Last night I had a visitor

[Wild Brambles]

It serves me right for parking next to McDonalds and Lidl. The areas around them seem to be infested with rats, and they seem to regards the poison bait boxes as food banks. Do by now you will have guessed that a rat managed to get into the cab area. He had managed to get in by chewing open the gaiter round the base of the gear lever. It had a split in it, and he managed to open it up. I'm not sure how he managed to get on top of the gear box, they must have ladders these days. I had heard him chewing through the bottom of a plastic bag I was using for rubbish.He seems to have run off when I put the light on, and I collected the ripped bag and strewn rubbish into another bag.

Some time ago, I had a rat chew through the sender wire from the fuel tank. I'd left the van in an Asda car park for about 3 weeks, and he's managed to get in, and was starting to build a nest ( maybe it was a her ). It took quite a bit of testing to find the break, as he had chewed through it next to the passenger foot well.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Horrible Creatures

We are plagued with them in UK

 

[mike mcglynn]

Hi an old boss of mine was driving along the motorway in his newish car when a rat popped up from a heating vent on the dash ,he nearly had an accident and put the car into the dealers for a check soon after ,they found a nest near to the firewall .It was later discovered that his wife was leaving the bin bag next to his front wheel The night before collection .

 

[JJ]

Horrible Creatures

We are plagued with them in UK

Especially in Westminster...


JJ

 

[andy63]

My granddaughter had a couple as pets for a while.. Ruby and Rose..
They were quite shy but once used to you friendly and inquisitive..??
Andy.

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[olley]

One of the funsters had built tubes around the ceiling in his van for his pet rats to run around.

 

[Kevinthecat]

My neighbour a couple of years back had problems with rats in her bathroom . They had managed to chew through the U bend . The plumber told her in all his years of working he had never seen anything like it.
A reminder about BBQs , my next door neighbour has an open bbq and a day after a BBQ I saw 2 rats on the cold grill eating the bits left on the grill.

 

[shawn&emma]

I had two pet rats when I was a teenager and they had full run of my bedroom but would always return to their cage to do their business.

Unfirunatly is all the detritus that we create as humans that's the problem.

 

[Manic]

We had one, but it was only in the engine bay. Me poking with a stick and Jack Russell going mad, so it didn’t get in but moved to the car, same again.

 

[Spawn_e_git]

not much else to say...

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[Nigel Crompton]

They do make lovely (robust!) pets for kids ... but our terrier & whippet tag-team combo used to give them short shrift. .... if one got in our van there'd be an awful mess

 

[Minxy]

Pet rats are a different type(breed) to the sewer etc rat, can't remember what it is now, but they make excellent pets, a bit like miniature dogs, as you can train them to come when you call, play games, do tricks etc - one of ours, used to have a potter around in the lounge and when I went in there he used to run over to me, climb on the back of the couch and lick my hand to greet me. Gorgeous creatures and if it wasn't for their short lifespan I'd have another without question.

 

[Nigel Crompton]

Wild rats are rattus norvegicus, pet rats are rattus norvegicus domestica. Essentially same as wild dogs and domesticated dogs I think - certain traits are bred for & certain traits have been bred out but DNA wise more or less the same.

 

[Debs]

My worst nightmare, I get them in the garden from time to time as the neighbour feeds the birds and it all ends up on the grass.
Hate the bl**dy things with a vengeance.
Dreading them getting in the van?

 

[MitchandJenny]

My worst nightmare, I get them in the garden from time to time as the neighbour feeds the birds and it all ends up on the grass.
Hate the bl**dy things with a vengeance.
Dreading them getting in the van?

Go online and look up " 12 Volt Marder schutz gerate ".
We live next to fields out in the country and in 5 years have never had "visitors".
I leave it plugged in all the time..
I think it cost me less than £15.
Mitch.

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[MichaelT]

It serves me right for parking next to McDonalds and Lidl. The areas around them seem to be infested with rats, and they seem to regards the poison bait boxes as food banks. Do by now you will have guessed that a rat managed to get into the cab area. He had managed to get in by chewing open the gaiter round the base of the gear lever. It had a split in it, and he managed to open it up. I'm not sure how he managed to get on top of the gear box, they must have ladders these days. I had heard him chewing through the bottom of a plastic bag I was using for rubbish.He seems to have run off when I put the light on, and I collected the ripped bag and strewn rubbish into another bag.

