10 September 2008

RATS!

Ahem...(sneaks in quietly)...yes, I know I've neglected posting for a day or three...sorry about that.

But...I have an experience to relate. Yes...

Jane, Fred and I all got our cars serviced last week. We use a mobile mechanic, Tony, who is wonderful, does a great job and doesn't charge like a wounded bull. He was trained as a mechanic in the military so really knows his stuff. Anyway, he did Jane's Camry and Fred's HiLux before coming to my car.

I could hear him working away and talking to Fred & Ken. Then Jane came in to my place looking absolutely gobsmacked. I wondered what on earth was wrong! Turns out she had rats in the engine of her car. They'd built a very cosy nest tucked away behind some wires and cables, but had also had a very tasty meal of said cables. In fact, she was very lucky the engine hadn't caught fire. No wonder she looked gobsmacked.

She'd come over to tell me to have a look at my car, which I did. But fortunately for me, no rats had inhabited the engine. The reason why is that Jane uses her car much more than I do mine. She takes the boys to school, picks them up after school, drops them off at soccer and does incidental things like buying food and dental and doctor trips...all those things you do with a family. Therefore, her car would be relatively warm. Whereas I only use my car once or twice a week.

However, once Tony had cleaned the nest out from the Camry, when I checked my car a few days later there was rat poop on the head. So I went up to the supermarket and bought some rat poison in blocks, as Tony advised, and put a block on the engine head, with a note on the dash to remind me to remove it before I used the car. Apparently cooked rat poison has a rather foul smell. I also gave some to Jane to put in her engine, too. We use blocks rather than the pellets as the pellets would drop out and the dogs may eat them. We don't want that, hence blocks of the stuff.

Because I haven't used the car since last Friday, I don't know if there have been any return visits. I'll find out tomorrow when I use it to pick Gabbie up after work to take her to Grand Plaza for a modelling audition that she has then.

I shall keep you posted...

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have never ever heard of this before. Wow.. what about if you go for a long drive in the summer and the car gets really really hot? What happens then? Fried rat?

I gotta go and check my car.. lol

Karen said...

Ooooh rats...*shudder* I hope the poison does the job Robyn and that they don't decide the inside of the car would be even cosier...*shudders again*

Gattina said...

How interesting ! that is a new kind of squatters ! Not nice that you put poison, why not a little cheese, lol ?
I never heard that rats are choosing cars as a home !
I am sure Pookie would have taken care of them, she is a terrible hunter !

Walker said...

I hate rats.

I have never heard anythingliker that before but I wouldn't be surprised.
I guess its better than having them in the house.

rel said...

Robyn,
I thought rats on a treadmill in the car's engine is what makes it go?
No?
Shoot the little buggers!
rel

Peter said...

Where do you live????????????? first its scabies now its rats, what the hell comes next?
Oh BTW, G'day Robyn.

Merle said...

Dear Robyn ~~ What an awful experience -
yuk rats, but better than in the house I reckon. I hope the poison blocks do the trick and they should. Lucky the mobile
mechanic found them in Jane's car first.
Thanks for your comments about my garden pictures and the Fairy Garden. Lots of things grow here that won't in Qld, and vica versa. Variety is the spice of life.
Take great care, my friend, Love, Merle.

Ramblins of a middle-aged goddess said...

Well this is a new one..rats in the engine..Maybe if you persuade them to get their tiny little feet running then you would not have to buy so much gas..smile!! SURE!! Also since I am just an American..I need to know what gobsmacked means?