Yesterday's excitment....

12 years ago

We have several bags of mulch leaning against the shed.

Diane moved one and there was a rat's nest with newborn babies. She dropped the bag and ran for the house.

When I got home she told what she saw. She said it was soooo gross.

I went out and moved the bag and there was nothing there.

Oh GREAT! After moving 2 more bags I found them.

Ok, now what do I do?

I got several grocery bags and a rubber glove and picked up all but a few. The last 3 were between 2 bags and right at the wall. I finally got a small rake and moved them out. There were 9 of them!

OK! ooops now that they are in the bag, what am I going to do with them?

BTW while this is going on, Diane is all but climbing on the roof.

I finally decided to put the bag in the freezer until garbage day. I felt that was the most humane.

When I carried the bag through the house, I told her I was going to put them in the freezer. She said put them in the one in the garage! What, their going to get out of the bag and open the freezer?

I am sqeemish(?) about some things, but that did not bother me. I guess having had 3 boys I can do just about anything, except handle a snake.

That said, had they been full grown and able to run at me, it would have been another story.

I really hated to dispose of them but I can't have 9 rats in the yard. Just because they looked harmless dosen't mean they would stay that way.

Comments (10)

chena
12 years ago
Take them to the pet store they will feed them to the Snakes..LOL ;0)
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
12 years ago
Well, unfortunately rats are everywhere now and it's good that they were found. That's the most humane way to euthanize them. It's the way the pet shops use when they have a sick fish or bird, etc..

The proliferation of rats is why I appreciate having rat snakes in the area. I even had a ring tail cat under the deck and they are great ratters. Miners and trappers used to keep them as pets so they would catch rats and mice. My terrier/basenji mix even caught a couple of rats. Good doggie!

Here is a link that might be useful: Ring tail cat ...
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chena
12 years ago
Roselee the Cat is very cool!!!!!

Kylie
pjtexgirl
12 years ago
I know how to humanely euthanize rats. Even pet rats that have gotten sick better than a Vet with a needle. I had to put down a pet rat that was good sized this way. It was painless. She went to sleep and never woke up.

I put her in a water proof "critter keeper" on a soft rag so she would be more comfy.
I set the kritter keeper (holes drilled in the sides above 3") down inside a 10 gallon aquarium.
I put 6 tablespoons of fresh baking soda around the bottom of the 10 gallon tank.
I poured 1 cup of vinager mixing it into the baking soda to make CO2.
She lost consciousness quickly
Then I added more baking soda (around the same amt?) then another cup of vinager.
I covered the whole thing with a heavy towel (I did this in the bathtub in our bathroom) and left it for 30 minutes.
She was cold and not breathing when I checked her for signs of life. I waited another 30 minutes then checked for breathing again.
She was gone.
rock_oak_deer
12 years ago
This guy is ready to help

Texas Rat Snake living in a Live Oak across the street.
plantmaven
Original Author
12 years ago
You just had to show me that! Now I'll have nightmares.
roselee z8b S.W. Texas
12 years ago
Mother nature has really done a good job with camouflage. That's so the rats don't notice him until he's had his meal. Great photo!
pjtexgirl
12 years ago
My neighbors did away with my rat snake that I imported(from another neighborhood)!!! GRRR. I had to resort to rat traps. What a pain. I'd get another one but I know some fool will just kill it again.
plantmaven
Original Author
12 years ago
When we still lived at the other house one got in a hanging basket and ate the baby birds. It was heatbreaking, you could see the bumps of the birds in him/her.
carrie751
12 years ago
Unfortunately, nature is not as selective as we would be in what "critters" choose to dine on. I don't like to think about it, but that's the way it is !!!