Some time ago, I had a rat chew through the sender wire from the fuel tank. I'd left the van in an Asda car park for about 3 weeks, and he's managed to get in, and was starting to build a nest ( maybe it was a her ). It took quite a bit of testing to find the break, as he had chewed through it next to the passenger foot well.

How did you manage to stay 3 weeks in an ASDA car park, you get a ticket after 3 hours in our local one?

 

[PeteH]

ALL McD`s are the same. Years ago we had a 6am delivery at Bluewater. The unit was next but one to the M`D`s. we could spend up to an hour just sat watching dozens of the buggers feasting on the leftovers, until the store manger appeared so we could tip. The thing to watch is Rat Urine, it is a primary source of Weil's disease .( https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/leptospirosis/ ). We had to be carefull when working in sewage treatment plants.

Sad Story, My Uncle George came back off the beaches at Dunkirk, according to Dad he had some minor wounds, but fell ill on arrival in the UK, and died in hospital, Talking to some Veterans in later years we wondered if he had contracted Weil`s?. Apparently their where thousands of rat`s on the beaches, Living off the dead.

 

[gus-lopez]

How did you manage to stay 3 weeks in an ASDA car park, you get a ticket after 3 hours in our local one?

One where my nephew lives in Essex people park up 5th wheels for the weekend. Never heard of anyone getting a ticket & it is only recently when someone has bought an electric car & complained that they' stopped parking on the charging points. Same at the one in somerset , plenty parked overnight .

 

[Carolyn and Kev]

Hi an old boss of mine was driving along the motorway in his newish car when a rat popped up from a heating vent on the dash ,he nearly had an accident and put the car into the dealers for a check soon after ,they found a nest near to the firewall .It was later discovered that his wife was leaving the bin bag next to his front wheel The night before collection .

I just had this vision of the Rat asking ' would take it a little more carefully on the bends?? "

Bless!

 

[PeteH]

One where my nephew lives in Essex people park up 5th wheels for the weekend. Never heard of anyone getting a ticket & it is only recently when someone has bought an electric car & complained that they' stopped parking on the charging points. Same at the one in somerset , plenty parked overnight .

Well, as Asda are part of Walmart, who largely encourage R-V`s and admit they make lots of money from the sales to said R-V owners. As well as (it being the USofA) the Mc Donald`s franchise which is on nearly all Walmart`s do roaring business. So to them it`s "win win". So maybe it is rubbing off on some of the Asda`s in the UK?.

BTW;- Parking especially of some of the bigger (shared) retail parks, could be controlled by parking Co`s, who will persecute at the drop of hat (it`s how the one time "Rogue Clampers" now make money.) While those actually owned by Asda could come under different "rules"?.

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[Caggsie1]

£250 damage to a 4wk old car, they’d chewed through the petrol pipe. Left I the compound whilst on holiday in van

 

[Carolyn and Kev]

£1375 For a mice ridden wiring loom for a range rover sport on a canal mooring! And....I have two lazy bloody dogs!

 

[John.]

Hope non of them are related to this one off the underground.

left it as a thumbnail so as not to frighte.

 

[Carolyn and Kev]

Whoooa....thats not a rat surely? Bugger me ...its bigger than my dog!

 

[Coastal Cruiser.]

Had a few of these by the back Door courtesy of these two (when they are awake)?

luckily the chap who had the paddock with horses over the back of us has moved out so no more problems for a few years.
Can still hear Mrs CC’s screams now when she found a slightly chewed one by the back door ??

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[Minxy]

Hope non of them are related to this one off the underground.View attachment 346140

left it as a thumbnail so as not to frighte.

That's probably someone's African Giant Pouch Rat or similar that's escaped ... our first rat was a white one that we found in our garden living next to the pond and eating crumbs from the bird table, he had obviously been someone's pet.

 

[Campervan_man]

From memory I think they are called Siberian Hamsters.

 

[Minxy]

From memory I think they are called Siberian Hamsters.

Yeah, I thought of that too but was too busy posting other stuff to go searching for the video ... I loved that episode with 'Basil' the hamster! When I read the post about the rat popping up out of the air vent I immediately thought of Basil the hamster popping up out of the biscuit/cracker tin. ?

 

[Campervan_man]

Would you care for a rat ?

Priceless TV at it's best.

 

[MyrtleGuru]

not much else to say...
View attachment 345895

And this is where I show you how a mouse can burn your house down. Insulation stripped from live mains wiring by a mouse, discovered when replacing floorboards.

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