Rats!!!!!!!!-WTF?

The_Minister

I went my whole life without seeing any rats. Not one. I'd hear the odd rustle, see the odd flash, but that was all.
In the last month, I have seen six. Blatently sitting out in the open, fleeing when I approached, but not till I got within a three metres or so. They're also bigger then any of the dead ones I've seen
Is this their breeding season?
Was it the warm weather?
Have other people noticed this?

I'm not squemish, but this is getting unnerving. Am I just being unlucky?

JIZZLORD

perhaps you now have the plague

Dudess

I feel the same way about rats as Winston Smith does (I'm going through a bit of a 1984 obsession at the moment).

Rats like this? http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/070628/ratbop_l.jpg

l3LoWnA

...........the other day! Wheel of my car squished the dirty bugger! hate them! I often see them running across the road when i'm driving but have never come face to face with one yet thank god!

l3LoWnA

l3LoWnA wrote: »

...........the other day! Wheel of my car squished the dirty bugger! hate them! I often see them running across the road when i'm driving but have never come face to face with one yet thank god!

Usually, I try to avoid squashing animals on the road, except rats!

humbert

Have you recently taken up residence in a sewer perhaps?

l3LoWnA

Deleted User wrote: »

Usually, I try to avoid squashing animals on the road, except rats!

Oh, I've made a habit of it, although not intentionally of course! I hit a bird a few years back (thought it would fly away as I approached, it was miding it's own business hopping about in the middle of the road - but it waited until my car was just over it and then tried, unsucessfully, to fly - heard the thud under the car, looked in rear-view mirror and saw a massive puff of feathers :eek: )

More recently I hit what I still believe to this day (although everyone argues they don't exist in Ireland?!) was a baby otter, saw a little family of black things trying to jump into a hedge (from a distance I thought they were crows picking at some debris on the road, so I kept driving) As I was passing them a small one jumped at the hedge and fell backwards and under the wheel of my car. I didn't stop and get out as didn't really want to deal with the grieving parents

As for the rat - no sympathy whatsoever! Horrible creatures!

Jesus Wept

Found a dead one in my garden a week ago, maybe they are about to take over,

thefinalstage

Rats are relatively harmless. They also provide a needed service.

thelastangryman

thelastangryman wrote: »

Rats are relatively harmless. They also provide a needed service.

Like spreading weil's disease, amongst others.

Pherekydes

Rats are like icebergs.

You only see a tiny proportion of the whole. If you start seeing more, then there's a LOT more unseen.

I saw one out riding my bike the other day. I thought he was going to run under my wheel, but he turned back at the last second.

Yep, they're taking over.

P.S. I was riding my bike, not the rat. LOL

P.P.S. Still wrong. LOL, makes it look like I'm saying I was riding my bike, not riding the rat. But I wasn't riding the rat, anyway. OK, I was on the bike, the rat was on the road. Off to take my Parkinson's meds.

The Hill Billy

There apppears to be a huge number of them this year for some reason. I live out in the sticks & I've never seen so many as there are this year.

I have the health board's Rat Man out twice in the last few weeks laying poison. The feckers appeared to have gone, but when I popped out the back for a smoke last night I could hear them rustling around the bushes all over place.

Time to get the Rat Man back methinks.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

you're all genocidal bastards

tallus

My cat is always killing them and leaving them as a present on the doorstep. I'd rather see a dead one than a live one tho.
Apparently you're never more than ten feet away from one.

leninbenjamin

The Rats are back. we had a few of the buggers feeding off the bird feeder recently enough... humongous he was. like a big... rat...

eh...

magick

yup have to agree, if u see one their a lot more ur not seeing ! Always handy to have a few stray cats round the neighbourhood or magpies (yes i said magpies) cos they love them rats too!

Archeron

I seem to be encountering a lot of hedgehogs this year.

tallus

magick wrote: »

yup have to agree, if u see one their a lot more ur not seeing ! Always handy to have a few stray cats round the neighbourhood or magpies (yes i said magpies) cos they love them rats too!

Soo true! a few weeks ago there were Magpies chasing a rat close to where I work and apparently you could hear the fcuker squealing from a long way off.
Gross .

smashey

l3LoWnA wrote: »

More recently I hit what I still believe to this day (although everyone argues they don't exist in Ireland?!) was a baby otter,

Plenty of otters around.

thelastangryman wrote: »

Rats are relatively harmless. They also provide a needed service.

