Some time back one raised the query about how to deal with rats, via this forum. It resulted in mostly light-hearted banter, and some real attempts to answer the issue raised.
Actually, rats can be a serious problem. At least in rural Goa. Talk to anyone who lived here, and you'll realise this is no joke. Thanks to some help from friends, one is getting a bit of a deeper insight into how to deal with rats. Some tips (and this is not the last word): Trying rat-poison can be dangerous. We lost a cat to it, and rats usually die in the house (on inaccessible places like roofs) and cause quite a stink! Rat-traps work best. But make sure you put in something attractive in the trap. 'Bhajjas' are reputed to be really attractive to rats; maybe it's something to do with the oily whiff they let out. My seven-year-old daughter Riza swears that chikoos (the sapota fruit) works fine. Rahul Alvares, the wildlife fan, has been giving us useful tips on how to catch these pests, which not only run riot but also eat up all kinds of plastic wires and make your appliances to cease working! His tip: after one rat is caught in the trap, make sure you wash it with hot water. This is the best way to ensure that the other rats don't stay off it (because of the scent the trapped rat leaves behind). Using some of these tips, we've managed to almost score a hat-trick. Two rats in three days! And Rahul is every too willing to drop in, and take the prized possession home... food for the pet snakes. --FN -- ---------------------------------------------------------- Frederick 'FN' Noronha | Yahoomessenger: fredericknoronha http://fn.goa-india.org | [EMAIL PROTECTED] Independent Journalist | +91(832)2409490 Cell 9822122436 ---------------------------------------------------------- New website of the Goa Union of Journalists http://guj.goa-india.org _____________________________________________ Do not post admin requests to the list. Goanet mailing list ([email protected])
