Monday, April 13, 2009

Vermin!










And if things weren't bad enough, my kitchen is crawling with mice rats! At least a few, but probably no more than two at a time.

They're "only" about three inches long (not including tail), but I had fooled myself the first night I saw them into thinking they were "large mice." Now, I am creeped out beyond all creepouts and spent time yesterday cleaning rat dung out from between my newly-organized jars-o-stuff on the countertop.

The exterminator comes today. I hate the fact that some killing will most likely end up being involved. I bought a live trap last week but los ratónes are too smart for that trick. So I will let the "pest control" do whatever he does; I can't exactly insist that the property management company contract with a PETA-approved vendor. However, I draw the line at glue boards; whoever invented those was a complete sadist.

One final thought (something that ran through my head around 4:20am or so...): it is kind of amazing when you think of the types of vermin that man has had to live with for most of human history. I mean the part that's amazing is that we've managed to "eradicate" much of our exposure to that anymore. It's a development I am fond of, and not dealing with plagues and infestations of Biblical proportions is perhaps another small daily gratitude to meditate on.

6 comments:

Ladrón de Basura (a.k.a. Junk Thief) said...

I seem to have the same problem this time of year, though just the smaller mice variety not full blown rats. Even with two cats, they kept coming back, and they are too smart for any variety of traps. Now with a basenji in the house I definitely didn't want to use anything involving poison. Now, as in the past, they have mysteriously disappeared just as suddenly they appeared a couple of months ago.

Gareth said...

The mice (mouse) who live in our kitchen (1st floor) may have moved to the ground floor lounge. Either that or we have more mice than we thought we did.

They are adept at avoiding the traps, and the sonic do-dahs we bought are not that effective. Then again at least one of my housemates enjoys sitting in the dinning room watching him run around the kitchen floor, and was upset when I bought the traps.

Huntington said...

I'm sorry you're having to deal with this. I have little to offer except Chris's place at Maison le Trou when he finally moves out. Where Maison le Trou is, no grass grows ever!

Joe said...

LdB: One tiny little field mouse running through or taking respite under the floorboards doesn't bother me. Larger creatures eating tomatoes and sweet potatoes in my larder and leaving turds and urine stains sprinkled about are another matter. Can you join me in a big EWWWWWWWW!!!!?

Gareth: The pest control guy called today and told me he left a glue trap behind the fridge. I'm ethically opposed to that, but at this point I just want them OUT, dead or alive!!

H: But what about mushrooms? Is Chris moving? From SF? After he lured you to Le Trou?

Huntington said...

Chris threatens to leave le Trou (but not S.F.) in about a year. We'll see.

Well, yes, we do have issues with mildew and other life forms that thrive on really out-of-control damp. At least we can spray the hell out of this place with bleach-based sprays and hope for the best.

The Angry Young Man said...

Come off it. I've seen like a spider, once, in the four years I've been stuck away in that dank hole. Seriously. Occasionally we encounter a slug track across Elisabeth's carpet, but I've never seen one in her room. Other than that, no vermin, just damp, cold, mildew, and mold.

Joe, I am moving out at the end of the year. It's time I live alone in a decent apartment again. I just have three benchmarks to meet before I can go. You are more than welcome to have Bill's room when I move out. If he's smart, he'll take mine...