Let Sleeping Rats Lie?

There I was at the end of a long day on my hands & knees pulling ivy from a bed and raking out about two years of leaf matter when my rake prodded something soft. After clearing some more leaves away I was surprised (actually bloomin shocked) to find a sleeping furry bundle of grey RAT! And this thing was straight from the pages of a James Herbert novel.So I put my long handle onto the rake so I could prod from a distance, I worked out my exit plan, practised my girlie scream and gently prodded aforementioned Mr Ratty in the hope that it would wake up and scoot so I could continue with my clear-up. Sadly (for me) all I was able to do is role the rat over onto his back where apart from the occasional stretch and opening of the eyes it did nowt.Is it hibernating? Is it asleep after feasting on small dog? Drunk?What to do.......?Gently lift ratty by it's tail and fling over next doors fence? Put into bag and drop out of window on A12? Take home and tease the missus and get divorced? Whack over the head with big spade?I decided to tidy up and leave it there. Informed owner via text message as all at work and left note with diagram of Ratty's position in the hope that they will deal with it.I am back there on Thursday so really, really, really hope that they have. It's a big garden which has been left alone with a huge oak tree in it and millions (I counted) of fallen leaves and I do not want to find it again under another or god forbid it's family and mates. Joy.Any suggestions would be welcome.Paul

"Others have ID ed it.
I chop them off at ground level with secutears then spray a drop or two of Praxys on the wound... if it doesnt killt he first time, it will the 2nd or 3rd"

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Comments

Nick Steele November 25, 2009 at 5:08pm

I don't think Rats hibernate! They're normally very shy of humans (especially ones who poke them with long sticks!) so I'm guessing this one was on his last legs. Maybe someone has been laying bait nearby, and he'd feasted on that? Usually poisoned rats wil go back to their den to die, maybe he didn't quite make it, so improvised under the leaves?

I bet its still there tomorrow!
Pip Howard November 25, 2009 at 5:15pm

Lol, It reminds me of a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon, where they discover a dead animal and instantly run off to search for a stick to prod it with. I did exactly the same when I discovered a seemingly dead squirrel, it wasn't dead and instantly snapped at the stick and broke it, the shock almost sent me to hospital.
Paul Rogers November 26, 2009 at 9:19pm

They did not deal with Mr Ratty. So with prodder to hand I prodded away and now I had an ex-rat to deal with. You were right Nick, looks like it was poorly and exposing it to the cold overnight has finished it off. So slipped on latex gloves, gardening gloves and Asda bags (I was taking no chances!) and before you could say Ratatouille it was all parcelled up. Brought it home for disposal tomorrow, customer happy, wife not.
Kieran Ray December 2, 2009 at 9:56pm

Sounds like poisoning, only time I have been able to do that to a ray was after we poisoned it.
Lawncare-4u.co.uk December 2, 2009 at 11:05pm

dont think u are supposed to put them in 'council bins'? not sure reasoning ??

there will or would have bben more Rats not just one ! breed 2000 in a month.......!!