Vermin

I've got a vermin problem. More specifically, my neighbor and I have a rat problem. He has a very large pile of lumber stacked next to the fence and covered with a tarp. This is perfect rat habitat--nice and dry during the winter, cool during the heat of the summer, excellent protection from cats and dogs. That takes care of the rat housing problem. What about their nutritional needs? Not to worry. They have been dining out in my five-star compost pile for months. I've known they were there. The dogs definitely know the rats are there. I think they have almost caught one on more than one occasion.

Once the rats started stealing all of the vegetable matter from my compost, and eating the sprouted seeds from the containers of cat grass I was trying to grow for Beast, I decided they were getting too bold, probably too numerous, and that it was time to do something.

Since I have never actually seen them or their droppings, I only suspected they were rats. I spent nearly half an hour at the Bi-Mart reading labels of every single type of rat trap and poison and repellent product they had on display.

Poison really worries me because the rats are literally on the other side of the fence. Any poison I push or drop into their posh lumber condos could easily make its way back into my yard and pose a huge risk for the dogs. Even the new traps with the poison block contained within a plastic unit that the rodent has to enter seemed to be too risky.

So it had to be a trap. There are so many different ways to trap rats and mice. I eventually selected a TomCat snap trap, working from the theory that as messy as it might be, I'd rather dispose of dead bodies than try to re-home live rodents. I have boxes and boxes of exam gloves, plenty of plastic bags, and I go every day to a large veterinary teaching hospital where I can properly dispose of dead animals.

The first two nights, I baited the trap with cheese (smoked gouda, it's all I had) and pushed it next to the compost container. Nothing.

Then I realized, these rats don't know what cheese is. They have been living the ultimate vegan lifestyle for months. Last night, I baited the trap with a bit of eggplant rind that had a nice juicy hunk of eggplant attached. And I put the trap IN the compost pile.

I woke up to find this. The relatively small size (for a rat), the smooth, dark grey fur, and the hairless tail that is much longer than the body identify this as a black rat.

According to one of the local newspapers, the population centers of Oregon are seeing increasing problems with black rats. They are attracted to backyard chicken coops (they eat the chicken feed and can also kill chickens). My neighbor and I don't have chickens, but apparently we've provided an acceptable alternative. 

I may get a second trap. I've got plenty of bait and all summer to work on this project.