RATS!

[C_Claycomb]

Dear @Woody girl,
While the thread is about eliminating rats, the forum prefers that pictures of dead animals be posted only in Fair Game. While I am sure you are pleased with your results, we don't need to keep seeing your squashed rats posted in all their technicolour gory. Thank you.

 

[Woody girl]

Dear @Woody girl,
While the thread is about eliminating rats, the forum prefers that pictures of dead animals be posted only in Fair Game. While I am sure you are pleased with your results, we don't need to keep seeing your squashed rats posted in all their technicolour gory. Thank you.

I wish I could afford to be squeamish and girly about it, but its a daily technicolour reality for me. I won't post any more pictures so as to not upset the more delicate among us.
Real life gets in the way sometimes doesn't it?

 

[Pattree]

Yeah. Rules Is rules but by heck I can see why you’d want to show them. The satisfaction of the successful trap and wanting to nail their pelts to your virtual door so we can see them.

It must be sooooooo frustrating to see them back.

 

[Falstaff]

I get a vicarious pleasure from seeing them dead, and can compare them with the ones around my area!
But yeah, I suppose so..would only enrage any woke twitterratti that accidently stumble into here.

 

[Toddy]

It's more that school kids, students, and unsuspecting folks open the thread and if someone looks over their shoulder.....it's not the first time we've had complaints

Normally gory stuff is in Fair Game. That gives everyone a heads up, open at your own risk, kind of thing, but this is Homestead....and rats are definitely an issue.

Best advice is do as Chris did, put the photos as hidden, so folks open them at their own risk, and honestly, on a thread about rats, then dead's good, it really is.
I don't particularly want to see dead rats, but well, yeah, I can understand the visceral satisfaction of getting the blighters well and truly dead.

I think we might ask @C_Claycomb to tell us how to do the hidden from open view thing for photos on a thread like this.

M

 

[gibson 175]

That's miserable.

They're getting food from somewhere....but it's finding the where ]


Meant to say, I spoke with my friendly neighbourhood poacher about your problem with rats...we were discussing a neighbour way further round who had chickens and there were rats.

He said, if she can find a tunnel and blow coloured smoke down it (one of these and a fan works apparently)

Smoke Bombs For Sale UK | Coloured Smoke Grenades

Buy a range of different coloured smoke bombs online at competitive prices from Fireworks Crazy. Quick deliveries throughout UK. Buy online now.

www.fireworkscrazy.co.uk

It'll show up where the tunnels run.

He said it's handy because he then knows where best to set nets and send in the ferrets or terrier.

I don't know how legal it is.

I think I'd be buying mint oil and putting it into a spray bottle with some detergent and a couple of spoonsful of cheap vodka. I'd spray that down every blooming entrance I could find.

out of interest,I THINK...ferrets and terriers are legal but I would have to brush up on the various bits of legislation. It;s stuff like drowning,burning etc that are illegal...anything that prolongs the suffering. A dog or ferret would be a quick kill wouldnt it?

 

[Woody girl]

It's more that school kids, students, and unsuspecting folks open the thread and if someone looks over their shoulder.....it's not the first time we've had complaints

Normally gory stuff is in Fair Game. That gives everyone a heads up, open at your own risk, kind of thing, but this is Homestead....and rats are definitely an issue.

Best advice is do as Chris did, put the photos as hidden, so folks open them at their own risk, and honestly, on a thread about rats, then dead's good, it really is.
I don't particularly want to see dead rats, but well, yeah, I can understand the visceral satisfaction of getting the blighters well and truly dead.

I think we might ask @C_Claycomb to tell us how to do the hidden from open view thing for photos on a thread like this.

M

Or perhaps the post could have been moved over to fair game?
Posts are often moved to a more suitable heading.

Not that I'd be tempted to eat one, but if the photos are an issue on homesteading, but not on fair game, would that not have been a solution rather than just removing the photos without any warning?

 

[Toddy]

Or perhaps the post could have been moved over to fair game?
Posts are often moved to a more suitable heading.

Not that I'd be tempted to eat one, but if the photos are an issue on homesteading, but not on fair game, would that not have been a solution rather than just removing the photos without any warning?

If you want it moved to Fair Game, I can do that...I think....I can get it done

It seemed right though that you posted it in Homestead, because really, it was that kind of problem.
A miserable, horrible, frustrating, enraging and depressing sort of eternal problem.

I hope your neighbours get their act together and everyone does some joined up thinking on the problem, because you being aware isn't enough; and they're all going to suffer from the infestation.

M

 

[slowworm]

Not that I'd be tempted to eat one, but if the photos are an issue on homesteading, but not on fair game, would that not have been a solution rather than just removing the photos without any warning?