Weils disease?

Pherekydes

Archeron wrote: »

I seem to be encountering a lot of hedgehogs this year.

I have a hedgehog in my back garden! Don't know where he came from, or even if it's a he. Not checking either; I don't to prick my finger.

I think these [happenings] are all signs of the impending apocalypse. When you see a python in your back garden you'll know it's time to run... :eek:


...and pray.

Terry

Deleted User wrote: »

Like spreading weil's disease, amongst others.

That's really only water rats and they tend to live, well, near water.
Used to see a lot of them during the Summer months, before the river Rye became too polluted to swim in.

I've seen a few big bastards too near the local slaughter house.
The type described by the OP.
They don't move. They just look at you.
They run when you get close enough to kick them though.

SpitfireIV

Theres a thread on the same topic over in 'Nature and Bird Watching' I think.

But yeah, seen a few myself this year, seen them swimming along the river. Lot of noise and hustling in my shed too at times, a bit unnerving, hope to god it isnt rats, I HATE them!! My neighbour maintains that you cant get black mice.....I seen a small black thing in the shed, baby rat perhaps?

Seen one dead on the road lastweek, I poked it with a stick , there was that fear though that it would suddenly come alive and attach itself to my face!!

Didnt I hear a story a couple of years back about someone in Ireland who woke up to find a rat on his/her face? Nice.

briantwin

Lots of Rats knocking around this Autumn/Winter....didn't see that many during the summer. There used to be millions of the lovely little bast*rds out in Maynooth when there was a Mill but due to all the redevelopment they had to move on. Sadly there is too little space for them to go....so i believe a lot of them have applied to the government for refugee status.
Subsidisedd housing and all the other perks. I'm sure they've never been happier Alos i agree about the hedgehog thing aswell. Although when ever i see them lately they are in the middle of estates and have obviously been tortured or brutalised by little hoody wearing f**kers. I chased away a kids i found who had covered a little defenseless (i know they have spines) in lighter fluid and setting it on fire. Bloody scum!!

Wacker

Nasty story here: I saw a rat running across a road near Killiney DART station once. If you're familiar with the spot, you'll know that there is a hill there with really long grass - I'd imagine there are about a thousand rats in there. Anyway, this fella was crossing the road, and a car was approaching him. If the rat continued going the same way, he'd have been okay. Instead, he changed directions and tried to outrun the car.
He failed.
Badly.

The car only got his head. His body was kicking and struggling for a few seconds.

T'was one of the nastier things I've seen in my young life.

dodgyme

Dudess wrote: »

I feel the same way about rats as Winston Smith does (I'm going through a bit of a 1984 obsession at the moment).

dont mention the 1984 stuff, like the horrors after lotsa drink. I opened a thread on rats in the nature section of boards. Hate them

*Page*

Any chance there have been road works or digging of any sort?

the only time we got rats was when they started building more houses and disrupted a warren, also when they dug up the river to make the walls higher...

Zzippy

l3LoWnA wrote: »

More recently I hit what I still believe to this day (although everyone argues they don't exist in Ireland?!) was a baby otter, saw a little family of black things trying to jump into a hedge (from a distance I thought they were crows picking at some debris on the road, so I kept driving) As I was passing them a small one jumped at the hedge and fell backwards and under the wheel of my car. I didn't stop and get out as didn't really want to deal with the grieving parents

Who on earth argues they don't exist in Ireland? There are probably more of them here than in most of the rest of Europe. I see them all the time. Actually hit one last year with the car, it was nighttime so didn't see it til it was too late.
As for your accident, if they were small it could also have been stoats, pine martens (now they're rare, but I've seen them too) or mink (slightly smaller than otters)

As for the OP, apparently if you live in Dublin you're never more than 25 feet from a rat. Enjoy!

Trojan911

Both nasty diseases. A tip I was given when living in the UK, always wipe your can of drink clean before opening as a rat may have run over the stock on the store room & peed as he ran.

Apparently rats do not have bladders & therefore pee as they walk/run thus spreading the above diseases.

TJ911...

dream brother

A guy i work with told us a story of a pub in cavan that was infested with rats! One day a local walks in with a bag, take out a live rat, places it one a poke and puts it into the open fire! he said the squeals of the rat could be heard everywhere! Apparently all the other rats then get scared and run away!

