First, thanks so much for the kind words. I appreciated your comments on my last post more than you will ever know.
And now -- since I have vowed to NOT wallow in my job-related angst all weekend, let's focus on the mouse in my house.
(Which my husband insists on calling the "rat," clearly not understanding that while mice could, maybe, be tiny and cute, a RAT brings to mind the glowing-eyed, fanged creature in Lady and the Tramp.)
Anyway, the MOUSE thus far has scorned the traps underneath our sink.
And today, Hubs called me at work to tell me that when he dropped by the house, he heard something moving around up in the attic.
He proceeded to describe, in way too much detail, the scrabbling of claws.
"It sounded like it was digging a hole in our attic floor," Hubs said, clearly relishing his impending battle with the mutant RAT sharing our living space.
"I could tell it's really big."
Tonight, he proudly showed off a trap large enough to incapacitate a possum.
Big error. Because I immediately visualized a giant rodent with glistening teeth.
I don't mind God's little creatures -- great or small -- as long as they remain outdoors where they belong.
But experience tells me that too many representatives of suburban wildlife enjoy the heated (or air-conditioned) indoor life.
Once, during my years in West Texas, a horned lizard (what we native Texans insist on calling a "horny toad") leaped out of the bathroom cabinet under my sink as I was brushing my teeth.
I screamed, the dog went berserk, and the ... thing ... vanished into the hallway.
I stayed up all night looking for it, to no avail.
It's not that I'm afraid of horny toads. I just don't like surprises.
And then there was the mama possum and her two babies that died in the garage of a house I shared with an ex-boyfriend. Despite the many issues that characterized that too-long relationship, our argument over who had to scrape the carcasses off the floor (90-plus degrees plus humidity -- gross) nearly ended things right then.
In my opinion, there are too many similarities between rats and possums.
Which means if the trap doesn't take care of this rodent, Hubs will not be hunting for deer until he hunts down and evicts the wildlife IN the house.
Because you know -- I'm not altogether convinced Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH was fiction.
8 comments:
You are TOO funny!! But I second what you said about wildlife in the house. I have enough wild life with my two boys, thank you very much.
Having lived in Costa Rica, I have been traumatized for life by uninvited bugs and animals living in attics. I could tell stories, but I think I'll wait until after you've capture the beast. Here's to that happening SOON!
Good luck - Heidi :)
Keep the wildlife where it belongs!!!! OUTSIDE.
This, coming from a woman who doesn't even like to see a spider scurry across my carpet.
perhaps a line of cheese scraps to your editor's house....
(to AMs editor - I'm the one being snarky yo you, not AM, make sure you understand that distinction. Love, me)
This will probably sound strange, but I have found that Mice are very attracted to dog food. I lived in an apartment once that briefly had a problem with mice. They didn't go after any of the people food, but ate holes in the dog food bag to get at it. I put the dog food in an airtight container and then placed a piece of kibble in the middle of each glue trap. It worked like a charm.
I wish you the best of luck with catching that little bitty mouse (I'm sure that it's just a little bitty mouse... really... I'm sure) hehe
I hope you catch the rat/mouse/disgsting rodent. Try peanut butter in the trap. I am from Texas, and I am all too familiar with Horny Toads. I've also come face to face with a LIVE possum. Those freaking things are UGLY. And scary. It gives me the willies just to think about a rampant rodent. I once spent the night with a friend. A mouse/rat/giant predator jumped off of the shelf above me, landed on my back and ran down my arm while I was lying on the bed. I defied gravity and I think they heard me 3 states away.... Good luck!
You know what? I read this again and am reminded of a squirrel issue I had at my last house. I am also reminded of a squirrel issue my next door neighbors had fairly recently. Both issues involved some limb-trimming and so forth. Are you sure you don't have a squirrel problem?
The wild scratching is what makes me think squirrel, not rat or mouse.
Mind you, I say all this, full well knowing that I'm not an animal expert or anything.
But maybe squirrel issues come in threes...
Addendum to prior comment: It is important to note that the limb trimming was what was necessary to rid ourselves of squirrels. It was not what brought on the squirrel problem.
Another addendum: My next door neighbor is so pissed off at squirrels right now, he bought a BB gun.
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