Rats

[JohnLocke]

Aside from the life-crushing pollution grinding down our spirits this week, today was a sad day for my wife and I. Our favorite eatery, which shall go unnamed, has been over-run with... rats. First it was one rat running in and out from the street last week. Then two. Then today, four (four!) rats romping and cavorting all over in the 2m x 2m floor area between the food prep. area, and the cafeteria-style (open) food display area (facing the street). At 2pm (in other words - broad daylight).

We've been loyal happy campers here for about a year, and the food has always been just great. The woman who runs the place is a real sweet-heart, but I think she's getting tired of the work. She has hired a young girl to do half the work, and methinks she's a bit of a country lass, as four rats right at her feet didn't even elicit a raised eyebrow.

So! Aside from our predictable foreigners' reaction, which is horror, we are just wondering - what do Thais think? We have seen rats aplenty here, but this is too much. Would the average Thai reconsider eating at a small eatery with this kind of rat presence? Is it all mai-phen-rai, or would this make regular natives feel uncomfortable too?

Needless to say, we will not eat there for a while, in hopes she'll fix the problem. It's just sad, and once again something great going bad here (for us).

[FarangCravings]

Rats have got to eat too

There a massage shop close to Mandalay that you can count the Rats running back and forth the entrance me thinks the rat population in chaing mai is through the roof.

I personally dont mind them very intelligent CLEAN creatures. Used to have one as a pet when I was a young lad easy to train and very affectionate

[phaethon]

Depends if they are deep-fried or only sauted.

I walked home to On Nut from Asok the other night (oh yes... 2+1/2 hours including a few sorties up the odd interesting soi). At that time in the morning you have to make sure you stamp your feet a few times before approaching a heap of rubbish on the street. This allows a river or rats to flow back into the undergrowth before you get to the point where you put yourself between them and their refuge

Of course it's the same in London where Asians have the habit of dumping their excess rice etc., sometimes by the kilo, on the canal edge. Makes for an interesting ride home at night with little (and not-so little) shapes dashing across the towpath as you approach.

Not enough snakes in Bangkok (or London) that's the trouble...

Edited March 11, 2009 by phaethon

[JohnLocke]

Appreciate the gentle co-miseration (a Yankee term), but, still wondering if anyone has a clue what the general Thai might feel? I will of course ask my Thai friends, but often the truth is hard to elicit if a question like that is put forward too directly.

[mcgriffith]

Hey, I was sunning today on my favorite chaise lounge at the pool around 4 PM.

Happened to look back and saw a rather largish (20 cm) rat run from the shower, along the wall, and jump up into the foliage just behind me.

I got up to see if I could offer a snack, maybe get the poor sun-baked critter a drink....couldn't find him.

This was on the 3rd floor of a rather nice hotel here.

[londonthai]

very intelligent CLEAN creatures. Used to have one as a pet when I was a young lad easy to train and very affectionate

not if they live in the sewer, as most of the urban rats do. They do spread diseases, even if they don't get sick themselves, same as flies or mosquitos.

The best is to talk straith to the food stall owner and tell her you won't come back, untill the problem solved.

Just a cat in the neighbourhood (or even on a lish - if needed) should deter rat from showing up. They will move somewhere else.

[malcy]

thais generally aren't bothered imo as long as it dosen't cost them any money to get rid of them. suggest they chuck down a few sheets of rat paper try and explain that it would be better for them financially couple of hundred baht than if they let it go unresolved and lose your custom and many others custom

[thaitot]

I just asked my wife (Thai) what she would do if one (a rat)was in our house getting in to the rice.

She hesitated and I said would you kill him she said yes. But not eat.

There you go.

[noise]

what do Thais think?

The Thais don't want rats in the house any more than you do.

The worst problems about rats, rodents, is that they have no "toilet training" and urine and feces are deposited as they run around. So if you have rats in the kitchen, you at least have rat urine on the counters and food preparation surfaces even if you see nothing else. But you can rest assured there are feces about even if you haven't seen them yet.