Terry

Trojan911 wrote: »

Both nasty diseases. A tip I was given when living in the UK, always wipe your can of drink clean before opening as a rat may have run over the stock on the store room & peed as he ran.

Apparently rats do not have bladders & therefore pee as they walk/run thus spreading the above diseases.

TJ911...

While in crates, cans are covered in plastic.
Wiping a can won't get rid of germs or bacteria unless you use some sort of disifectant.

People get worked up about the smallest things.

Trojan911

Terry wrote: »

While in crates, cans are covered in plastic.
Wiping a can won't get rid of germs or bacteria unless you use some sort of disifectant.

Not all are, I've seen plenty of slabs of tinnies open for abuse when I worked in retail.

Terry wrote: »

People get worked up about the smallest things.

For good reason too I suspect... I for one wouldn't fancy a dose of either diseases, irrespective of how rare they may be....

WadeTalon

In Dublin alone there are supposed to be three rats for every one person, thats about 3 million rats...

I have a really bad phobia of rats..REALLY bad. Went to see Ratatouille with the girlfriend i had the shakes for the whole movie even though they were cartoony rats the scenes when there are large numbers scurrying about *shudder* real unsettling

Faith

I've enough problems with mice without worrying about rats. They're absolutely disgusting creatures that spread so many harmful diseases. They'll also go for you if they're scared enough. I had nightmares about being attacked by rats once.

As a science student, I always get shown videos of lab rats, who look so lovely and friendly. But they're not. Not at all.

watna

Dudess wrote: »

I feel the same way about rats as Winston Smith does (I'm going through a bit of a 1984 obsession at the moment).

I read that part of the book with my hands over my mouth to stop me from squealing. I was sitting in a public place and it scared the CRAP out of me. After that rats really freak me out, but I did see ratatouille recently which helped. The rat in that was quite cute!

Illkillya

The_Minister wrote: »

I went my whole life without seeing any rats. Not one. I'd hear the odd rustle, see the odd flash, but that was all.
In the last month, I have seen six. Blatently sitting out in the open, fleeing when I approached, but not till I got within a three metres or so. They're also bigger then any of the dead ones I've seen
Is this their breeding season?
Was it the warm weather?
Have other people noticed this?

I'm not squemish, but this is getting unnerving. Am I just being unlucky?

I have been told that because of the warm weather, they continued breeding late into the autumn this year. I have noticed an increase in rats this year alright.

Fajitas!

Hmmm. I was walking up through Drumcondra (Just up from the station) about 2 weeks back, saw 2 rats in the middle of the path. I pretty much expected them to run away as soon as I got close. There was no food around, and they were just wandering the path...

They didn't budge when I got close, didn't care at all. Little sh*ts.

i71jskz5xu42pb

Galwayguy99 wrote: »

Who on earth argues they [otters] don't exist in Ireland? There are probably more of them here than in most of the rest of Europe.

People who confuse them with Beavers, perhaps. We don't have Beavers but they've been reintroduced to Britain.

Dudess

watna wrote: »

I read that part of the book with my hands over my mouth to stop me from squealing. I was sitting in a public place and it scared the CRAP out of me.

There's an even worse bit about rats in American Psycho.

Yeah Weil's Disease is terribly dangerous - my neighbour died from it a few years ago. She was 28. She went from perfectly healthy to dead in a matter of days. And it was an agonising death.

Overheal

Some rats are cool... the caged ones, the trained ones, the sterilised and immunized ones

use poison on the rest. they have no business spreading disease in my kitchen.

Creature

They don't scurry when something bigger comes their way
Don't pack themselves together and run as one
Don't **** where they're not supposed to
Don't take what's not theirs, they don't compare

Where I live; 2 cats = no rats .

watna

Overheal wrote: »

Some rats are cool... the caged ones, the trained ones, the sterilised and immunized ones

use poison on the rest. they have no business spreading disease in my kitchen.

did you not see ratatouille? They get cleaned in the dishwasher thing before they do any cooking in your kitchen!

Hagar

Slow coach wrote: »

I saw one out riding my bike the other day.

