There is something in my house

Trinity

Ok have no clue where to post this so will stick it here til its moved!!

Theres something im my house and i dunno what it is.

Every morning i come down the dogs dishes are completely empty, water and food yet they were full going to bed.

Now it could nt be the dog cos he sleeps upstairs with me and i close the living room door tight every night so he would be unable to get down.

ANy ideas what it could be and how can i find it?

Its only a small area of space as i said i leave the living room door closed so its gotta be in the kitchen or living room :eek:

Karl Hungus

Set up a video camera overnight? Provided you have one that is.

Trinity

was only thinking that just now. i dont have one but i could borrow one i think.

Davexirl

I can think of a few things it could be.

1. Your dog goes down stairs and is able to open the doors eat all the food and come back up.

2. You have rats.

3. Just stop leaving the food out over night.

Sam Vimes

ghosts?

Trinity

1. impossible

2. :eek: but the most logical explanation *shivers*

3. will do - but will that get rid of them?

Trinity

Commander Vimes wrote:

ghosts?

Yep have them too but i dont think they are partial to pedigree chum. :rolleyes:

Wishbone Ash

Why do you leave food and water out if the dog stays upsatirs?

If it is rats there should be dropping around. Scatter flour or talcum powder on the floor and you may see the trails next morning.

If you have a rat, it must be getting in and out. Search for holes or gnawed wood around doors etc.

Does the dog not bark if there are rats around? Most do AFAIK.

Trinity

I always dish him up food in the evening, he just never finishes it (he prefers people food) and i forget to throw it out before going to bed.

Well thats just it i would have thought that the dog would have sensed something but he doesnt, hes only 1 though and a bit molly coddled so if he did catch something he would want to play with it.

Hes a coward anyway he hides under my skirt if he hears a noise! :rolleyes:

wyndham

Santa?

Davexirl

We had them in my house about this time last year. Is there much buliding work going on near your house? They started building apartmets on land top of my road and the rats moved in. My next door neighbour caught 5 :eek:. We only got the one but it took a while smart buggers they are. The rat we had kept gettting the food of the rat trap everynight so we had to invest in a cage, were the door will close when the rat took the food. The rat kept getting the bait off without the door closing until one day I was getting ready for work and i could here a banging and scratching noise from under the sink in the kitchen. I opened up the press and there it was banging it-self against the door trying to open it. It was a big b*****. We used peanut butter and a bit of bread as bait. Can't remember how we found out to use this but it worked.

Wishbone Ash

Rats are much more suspicious than mice and will generally take longer to catch. They tend to avoid anything new for a few days whereas mice will head straight for it. Most of the rats foraging for food are males who will then bring it back to the nest or stockpile it. If you catch the male rat, reset the trap and wait for several days for the female to emerge. She will not generally leave the nest until she is starving.

Davexirl wrote:

I opened up the press and there it was banging it-self against the door trying to open it.

What next - dip the cage into a bucket of boiling water or even cooking oil? That's what my neighbour used to do.

Davexirl wrote:

It was a big b*****.

I've never yet heard of someone catching a small rat.

Trinity

I live next door practically to the port tunnel works so yeah there is a bit of building going on

Not something i wanna see face to face - mice i can handle, rats eh no thanks.

will have to enlist the help of some friends. But thanks for all the advice. I shall never sleep again

Davexirl

I didnt boil the water up now I just drowned it in a bucket of cold water.:D

But good thinking.

Wishbone Ash

Davexirl wrote:

I didnt boil the water up now I just drowned it in a bucket of cold water.:D

But good thinking.

I don't know if it's a myth but people say that if you slowly dip a rat in and out of boiling water they squeal like mad and it frightens all other rats out of the area. My neighbour reckons that, as cooking oil boils at 180 (?) degrees it will be even more effective.

I have my doubts though!

MrJoeSoap

Slip a bit of poison in the water, should solve the problem. Just don't let the dog near it.

Beer is Life

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I don't know if it's a myth but people say that if you slowly dip a rat in and out of boiling water they squeal like mad and it frightens all other rats out of the area. My neighbour reckons that, as cooking oil boils at 180 (?) degrees it will be even more effective.

I have my doubts though!

Im usually a cold hearted bástard, but that is fúcked up

Setun

Beer is Life wrote:

Im usually a cold hearted bástard, but that is fúcked up

lol

It could be those weird things that were in Black Books.

Manny: Look at them, they're getting bigger! Soon we'll be able to saddle them up and ride them into town!

sonic juice

Maybe it's a small child with a taste for dog tapestries,beware the small child!

SimpleSam06

Okay everyone settle down, it wasn't rats or the boogey man, it was just me. Oh and your remote control needs new batteries too. Can you pick up some chilli sauce when you're out shopping next Thursday? tnx.

Trinity

SimpleSam06 wrote:

Okay everyone settle down, it wasn't rats or the boogey man, it was just me. Oh and your remote control needs new batteries too. Can you pick up some chilli sauce when you're out shopping next Thursday? tnx.

oooh thats scary my remote does need new batteries :eek:

and i dont have chilli sauce mmmmm..........

Lurk

Unless they have their canteens with them, would rats drink a whole bowl of water?

Beelzebub

MrJoeSoap wrote:

Slip a bit of poison in the water, should solve the problem. Just don't let the dog near it.

DO NOT use poison.

The critter will crawl to some inaccessible area to die and then you will have an abominable stink to contend with and a bitch of a job locating the body...

Plus on the extreme offchance that it could be a hedgehog - they are beneficial creatures to have in your garden - eat slugs and other plant nasties. I wouldn't be encouraging them in the house though - so that was a good suggestion also not to leave food out at night.

Trinity

Beelzebub wrote:

DO NOT use poison.

