Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Oh Rats!!

Literally. Rats. Well at least one rat, but if you see one you know there's a good chance that there are more that you don't see. Standing outside this morning I saw movement on the ground over by my car which is a good 80 feet away. Watching it, I was pretty sure it wasn't a chipmunk because it looked to be bigger and it wasn't moving the way a chipmunk usually moves around. I had a sinking feeling that it was a rat. Went inside and got my binoculars and sure enough, a rat. Not a cute little gray mouse with pink ears, not even a not so cute little brown mouse....a rat.

I haven't seen any rats around here for at least 10 years. Not since the guy behind me had a wood pile the size of Texas stacked up on 3 sides of his 3 car garage. Used to see quite a few rats then. But every winter the wood pile would gradually get smaller until finally it was gone, and so were the rats. Don't know where they went but as long as they were gone, I didn't worry about it.

But now.....a rat. A big brown rat. Don't know where it came from. Maybe a kids pet that got loose (do kids have brown rats for pets?) or just a wild rat that happened to show up . I don't know. What I do know is that I don't want that rat here!!!! Nowhere near here!!!! GO AWAY RAT!!!!

P.S. The really weird thing about this is that the sparrows followed this rat where ever he went. Hopping on the ground behind it, they followed it under the hydrangea bush, under the car and even into the next yard when I finally threw rocks at it. What's up with that??

8 comments:

Roses and Lilacs said...

The sparrows were probably watching the rat to give warning if it got near one of their nests.

I hope the rat is just passing thru and hasn't found a home nearby.
Marnie

flydragon said...

You and me both!!!

Anonymous said...

Maybe the sparrows thought the rat might have food stashed away for a rainy day. Especially since you shoo them away from your feeder. Make sure that the RAT doesn't come to the bird seed!!! Maybe he was only visiting a friend but I guess that wouldn't be too good either. Middle sis

flydragon said...

Let's hope he was scrounging far away from home looking for food, couldn't find any and went back. Or lets hope he was looking for the lake, took a wrong turn but eventually found the right way, and is now swimming out to sea. Lets hope ANYTHING EXCEPT that he lives around here or was visiting a friend. Where's that darn cat when you need him???

Nunya said...

you can borrow my almost dead cat, or the teeny tiny one who is probably 1/3 the size of that rat.

flydragon said...

Okay, bring them both over and maybe between them, they can get the job done. We can use teeny tiny for bait and almost dead to fall on it and suffocate it. Sound like a plan?

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Gross! I've had to deal with mice in the basement, raccoons in the attic & a dead possum in the garden, but I'm happy to keep all them & wouldn't trade the lot for a single rat. I've read your other critter posts too - I think you have even more wildlife happenings than I do. I love the trapped squirrel story.

flydragon said...

It sure sounds like you have your hands full with critters, your house too, I might add. You're definitely right about the rat. Ewwwwwww