Trapper Croft (Rat Patrol)

Our house is less than 200 feet from the ocean. This brings the odd unwanted house guest from time to time. At least once a year a mouse or rat sneaks in a door that has been left open and sets up housekeeping. About a week ago we started noticing traces of a new guest. A potato was removed from the pantry and taken behind the freezer where we found it's remains. We also found small black droppings on the kitchen floor. Considering myself somewhat of an expert on these matters, I concluded it was a mouse. I set up mouse traps and sticky pads around the kitchen and laundry room. The first night one of the sticky pads disappeared. Strange... The traps had all been cleaned of the peanut butter bait as well. I added more bait and the next night I awoke to the sound of a trap going off. I investigated and found the sprung trap but no mouse. The other traps had been cleaned off again.

Well, maybe this was something bigger than a mouse! I pulled out the heavy duty artillery. The rat traps that will easily break a finger if you get it caught in them. I set up three of them and yesterday morning found they had all been relieved of their bait. But no victim. I re-baited them and this morning Norma got up to find one of them in the kitchen with a foot long Norway rat in it with his head squashed and a large amount of blood pooled around it. Well, that was the end of my sleep-in! 

We are pretty sure there was only one so we put the traps away until next time but will keep close watch for more droppings. We won the battle but have no delusions that we have won the war.