Photos are still there, you just need to click on the text.

 

[C_Claycomb]

@Woody girl
I didn’t remove your photos, I just made it so folk would have to intentionally click to view. In fairness, it’s not a function we use often and it isn’t as well sign posted in the thread as I have seen on some other forums.

To do the hiding thing, pick the three vertical dots in the message tool bar, and then pick the icon that looks like an eye with a diagonal line through it (indicating something cannot be seen). That opens the Spoiler text window where one enters the text to be shown. On my iPad the screen goes grey and I have to scroll to page top to find the active writing space to enter text.

Spoiler: Test text

*PASTE RAT SPLAT PIC HERE*

 

[Woody girl]

Well, to be fair, it did say photo removed. No instructions on how to view it.
Frankly I'm more upset at seeing live rats.
If you drive round my local roads at this time of year, dead squashed guts and gore are something you see every few yards, we don't drive round with our kids blindfolded so they don't see it.
They've let the pheasants out for the shoots.

It's called real rural life.

No avoiding it, no matter how squeamish you are, but that's OK, whereas a photo of, ( not an actual physical )dead rat is a problem.
I don't give a diddly squat anymore. I give up.
No wonder we have to shop from supermarkets, most people wouldn't be able to cope with real life if push came to shove.
Am I unsensitive, or just living in the real world.? Real, genuine question. Why do we brush reality under the carpet in case it upsets someone
?
If people can't cope with a photo of a dead rat, let alone actualy handle and dispose of one, we would soon be over run with disease and misery.
Instead we protect delicate little eyes and souls so that they don't get upset.
Heaven help them if a rat ever gets in the house.! I can see it, Screams and tears, running from the room, rather than deal with it efficiently and calmly.
Little story.
As an7 Yr old townie moving to rural Hampshire, I found a small furry animal injured in the fruit cage. I picked it up, and took it to the house to get it help. The uproar, screams, panic and general hullabaloo, followed by a scrubbing and dettol bath I was subjected to frightened the life out of me.
All because of a half dead rat.
Over reaction? Surely a gentle explanation, calm wash of hands etc would have been more appropriate, but that was long ago. It's a typical example of histrionic instilling of fear and loathing, rather than calmly dealing with real life.

 

[GreyCat]

It's a difficult situaiton to manage online.

@Woody girl : I don't disagree with what you say. However......

........this is a forum with public access, and these days a proportion of the public are looking out for ways to be offended. This is the challenging world that Tony and the other Mods must navigate to keep our community live and thriving.

This is about the only forum I go on these days (and I don't do other social media) as it's a rare place where civilised and interesting discussion and debate happens. The price of that is a few mechanisms so that the "out looking to be offended" brigade cannot run across something that they could use to make themselves a "victim" to get their 30 seconds of "fame" (and possibly a few quid?).

There's too much of a trend of late of folks validating themselves by finding something to be offended by, then having it (at best) banned. I say at best because the rise of "non hate crime incidents" and social media pile-ons is unfortunately another tactic used by the "taking offence" types.

So yes, @Woody girl , there's a lot of folks about who cannot deal with real life. Not just of serious things like rat infestations, but also those would would "take offence" at a picture of some real life on the internet.

[There's also the more extreme types who object to killing of ANY creature- even rats..... (hopefully your neighbour isn't one of them)].

We've become a very vulnerable and infantile society in the main. This forum is a fantastic exception, and one that hopefuly Tony and the Mods can keep going as long as possible.

GC

 

[C_Claycomb]

Am I unsensitive, or just living in the real world.?

You don’t have to settle for only one, two things can be true at the same time. And thats okay!!

Hypersensitive, self righteous, officious, meddlers are every bit as much of the “real world” as rats in the countryside and one needs strategies for dealing with them. It isn’t the kiddies that are the problem, rather it is the over protective parents, teachers and officials who reclassify websites based on perceived content and get them blocked from schools, offices or simply age gated. An “in your face” approach is very tempting, but doesn’t often change minds.

In this case what Toddy said about Fair Game wasn’t some new forum rule that has been cooked up recently for the hyper sensitive members of the latest generation, it dates to the very start of the forum in 2003. I agree that this is the right thread if pictures are needed and the spoiler function seems to offer a technical solution.

As for why people coddle children to be less resilient in each generation, I think that’s a pretty interesting psychological question better suited to thread of its own.

Happy hunting trapping!