The critter will crawl to some inaccessible area to die and then you will have an abominable stink to contend with and a bitch of a job locating the body...

Plus on the extreme offchance that it could be a hedgehog - they are beneficial creatures to have in your garden - eat slugs and other plant nasties. I wouldn't be encouraging them in the house though - so that was a good suggestion also not to leave food out at night.

awh i couldnt hurt any animal, but i am gonna try for the video camera, failing that the powder on the floor so i can see the wee paw prints.

Curiousity is getting the better of me now i just HAVE to know what it is!

Trinity

was just thinking about it realistically.

If it is just coming in and out of the house at night this is the only access point (that is if a rat would fit in there). This pipe leads into the kitchen sink and there is an uncovered gap under the presses. So i guess block up the gap so even if he still climbs in from outside he has no access to the kitchen?

And obviously also stop leaving food out!

BigEejit

A mouse can fit in in hole just big enough for a pencil to fit in .... i would guess a rat would need something a big bigger but i would think that hole in the pic would be big enough

Setun

Trinity1 wrote:

was just thinking about it realistically.

If it is just coming in and out of the house at night this is the only access point (that is if a rat would fit in there). This pipe leads into the kitchen sink and there is an uncovered gap under the presses. So i guess block up the gap so even if he still climbs in from outside he has no access to the kitchen?

And obviously also stop leaving food out!

Doubt that's your problem. I'd say something got in the door or summat and now can't get out, and it's living in your house now. White powder or cctv is the only way.

Or else wait up with a baseball bat and night vision goggles..

MrJoeSoap

Daddio wrote:

Doubt that's your problem. I'd say something got in the door or summat and now can't get out, and it's living in your house now. White powder or cctv is the only way.

Or else wait up with a baseball bat.

Could be one of these

Trinity

ok stop it now you;re scaring me

i hope its a cute fluffy kitten :rolleyes:

Feral Mutant

Whatever happens, make sure you find out what it is before you stop it coming back. No reason, I just want to know. I'm curious.

Trinity

Oh i will. Will post photos. Shall we place bets

charlie@w.d

Trinity1 wrote:

Oh i will. Will post photos. Shall we place bets

my bet is that it is you thats taking the dogs food.
each night u sleepwalk and you dream of been a dog. You wander around the house looking for food, sniffing and cocking the leg and then u eventually find the food and water.
what ya think im right arent i?:D

NoDayBut2Day

Trinity1 wrote:

Oh i will. Will post photos. Shall we place bets

Just by reading this thread, I would say it's probably mice. That's curious that the water bowl would be completely empty, though. They must have been thirsty!

Good luck getting rid of whatever it is!

Black Swan

Mouse in your house?

Mr. Presentable

Lay powder, flour, whatever will reveal tracks, and work from there.

They say, whoever "they" are, that you are on average ever only six feet from a rat.......

Trinity

charlie@w.d wrote:

my bet is that it is you thats taking the dogs food.
each night u sleepwalk and you dream of been a dog. You wander around the house looking for food, sniffing and cocking the leg and then u eventually find the food and water.
what ya think im right arent i?:D

Oh the shame my secret is out

MrJoeSoap

MrJoeSoap wrote:

Slip a bit of poison in the water, should solve the problem. Just don't let the dog near it.

What happens if it turns out he's doing all of those things sleep-walking?

He'd've just poisoned himself. Hah.

monkeyfudge

NoDayBut2Day wrote:

Just by reading this thread, I would say it's probably mice. That's curious that the water bowl would be completely empty, though. They must have been thirsty!

Could they be mice that have eaten your stash of ecstasy tablets?

FranknFurter

A rat will tend to use the same "run" every night, so its worth using the flour trick (talc if scented might make him go in a different direction). That way you can track him back to wherever he is coming in and seal it off.

B

Ruu_Old

Tom will get your mouse, flour or talc will work to track what it is as suggested.

Umiq88

Do the powder thing and see what happens

Chucky the tree

I'll sit in your kitchen all night and see what it is if you cant find a camera.

1huge1

Wishbone Ash wrote:

I don't know if it's a myth but people say that if you slowly dip a rat in and out of boiling water they squeal like mad and it frightens all other rats out of the area. My neighbour reckons that, as cooking oil boils at 180 (?) degrees it will be even more effective.

I have my doubts though!

ok thats just pure evil

seamus

I think dipping a rat in 100 degree water and 180 degree oil are going to feel equally painful for the rat.

I'm pretty sure that's a myth Ash

Aisling(",)

i bet your dog is a little secret agent super smart dog and is doing all of this to freak you out

Diarmsquid

Aisling(",) wrote:

i bet your dog is a little secret agent super smart dog and is doing all of this to freak you out

How much?

Aisling(",)

Diarmsquid wrote:

How much?

50 cent im a big spender ohhh yeah :cool:

Binomate

Do you sleepwalk?

Wishbone Ash

nipplenuts wrote:

Lay powder, flour, whatever will reveal tracks, and work from there.

You are really on the ball there nipplenuts - first suggested at 9.46am yesterday!:rolleyes:

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Scatter flour or talcum powder on the floor and you may see the trails next morning.

deisemum

I'm nearly afraid to go to bed now that my imagination is working overtime after reading this thread. I think I'll sleep with one eye open and get the cat to keep guard at the end of my bed.

I just heard the ice thing in the freezer and I nearly jumped out of my skin. I couldn't cope with a dead mouse let alone a rat. yuck

TerrorFirmer

I would imagine it's most likely the dog coming down during the night. Not much else- unless your husband/boyfriend stumbles in, confused, at 3am - could eat an entire dogs dinner and empty the water bowl and still manage to hide undetected in the house