Day In The Life of Baz

Well if it’s a trilogy then it is not over, by definition. You’ve got one more rat post to go to make it a trilogy.

And on a brighter note, now you can hang the rat trap on the wall and use it to hold your mail.

Well Jag. I figure The first post was Espisode 1, then there were the two updates.

And, although you might have a good idea *shudder* I already threw out everything.

What I supposed to pry the lil’ bugger out of the trap? Oh well, I tossed everything. I might even toss the garbage bin. I have a small one I use in the kitchen. Since I live alone it makes no sense trying to fill up one of those 10 (or whatever) gallon trash bags.

But the lil’ bugger took a few bites out of the plastic garbage bin. In the spirit of frugality, I use grocery bags to line the inside of the bin. The bastard chewed through the bags and took couple hunks out of the rim of the bin.

lol & smh…you really have a morbid sense of humor!

Yeah, but their method of “fixing” was to get Pest Control to come set a trap. My question is, by law, have they fulfilled their duty? How does one deal with Rats anyways.

You’re depressing me with the whole rat pack thing. They set two traps. One was caught. I’ll leave the other one out (while watching my toes) for a few weeks and keep monitoring the droppings.

I even did a lil’ test last night. I left some food out. Is that asking for trouble, I don’t think so. It shouldn’t matter what I leave out. My apartment should be sealed so that all I get is the funk of rotting food :D. But I left a cookie on the floor, marked it with a quarter to see whether it got moved or not. Everything seemed fine.

I have to leave for a weekend in a few weeks, so that will be the true test.

Unfortunatly, burning em’ is the only way to get fully rid of them. Otherwise, its a matter of keeping them out. Your landlord sure did NOT do enough by just having an exterminator come and set a trap-hell, you could’ve done that yourself.

Believe me, I know its psycological hell, man or not. Its a health issue as well as a horror issue. The droppings and urine alone can make people very sick. Unfortunatly since you are in texas, I dont know what the renter laws are for you, but in chicago, by law if the landlord doesnt elimate a rodent problem in the apt, they are fined out the ass and the city themselves will come in, inspect, try and fix it and then charge them…..and their reputation goes down, too.

Maybe yours is a isolated incident, one just happened to get in. That’s what you need to find out, the point of entry. They can get in thru the size of a nickle……so any cracks, especially between floor and wall, knotholes, under sinks near pipes, any hole with wiring….those need to be plugged up. Poisons can work but then you have the stench when they go off somewhere to die. I know its easier to just say it’s one and think its not a big deal, but if you google it, you’ll see the signs. They are not just after food. Like you posted, they can gnaw even thru plastic but they mostly love wood, and they want to nest somewhere. Just cuz you leave food out doesn’t mean there is nothing attracting them. Unlike a little house mouse looking for food and paper, rats are just there. Wood, clothing, paper, water and food is what they want. I really hope for you that it isnt a sign of worse things to come, but your landlord also needs to clean up the areas around your building, too. But once they are in it is difficult to get rid of them entirely and just setting out a trap ain’t gonna do it. For that one that you posted, yeah. For the others? I dunno. I hope you don’t come home to what I did, which is rat droppings over everything you own. Not trying to freak you out, but you have the makings of a big lawsuit and/or getting out of your lease because no, your ll isn’t doing it the right way at all.

Hey, I know. Im not trying to make you feel worse, I know, ppl did that to me, too, posting pics of rats and whatever and making jokes on the forums Im on. But it is something that your landlord should be addressing.

Start googling. Try “bad landlords texas.” try “texas renters rights” or even “rats apartment texas” to see what the laws are pertaining to your rights. No one should have to be living with even one rat and you should be raising holy hell.

Here in chicago and its probaby true anywhere, you need to write a letter to your landlord stating when you saw the rat. Send it certified mail. They have 14 days to fix the problem. After that, you can either file a complaint, try to get out of your lease, or hire an exterminator of your own and then deduct it from the cost of your rent.

Look online for “how to tell a rat problem” or something similar. Things to watch for are gnaw marks on any wood. If you hear scratching, clawing or scampering in the walls. Rats are most active at dusk and then again right before dawn. They are nocturnal and you shouldn’t have any activity during the day, those that do have a SERIOUS problem. Any funky smell can indicate a rat’s nest, or any dark marks against the floorboards where their fur comes into contact with the wood. There’s a ton of info online-you just have to be willing to read it and find out. Easier said than done I know-but considering I saw 5 of them running around at once and I could do it-you can do it. After all, I’m a chick;)