Smart Ass Rat!

[Bugz 6]

Ever take on a job and wish you didnt?

I always walk away from jobs with a smile, job satisfaction, safe in the knowledge my customer is happy, a job well done. Most of my work comes from word of mouth. If i was crap i wouldnt get the work.

Ive been doing a job recently for a single Polish lady living on her own who has a rat in her ground floor flat. The neighbours as usual "know nothing" "rats? what rats". The lady and her friend it seems have tried themselves to sort it, and blocked the entry point into the property which was an old unused waste pipe someone had cut off at the wall, very clever!. Now blocking it was something i wouldnt have done just yet, never go steaming in blocking up holes!

I feel they now have the rat trapped inside. Before me they have tried some sticky traps with Polish Bacon in the middle, and a snap trap under the sink also with Polish bacon! There was talk of a Polish wonder bait using vodka?? But they have had no joy.

 

As she is petrified of the rats its making the job much harder for me, constantly texting me, "i can hear the rat behind the fridge" "when can you come back". The day after my first visit she text and asked if i could come out asap as she heard it. I replied that she needs to give it time to eat. Ive been in bed at night and shes texting me! She expects some miracle overnight cure, which ive explained isnt gonna happen with rats. Ive explained the whole neophobic thing and how its not uncommon for them to not touch the bait for a few weeks. The importance of not leaving any food about. Asked her to trust me and be patient.

Its only been three weeks since my first visit, tomorrow will be my 4th visit, although only to retrieve my trail cam i rigged under the kitchen! Ive explained i would not normally visit this often but she insists i keep coming out. Constantly flapping! Now today shes flapping about costs, she doesnt want to spend any more money. I honestly doubt ive made anything on this job already due to the time spent dealing with her texts, hours and hours on site and going out of my way to get the job done. Today she texts "I need to deal with it myself and call the council". What an insult to all my hard work

 

On my first visit there were no obvious tell tale signs of any rats being in the property. Not a single dropping in the kitchen, nor has she found any about the flat. There had been no stolen food, no damaged packets. The lady was purely reporting noises from behind her fridge/kitchen.

She mentioned noises from under the bath, so i removed as best i could the bath panel and it was only then i could see the droppings and confirm it was rats.

The pipes from the bath go through an opening in the wall directly into the kitchen. No kickboards on any units in the kitchen so easy access into the flat. Some mains pipes run from ground level upto the flat above. They are boxed in and ive blocked both entrances with weld wire mesh. From the bathroom the waste pipes also lead upto the flat above. This is boxed in and ideally wants blocking but without ripping her bathroom apart isnt gonna happen. Ive had the drains up and everything. All secure.

 

Now this lady has hardly any food in the house and what she does have is stored well. This is normally a great advantage. She did accidentally leave some bread out that got eaten. Other than the bread issue which i told her was a huge setback, No bait/food has been taken. They are probably feeding elsewhwere, the only place being the upstairs flat but the residents claim to be rat free.

Ive baited up behind the fridge, under the kitchen, under the bath, all the places she hears it, but nothing. I even slipped some nutella in with the poison under the bath to try and get them on it quicker, but nothing. Ive introduced some boxed snap traps about the flat, in the hall, bathroom, kitchen using the old faithful crunchy peanut butter. Again nothing. Im looking forward to viewing the trail cam to see whats going on exactly/what shes hearing tomorow.

Now i know full well its just a matter of time before it slips up, 3 weeks isnt giving it long enough we all know that, but it looks like my cards are marked here.

 

Should i walk away from the job with my head held high? Let her get the council or try and convince her im not a numpty and get the job done at a loss knowing full well what a pest she is?

 

[jack68 628]

I have had the same in the past with pests, now to me if Mr rat was there I would of said you would of trapped or killed it,,,imo ..she may well of seen a rat or mouse in the first place. If they is no droppings or damages in the house then i would say the blocking of the holes has worked and mr rat is on the outside looking in. What the woman wants is a dead body to put her mind at rest knowing the rat is dead, again ...imo

 

So to sum up they is two things you can do..number one is tell her they is bait takes and Mr rat is now dead and the noise she is hearing is the pipe works clanking...

 

Or number two...if she is fit pass on my number I don't mind....atb jack...

Edited October 15, 2013 by jack68

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

If she is fit pass on my number I don't mind....atb jack...

 

 

You f**ker, Jack! All the way through that, that's exactly what was on my mind; " What's she look like? "

[Bugz 6]

shes not my cuppa tea, if your into the older european woman though boys?? Her son was visiting and he was older than me, pmsl. (im 36.)

Maybe when she asked me to get her rat out i misunderstood her

 

When she describes the noises shes hearing every night she makes them sound loud and even compared it to someone at the front door. I genuinely feel sorry for her, but what can i do?

I asked her to record the noise on her camera phone so i could hear what shes hearing, but apparently she cant hear it on the recording so not sure whats going on.

Il let you know if theres anything on the trail cam tomorrow night!

[bobcullen79 1,495]

Take a dead one next time, put her mind at ease, put the job to bed. Fuk her. If she don't like it, theres always Poland.

[stealthy1 3,964]

Chuck down some tracking powder to see where its going, or even if its really there

[Bugz 6]

Chuck down some tracking powder to see where its going, or even if its really there

i pick up my trail cam at 3pm so will know if anythings there or not.

Looking forward to seeing for myself if shes a lonely crackpot or if Roland really is keeping her awake at night!

[Hot Meat 3,109]

Tell her to buy a terrier

[Bugz 6]

well i retrieved my trail camera today, and ill i caught was a guy "trying" to fill a hole with expanding foam on saturday.

He picks the camera up and takes a good look at it before placing it back.

 

Its got to be in her head, if there was any activity im confident it would be on my cam. Never let me down in the past.

[Outlaw Pete 2,224]

well i retrieved my trail camera today, and all i caught was a guy "trying" to fill a hole with expanding foam on saturday.

 

 

That's it. Now you walk. The moment any client of mine starts f**king around with the situation I'm working on. Or subbing it out? It's a fond farewell!

 

You poison a rat and some dip stick cements it in? Now, we have an inaccessible stinker. And who's 'to blame' for it?

 

 

Still can't stop wondering if she'd have anything else in her head though .....

[jack68 628]

 

well i retrieved my trail camera today, and all i caught was a guy "trying" to fill a hole with expanding foam on saturday.

 

 

That's it. Now you walk. The moment any client of mine starts f**king around with the situation I'm working on. Or subbing it out? It's a fond farewell!

 

You poison a rat and some dip stick cements it in? Now, we have an inaccessible stinker. And who's 'to blame' for it?

 

 

Still can't stop wondering if she'd have anything else in her head though .....

 

As said when the smell starts you can sell her some deodorising blocks to help get rid of the smell...Hehehe

 

I use tracking dust never thought of using a trail cambra...atb

[stealthy1 3,964]

well i retrieved my trail camera today, and ill i caught was a guy "trying" to fill a hole with expanding foam on saturday.

He picks the camera up and takes a good look at it before placing it back.

 

Its got to be in her head, if there was any activity im confident it would be on my cam. Never let me down in the past.

 

That will keep her awake at night, a rat chewing through expanded foam

[arnieboy 93]

ive had the same situation mate the women was obssesed with a noise in her house i eventually walked away mate

[moley 115]

if theres nothing there and its in her head, how come theres rat dropping behind the bath panel?? and they taking bread??

if they take bread, use that for bait

why did you not try to trap it 1st, i only ever resorted to baiting if the traps dont work, usually cos of diy efforts ,saves on smells and visits

[Peter Shorrock 5]

Couldnt of put it better moley