Suitcases and all...

I have been told by not one but TWO Pest Control "Experts" that my rat problem has a solution. After getting up on the roof, and checking the house completely over several times my exterminator and his supervisor (who made an appearance today) made the determination that the only way the rats could have gotten in was to walk through the front door.

I am not making this up.

They pointed out to me that there is a space of about an inch between part of the front door and the carpet/floor, space enough for a rat to get through. Also, when just the screen door is open, there's a space of a couple of inches. I knew about the screen door, which is why we only leave it open when it's nice and never when it's dark. I hadn't realized that there was such a space when the front door was closed (now that I do I realize this probably accounts for some of the freezing temps in our house this winter and the problem WILL be fixed).

So here goes their theory: the rats came in through the front door, walked to the kitchen, got in the cabinet under the sink, and crawled up the attic to take up residence. Strange, I would have thought I'd have noticed rats and all their moving boxes coming in through the front door, even tiny suitcases would have raised my radar.

So yeah, that's their theory. When I pressed them on this, when I stood there incredulously shaking my head as they searched for rat droppings (I assured them if I had rat droppings they'd know it), they stuck to their story. I asked them how the rats all came in and went right up the attic (where three have sense been murdered - heed the warning all other vermin thinking of taking up residence at 4529 Abbey Place - it's not a safe neighborhood for your kind!) and stayed there. Their answer?

Rat urine.

Apparently the rats leave "breadcrumbs" so to speak for the others to find and follow. So not only am I now running a hostel for the three blind mice and their fellow travelers, I've got a house covered in rat pee? COME ON!

Yeah. It's been a stellar morning. But at least the rats have a new menu tonight - the traps had M&Ms in them and now they have walnuts, maybe it's not that I have smart rats, I just have picky rats. Personally, I think I have rats who have another food source since they've been living up there as long as I have been here. But then again, I'm not a pest control expert.

Side bar - there was slight gratification this morning when the supervisor confirmed that yes, rats can get in the walls between the two by fours and run up and down the walls. My landlord assured me that hearing something in the walls was impossible. Take that landlord!

But I still have rats. Or maybe squirrels. Or even an opossum. That's what the exterminators think I might be here now, since the rats have probably moved on (this bad economy's hitting everyone hard I guess): squirrels or an opossum on the roof. Yeah. And the three blind mice walked right through my front door, suitcases and all. Next time I wish they'd call first, I like to set out a light supper when I have overnight guests.