Rattus norvegicus - HELP!

We're being taken over.

Oh yes.

Oh no! As in omg oh no!

Brown rat or common rat or wharf rat - they're everywhere - in the sheds chewing through the box where we keep the bird food, they've been at it for years & one day they'll succeed. They're in the wood shed - yep - there IS something nasty in the woodshed & they're grazing on the lawn like a flock of sheep - I counted 7 this morning - only because we throw out food for the birds on the grass.

Now really they're not a nuisance yet & they've never got into the cottage & I like rats, but this is just silly, they're taking advantage of us now, I don't mind just one or 2 but these guys multiply - a female can have up to 5 litters a year & can produce 14 offspring each time but the usual number is 7 & rats are survivors - they SURVIVE to adulthood - they're not like cod fish eggs that get eaten as soon as they're hatched - these guys are clever at the age of one day!

I've just been watching some now on the steps outside - they've devised this fun game - see who can jump the most steps up & the most steps down - it's hilarious to watch - they're actually enjoying themselves! These are adult rats - comfortable, secure in the knowledge that there are not many predators to hunt them (the stoats have moved off & the other creatures stay away from humans) & they know they're going to be fed every morning without fail!

Life is a rat!