any more getting in.

Never had this problem in Leeds!

Anyway, this article is about humanely dealing with these creatures and living side by side with them without the feeling the need to destroy them at every available opportunity!

There's room for everyone :-)

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