If you’re just joining the saga of Kernut vs Zombie Rat, click here.

*sigh*

I hate glue traps. (I may be living in rural areas, but I am not a cowgirl. I am a Glamper, raised in the highly sheltered confines of the suburban ecosystem.)

In the saga of Kernut vs. Zombie Rat, the bait, rat, and snap trap had all disappeared, but were replaced with a plethora of poos. (Poos left by the rat, not by me… Just thought I should clarify that.)

In light of subsequent events, this saga will henceforth be called Kernut vs. Critters.

I hate glue traps. Have a I mentioned that before? Maybe once or twice?

Shortly after posting Kernut vs. Critters, part 1, I discovered a massive nest built on top of my RV gas tank. It had branches (complete with leaves), sticks, rags, a large drinking straw, a spoon, and a ball of shredded fibers the size of a cantaloupe. In addition, it was littered with a gazillion acorns and acorn shells.

I can only assume the drinking straw and spoon were used for the finer dining experiences.

Suspiciously missing from the massive nest were three pairs of mothballs (stolen when Zombie Rat won round 5), the ball of tin foil (when ZR won round 6), the poison pellets (when ZR won rounds 4 and 6), and the trap (when King ZR won round 8 and mockingly left poos in its place).

It was clearly a squirrel nest, the contents of which were discovered when my kind neighbor graciously crawled under my RV to remove it. That meant I still had a rat. A rat with tin foil, moth balls, four ounces of poison pellets, and a trap. And probably a large suitcase to hold it all.

Since the last post, when the rat trap disappeared, I have diligently looked high and low, concerned some critter was stuck in it. (As much as I hated the rat for chewing through my wires, I just wanted it to go away – not to suffer.)

About a week later, I found the trap – in plain sight on a path I had stepped several times. It was empty and clean. WTH?

A few days ago, a friend repaired the wires to propane tank, which is the location of the glue trap featured in today’s story.

*sigh*

Did I mention… ok, fine.

This morning when I stepped outside I noticed the glue trap had fallen upside down on the ground. But it wasn’t laying perfectly flat… and the lifted corner was moving ever so slightly.

By the small amount the one corner was lifted off the ground, I figured I had inadvertently captured one of the many tree or bullfrogs. (I’m sure frogs will be the next critter starring in the saga…it’s already happened to another long-term park resident.)

I lifted the trap to see my worst fear – a mouse, still alive.

I hate glue traps.

I will spare you all the details, but, as sad as it was, I did not let it continue to suffer. And I said a little prayer for it, and for me.

Seeing as how I eat meat, it’s not too hard to see the hypocrisy of it all. I just can’t kill things outright, so I’m going back to poison pellets for now.

For those who aren’t keeping track, there’s one rat (possibly alive), one mouse (very dead), and one squirrel (probably pissed off). I’m concerned about the pissed-off squirrel, and the gazillion tree frogs that hang out on my RV.

Want more Kernut vs Critters? A couple of my funnier varmint/critter sagas are below.

My first encounter with a varmint/critter in my RV (not counting Bugzilla): And now there’s a mouse in the house, err, RV.

Don’t make me get my gun out. Again. is about what varmints/critters and stalkers have in common: they both need shootin’. Mostly the stalkers.

 

UPDATE: Chris’s comment below have me an idea – I decided I needed cat balls. 

Turns out I have a litter box with a regular supply: balls of clumped cat pee and poo. These have been strategically and inconspicuously placed around the RV site. I hope that deter all rodents…and doesn’t attract anything larger, like the nearby coyotes.