Is there a rat in my kitchen?

August 13, 2009 3:17 AM

Something strange is going on in the kitchen...What has done this to the label on top of my recycle bin? Went to the recycle bin under the sink. in the picture you can see the lid with the label on it. Is it a mouse, a rat....something else? picture here No human in the house has done this!
posted by razzman to grab bag (13 answers total)

Looks like a mouse wants the paper to build a nest!
posted by lungtaworld at 3:21 AM on August 13, 2009 [1 favorite]

Any evidence of snail trails?
posted by flabdablet at 3:51 AM on August 13, 2009

Looks like a mouse wants to get at the food smells inside, and can't get a purchase on the plastic, but chews off the paper.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 3:52 AM on August 13, 2009

Definitely a mouse or a rat like lungtaworld says. Do you see little brown pellets anywhere? They like to poop.
posted by like_neon at 4:11 AM on August 13, 2009

Are there any teeth marks in the plastic? And what dimension is this lid? It looks too big for a mouse but it well may be. It appears they may be interested in the glue rather than the contents of the bin unless you don't rinse your tuna cans.
posted by JJ86 at 6:50 AM on August 13, 2009

I had pet gerbils who chewed up paper like that to use as a nest.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 8:05 AM on August 13, 2009

I agree, looks like a mouse. Check for holes to plug and put down traps.
posted by booknerd at 9:39 AM on August 13, 2009

Rodentally masticated.
posted by lumpenprole at 9:47 AM on August 13, 2009

That, my friend, is a rat. It looks to me like too much damage for a mouse to do in one night. Now if you hadn't looked at your recycling bin recently, like for a week, than it could be a mouse, but if it happened overnight, then yes, it is a rat, and I speak from woeful experience.
posted by mygothlaundry at 10:12 AM on August 13, 2009

Thanks all, we have now found droppings in the cupboard and....in the living room. So the hunt begins, while our two cats snooze...
posted by razzman at 12:55 PM on August 13, 2009

Leeds City Council Pest Control.
posted by pracowity at 12:59 PM on August 13, 2009

thanks pracowity, we have now caught a mouse in our humane trap, made from this site...
and here's a picture of said mouse
we've set another trap and we'll see how we go, (very) hopefully it's just one that the cats bought in and got bored with.
posted by razzman at 1:43 PM on August 13, 2009

From the humane mouse trap site:

6) The tray and dish, with trapped mouse can be taken to a distant location and the mouse can be released without injury.

This sure sounds good. The thing is, that unless the location is really distant - i.e. miles away - your mouse is just going to come straight back. Mice don't go "whew, that was close, I guess I'll go shred labels in somebody else's house this time" - they go where they know. The trauma they experience being caught in your trap will not put them off rootling about in your cupboards. If it does anything at all, it will train them to avoid your trap.

If the location is really distant, but is still urban, your mouse just becomes a nuisance to somebody else.

And if it isn't urban, a mouse that grew up in an urban environment surrounded by urban food sources is pretty much doomed anyway.

Catch-and-release mousetraps are humane theatre, not genuinely humane. Genuinely humane options are (a) live with them (b) crush their little skulls with a heavy blow they don't see coming.
posted by flabdablet at 5:16 PM on August 13, 2009 [1 favorite]