They're rats. There's nothing especially barbaric about wanting them gone. The objective is simply to evict them, and some methods are undoubtedly preferable to others. Our place has very limited ceiling space, and we'd been away for about a month. On returning, we discovered that "something" had thoughtfully chewed through plastic packaging to gain access to a stash of biscuits. The following day we heard scraping noises overhead. Damn it. A rat had somehow taken up residence in the ceiling void and, judging by the evidence, had also enjoyed unrestricted access to the kitchen and the rest of the house while we were away. Fortunately, the droppings were surprisingly minimal. Out came the phone - a lazada order sticky plates on the way. The rat, however, seemed unimpressed by our efforts and managed to avoid them for several days. Then one evening my wife and I arrived home and heard movement behind the fridge. We quickly positioned the sticky plates in front of the fridge, and I grabbed a stick and gave the area behind the fridge a vigorous rattling (not the wife). The rat made a break for freedom, sprinted straight across the plates, and that was the end of its adventure. My wife called the security guards because we're both a pair of city pussies who didn't fancy getting bitten by a rat, security came and took the rat. What happened next is a mystery, but given that it was a rat, I can't claim to have lost any sleep over it. Unfortunately, a few days later we started hearing a lighter scraping sound overhead. Another rat. This one sounds smaller. The plates are back out, and we've tried various tactics, all with limited success. One complication is that this rat absolutely cannot be allowed to die somewhere inaccessible in the roof and spend the next few weeks decomposing above our heads. The plates have been in place for a week now, and the little blighter continues to avoid them with impressive determination. So..... the campaign continues. For now we're sticking with the plates rather than using a conventional trap, although we may need to upgrade the bait. Peanut butter is next on the list. So far we've tried cheese, bread, and seeds, none of which seem to hold much appeal for our elusive tenant. At this point I'm beginning to suspect the rat this forums and knows our tactics - I've nick named it Harrisfan.
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