[mickba]

I just asked my wife (Thai) what she would do if one (a rat)was in our house getting in to the rice.

She hesitated and I said would you kill him she said yes. But not eat.

There you go.

That's the problem - they don't eat them, or the dogs, or there wouldn't be a problem with either (a plus for Cambodia in the case of the latter).

I saw a litter of rats living off the buddha offerings in the gf's bar so I bought some of those sticky pads and caught the lot easy peasy. When I went to fetch them to drown them and asked where they'd gone she said her daughter had taken them down the soi and released them - eejuts!

PS - Having spent far too many years battling with infestations of them (rats that is ) on pig farms in UK I don't need anyone telling me they're nice, sweet, clean living, little things that make lovely pets - lots of things make nice little pets if you can control them - even Thai ladies

PPS - If you think the odd cat (or dog) can do anything about a rat population you've been watching too many cartoons.

PPS - The only answer is poison - not that I would trust them with poison around a restaurant, but don't worry, it costs money so they won't buy it - unless they have another use for it

[elektrified]

I've been seeing quite a few rats around recently - perhaps the change in the weather or something. But, the situation here is nothing like what I saw when I was in Hat Yai a couple of weeks ago, where they run around by your feet when you are sitting at an outdoor cafe or something. There were also dozens of dead rats (some headless) laying smashed all over the sois. And of course there are rats everywhere in Bangkok...

[haybilly]

I just asked my wife (Thai) what she would do if one (a rat)was in our house getting in to the rice.

She hesitated and I said would you kill him she said yes. But not eat.

There you go.

That's the problem - they don't eat them, or the dogs, or there wouldn't be a problem with either (a plus for Cambodia in the case of the latter).

I saw a litter of rats living off the buddha offerings in the gf's bar so I bought some of those sticky pads and caught the lot easy peasy. When I went to fetch them to drown them and asked where they'd gone she said her daughter had taken them down the soi and released them - eejuts!

PS - Having spent far too many years battling with infestations of them (rats that is ) on pig farms in UK I don't need anyone telling me they're nice, sweet, clean living, little things that make lovely pets - lots of things make nice little pets if you can control them - even Thai ladies

PPS - If you think the odd cat (or dog) can do anything about a rat population you've been watching too many cartoons.

PPS - The only answer is poison - not that I would trust them with poison around a restaurant, but don't worry, it costs money so they won't buy it - unless they have another use for it

Whilst I don't think that Thais in C.M. eat rats--they sure do outside the big cities--but, these are generally ricefield rats, noo naa, and fat healthy looking beasts too; as for ignoring them in a house/shop/kitchen--no way, even 'upcountry' Thais are well aware of 'Lok Chee Noo' which is the often fatal disease humans get from contact with rats' urine on food or food preparation areas--all Thais know about this--hence the preference for drinking straws with any canned drink, even beer.

Edited March 12, 2009 by haybilly

[Maejo Man]

I saw a litter of rats living off the buddha offerings in the gf's bar so I bought some of those sticky pads and caught the lot easy peasy. When I went to fetch them to drown them and asked where they'd gone she said her daughter had taken them down the soi and released them - eejuts!

I can equate that that one Some years ago whilst shopping in an out of town market, my daughter asked me for 200 baht to buy something. Off she went to make her purchase, so I asked my son what she was going to buy. Frogs Dad, was the reply!

She returned shortly after, and I asked her what she had bought. She said that she had bought a load of live frogs, and then took them across the road to set them free in a field, because she didn't like to see them hanging up in the market!!

As far as rats are concerned, the Thais tollerate them, and will not go out of their way, or spend money to trap them as long as they are just running around.

Most of the food stalls around the moat have their resident rat population, and unless there is another "rat bourne" plague, they will still be around.

[JohnLocke]

much thanks for all the helpful replies... have to find out if "lok che nuu" is Hanta Virus? That's no fun whatsoever - know someone who died from it at the ripe age of 20 (he was sweeping and cleaning up an old storage room in the U.S.).