 

[Woody girl]

I know what you are all saying, and I acknowledge the reasons. I'm just feeling a bit low as I've been a bit poorly with bronchitus that has sapped my energy and therefore my patience with certain types of people.....Well more than a bit, I ended up in hospital. I'm now struggling with post viral fatigue, so please forgive me if I sounded a bit petulant.
I'm having to deal with this, and other everyday needs while struggling with extremely depleted energy levels.
I'm sorry. I just get gritchy very easily atm.
I feel I want to throw everything up in the air and shout very loudly ***, Get a grip!!! At just about everything. (Including myself )
It's OK, leave as is. I'll just keep progress up to date without pics we certainly mustn't have people getting offended by reality
Now excuse me while I go and whip myself with a barbed chain for being so insensitive , and I promise to behave .......for a while.

I got told to stop shouting the other week when I had lost my voice due to being ill.... Its kinda drained my patience quota.
Parallel universe ?

 

[Pattree]

Do whatever it takes to get you back to where you want to be but please, don’t start behaving!
You’re much more fun when you don’t!!!

All the very best,
Pat.

 

[Chris]

I know what you are all saying, and I acknowledge the reasons. I'm just feeling a bit low as I've been a bit poorly with bronchitus that has sapped my energy and therefore my patience with certain types of people.....Well more than a bit, I ended up in hospital. I'm now struggling with post viral fatigue, so please forgive me if I sounded a bit petulant.
I'm having to deal with this, and other everyday needs while struggling with extremely depleted energy levels.
I'm sorry. I just get gritchy very easily atm.
I feel I want to throw everything up in the air and shout very loudly ***, Get a grip!!! At just about everything. (Including myself )
It's OK, leave as is. I'll just keep progress up to date without pics we certainly mustn't have people getting offended by reality
Now excuse me while I go and whip myself with a barbed chain for being so insensitive , and I promise to behave .......for a while.

I got told to stop shouting the other week when I had lost my voice due to being ill.... Its kinda drained my patience quota.
Parallel universe ?

It all stacks up sometimes, I expect any of us would be ready to dress in a hat made of the little buggers’ skulls and let out a war cry if put in your situation.

Hope you feel better soon.

 

[GreyCat]

I know what you are all saying, and I acknowledge the reasons. I'm just feeling a bit low as I've been a bit poorly with bronchitus that has sapped my energy and therefore my patience with certain types of people.....Well more than a bit, I ended up in hospital. I'm now struggling with post viral fatigue, so please forgive me if I sounded a bit petulant.
I'm having to deal with this, and other everyday needs while struggling with extremely depleted energy levels.
I'm sorry. I just get gritchy very easily atm.
I feel I want to throw everything up in the air and shout very loudly ***, Get a grip!!! At just about everything. (Including myself )
It's OK, leave as is. I'll just keep progress up to date without pics we certainly mustn't have people getting offended by reality
Now excuse me while I go and whip myself with a barbed chain for being so insensitive , and I promise to behave .......for a while.

I got told to stop shouting the other week when I had lost my voice due to being ill.... Its kinda drained my patience quota.
Parallel universe ?

No, not at all petulent, and I totally understand the frustration.

You are not insensitive, just practical. But unfortunately there's a bunch of people out there on t'internet who are over sensitive, and who have led charmed lives with no real hardship- so manage to find something to make them feel a "victim" because they want the attention and to feel validated and special.

And as @Tony said, it's a really interesting thing whereby children are coddled so much. Aligned to that I think is the perception of nature being this wonderful always good cuddly bunny thing; whereas nature is both nurturing and "red in tooth and claw" and can be extremely resilient.

The whole "be kind" thing is I think a part of this- folks wanting a comfortable illlusion of wonderfulness rather than facing the reailties of life. A form of fear I think- not wanting to face reality because of wanting to hang onto a fantasy idea.

Indeed a new thread would be a good idea......

GC

 

[just_john]

"use a drainage pipe that is buried into the sloping garden to drain the ground to stop it becoming too wet. (Clay soil)"

Is this a soak away or connected to the drains?

Sorry bit read the whole post, apologies if you've solved it already

 

[Falstaff]

"a hat made of the little buggers’ skulls" like it! A steam-punk top hat, or Crocodile Dundee hat, with a rat fur & skulls band! No crocodile or sharks teeth or feathers, the definitive UK version!

 

[Toddy]

Somewhere we have a One Rat Kiln. It's meant to utterly destroy a rats corpse...one that came from a laboratory.
I sometimes wonder just what they'd done to that poor creature that they needed to do this to the corpse.

At least Woody Girl and British Red, et al, just kill the blighters asap.

There's a business in this though, folks actually buy rat skulls


That lot is being sold for £54 on etsy just now ! p&p is extra.