Cheeky little baxtard! On your bike was it? Hope you washed the saddle afterwards.

tallus

Bottom Line, I hate rats with a vengeance. I love my cats for killing filthy rats. Their value to me as pets and as killers of vermin cannot be estimated highly enough. It feels good to see the cats hanging around the garden, I even encourage other cats to feed in my back garden. Some might say it's an irrational fear that a lot of people have but I can't help the way I feel, they are such vile creatures.

LadyE

watna wrote: »

did you not see ratatouille? They get cleaned in the dishwasher thing before they do any cooking in your kitchen!

QFT:D

l3LoWnA

Galwayguy99 wrote: »

Who on earth argues they don't exist in Ireland?

Well, my boss for one laughed his had off when I went into work all shaken and said I'd killed a baby otter Even my family (father is of farming background in the same area as I hit it so SHOULD be well used to the local wildlife) said there were no otters in the area but where I hit whatever it was, there's a lake nearby and a stream!

Galwayguy99 wrote: »

As for your accident, if they were small it could also have been stoats, pine martens (now they're rare, but I've seen them too) or mink (slightly smaller than otters)

I just googled those to get a good look and it definately wasn't a stoat - Minks are very similar in shape to otters and it was definately one of those I hit - they were JET black, I think probably Minks. The adults were the size of a large cat or small dog and babies were about the size of a large rat. I've heard loads of stories of Minks in this area in the past year or so. My neighbour opened her hotpress one day about 6 months ago and a Mink ran out and passed her and out her back door. The og then started growling and barking at the Mink and the Mink was backed up against the wall hissing at the dog. They're supposedly dagerous when threatened so my neighbours son got the shotgun and splattered the little f*cker all over the wall!

The thing I killed looked like this mink.jpg. I should have scraped the thing up off the road and made a little Mink hat for my daughter out of it's nice soft fur! :eek:

As for rats, I wonder will any of the "celebrities" in the jungle programme thingie have to get into a coffin full of the dirty grey f*ckers! Would love to see that model girl in there with them

nesf

tallus wrote: »

Bottom Line, I hate rats with a vengeance. I love my cats for killing filthy rats. Their value to me as pets and as killers of vermin cannot be estimated highly enough.

A good terrier is also an option.

SheroN

Where can I buy rat poison?

knird evol

tallus wrote: »

.....Apparently you're never more than ten feet away from one.

To quote your girlfriend

Zzippy

l3LoWnA wrote: »

Well, my boss for one laughed his had off when I went into work all shaken and said I'd killed a baby otter Even my family (father is of farming background in the same area as I hit it so SHOULD be well used to the local wildlife) said there were no otters in the area but where I hit whatever it was, there's a lake nearby and a stream!
I just googled those to get a good look and it definately wasn't a stoat - Minks are very similar in shape to otters and it was definately one of those I hit - they were JET black, I think probably Minks. The adults were the size of a large cat or small dog and babies were about the size of a large rat. I've heard loads of stories of Minks in this area in the past year or so.

The thing I killed looked like this mink.jpg. I should have scraped the thing up off the road and made a little Mink hat for my daughter out of it's nice soft fur! :eek:

Could well be a mink alright - they've really multiplied and are very common now. Lot less wildlife about thanks to them. What part of Co. Galway are you in? I've seen otters in a lot of places hereabouts...

Trojan911 wrote: »

Both nasty diseases. A tip I was given when living in the UK, always wipe your can of drink clean before opening as a rat may have run over the stock on the store room & peed as he ran.

One disease, just different terms for it. Nasty baxtard. In our job we're issued cards to carry in our wallets, in case we're hospitalised for it, so they'll know its one of the things to test for. Very treatable if caught early, but symptoms can be for other diseases so doctors may not diagnose it until its too late

cailinoBAC

My closest encounter with a rat was when I was (luckily) temporarily living in a small flat in Eastern Europe. Came home one night and it ran past me, inches from my feet (and I was wearing sandals). It seemed like the only place it could have run to was the bathroom but I didn't hear anything and assumed it must have gone back to where it came from. Then in the middle of the night I heard this scuttling the other side of the room, it got closer and closer, then was under the bed, then i saw it race back towards the bathroom again. I had no idea what to do, had nobody to call. Just sat on the bed for about an hour, until I convinced myself it was gone, then went back to sleep. I had to spend one more night in the flat, then I was gone.

Though I've heard stories of hostels in Thailand etc. that have just made my stomach squirm...