Nice People 12: Nice in Nice

lostinrates

PasturesNew wrote: »

Shotguns will always work.

Wonder if I can get the neighbours to collect their dog wee and put it in a tub ... and I can pop round and get the tub, then lob that up the side of the shed once a week.

Yep, but man with shot gun is more expensive than poison, and not practical in residential settings like yours, and......rats are beggars to try and shoot. Have you seen those things shift?

lostinrates

So, kiwi at dusk?

Nikkster

I'm very close to standing on a chair. Just in case.

PasturesNew

lostinrates wrote: »

So, kiwi at dusk?

Nothing at dusk right now. There's stuff up the side of the shed that needs to be got out (little man ... because I never fancied it in the first place.... certainly don't fancy clearing that gap now I know what I know).

There's not a lot up there. It's a 1' gap up one side and the rear. Up the side there seems to be 4 paving slabs stacked upright, about 3' back - and another 2 stacked upright, at the front. There's a bit of ivy over the stack of four. What's beyond that seems to be a random couple of balls (football, rugby ball). Behind the shed there's a big black sheet of plastic (not sure what it is/never dared touch it in case something rustled) ... and a random car wheel. So, not hard to clear out ... but I am 110% not doing it

Little man .....

Once cleared, there'd be room for a lot of dogs to get all the way round.

PasturesNew

This is the beauty of home ownership - while I have a problem, it's in my hands how to sort it out - rather than feeling I am spending money on a problem that should be a LL's responsibility as it's in the long-term interests to deal with it soonest. Any waiting, choices, are my own decisions.

lostinrates

Nikkster wrote: »

I'm very close to standing on a chair. Just in case.

Rats can get on chairs.

Nikkster

lostinrates wrote: »

Rats can get on chairs.

Yes, I had guessed that they might be good at climbing.

I'd still be up on a chair though.
And when I'd plucked up the courage I'd be heading straight next door.

PasturesNew

Last night I put two conkers on the top of the shed walls, on the inside. Four walls go up, then the roof's plonked on top - and if you go inside a shed you can see the tops of the four side panels. So, I plonked a conker either side of the spider corner. This morning, one conker was gone ...... now I'm wondering if Ratty clambered up the side to get at the conker ... and if I should remove the conkers from inside the shed.

So, off to google, to see if Ratty eats conkers.

Doozergirl

PasturesNew wrote: »

I was looking up rat poison from the likes of B&Q.... it's cheaper than £30+VAT, looks about £10, instead of £36.

Is it your dog's scent, or any dog? And how far away would a dog have to be to put them off? It's just I could borrow a dog from next door once a week if it's any dog.

It doesn't work. It seems to be more like steroids than kryptonite for them.

I have a visitor too.

PasturesNew

Doozergirl wrote: »

It doesn't work. It seems to be more like steroids than kryptonite for them.

I have a visitor too.

What's annoying for me, though, is the Council's charge when Ratty could be living at, say, one of the two £400k bungalows I am adjoined to ..... and they can afford to pay £30+VAT..... it seems unfair when something's such a roamer to pin the bill on the house that reports it.

I've been out and banged the shed with a handbrush - no noise. Then I shone my torch under/around the shed - nothing. So I think he visits mine ..... *hopes*