Dead rat

Marian Perera · Jul 30, 2018

Next to my landlady's garage in the back yard is a small strip of soil where I grow tomatoes. I don't make use of the entire length of that, and at the far end of it is a bunch of junk such as old tires.

Maybe three days ago, I was watering the tomato plants when I saw a clump of dark brown hair just beyond the furthermost plant. It was a dead rat. With both my skin and my stomach crawling, I got a flowerpot, filled that with soil and dumped the soil over the corpse. At least then I didn't have to look at it.

For two days, all was well. Then I came home today and something had unearthed the corpse and dragged it perhaps eight inches away from the plants. Unfortunately the corpse is now attracting flies and it smells awful.

My question is, would it be a waste of time to cover it up with earth again, much more earth? I just don't know what else to do. I googled "dead rat in the garden", but I can't bring myself to get the thing into a bag. Just thinking about it is starting to make me feel sick. Any thoughts?

csteffoz · Jul 30, 2018

Oh my god I thought this was the beginning of a fantasy short story until about 3 paragraphs in ahahahah

But yeah just burying it deeper might do the trick, if you really can't stand getting it into a bag. Maybe use a long stick.

Larry M · Jul 30, 2018

I suggest using a rake or a shovel to get it into a garbage bag and into a garbage can. If you can't make yourself do it, offer a neighbor a six pack of beer or something to take care of it.

ajaye · Jul 30, 2018

Maybe try covering it with something first, like toss an old towel over it. Then you might be able to manage getting it on a shovel to either bury or bag it.

M. R. Kessell · Jul 30, 2018

I think Larry has the right idea, call a neighbor over. You don’t want that thing near your edible garden plants.

MaeZe · Jul 30, 2018

There's a desiccated dead rat in my shed out back. I left it undisturbed. :tongue

I vote bury it again, maybe put a very large rock over the spot. Trash is my second choice. I don't think it will last long un-biodegraded in a landfill but I suspect it contributes just a bit more to methane in the atmosphere.

MaeZe · Jul 30, 2018

M. R. Kessell said:
... You don’t want that thing near your edible garden plants.

Why?

Marian Perera · Jul 30, 2018

M. R. Kessell said:
I think Larry has the right idea, call a neighbor over. You don’t want that thing near your edible garden plants.

What will happen if it stays near them?

carrie_ann · Jul 30, 2018

Not an authority, but I suspect the rat could potentially be carrying diseases which one might not want decomposed in to the soil? Just my best guess.

Larry M said:
I suggest using a rake or a shovel to get it into a garbage bag and into a garbage can. If you can't make yourself do it, offer a neighbor a six pack of beer or something to take care of it.

My bold, what he said.

I have this same icky thing phobia. My little cat used to bring me dead furry or feathered things all the time, inside. The cuter it was the harder time I had disposing of it. Gloves, shovels, towels did get the job done, but often after a day of mounting anxiety. And I always laughed at myself after, but that single moment of moving it was just excruciating for no logical reason at all. I'm actually a pretty tough little lady. I've been car jacked, my home has been broken into, I've had my fair share of hardships and typically just chin up and adult. But, I draw the line at furry or feathered dead things and all things snake.

I finally just started asking the neighbor. It's so much easier, if you have the option.

frimble3 · Jul 30, 2018

If you can't bear to handle it, even with gloves, and don't have a neighbour, and you're stuck with covering it up, you can't just drizzle loose soil over it.
Dig a small (but deeper than the rat) hole. Use the shovel to shove the rat in. Fill the hole with dirt, tamp it down, put in more dirt, 'til it's firm and flush with the surrounding ground. Now, take the biggest pot you have, fill it with dirt, and put it directly over the rat-grave. Plant something cheerful in it. Nasturtiums are good.
But you really don't want to start a vermin cemetery. If you don't have a neighbour, try calling Animal Control - they might help you.

The reason you don't want it near edible plants is possibly that they might harbour decaying mammal toxins, or ratfleas, but also so that you don't encourage not-too-fussy vermin to treat your place like a feeding station. There is no such thing as 'a' rat.

MaeZe · Jul 30, 2018

carrie_ann said:
Not an authority, but I suspect the rat could potentially be carrying diseases which one might not want decomposed in to the soil? Just my best guess. ....

Nice guess but no. Rats have been known to carry fleas that carry the plague, but that's not going to get in any food growing in a garden. It's safe to fertilize your veges with dead rats.

Currently in the US, fleas with endemic plague live on squirrels and jack rabbits in the mid west. Not something the average Jack and Diane need to worry about.

M. R. Kessell · Jul 31, 2018

Sorry everybody, I didn’t mean to cause any alarm, maybe it’s perfectly safe to bury. I should’ve said that I myself wouldn’t want that around. And I wouldn’t want to accidentally dig it up when I’m planting next year’s tomatoes. I’ve had some gross, dead rat experiences here.

Marissa D · Jul 31, 2018

I wouldn't bury it near your tomatoes, just because you don't want to encourage digging by enthusiastic scavengers near the root systems of your plants. The give-a-neighbor-a-sixpack solution sounds good.

Marian Perera · Jul 31, 2018

Marissa D said:
I wouldn't bury it near your tomatoes, just because you don't want to encourage digging by enthusiastic scavengers near the root systems of your plants.

It's actually at a little distance from them, perhaps eight inches away from the furthermost plant (which is a runt, and I don't expect fruit from it) and maybe ten to twelve inches from the next tomato plant. They all grow in a line, dead rat is just beyond that line.

What's weird is that I came home and inched my way along the line to see if anything had changed, and I didn't smell anything. The carcass looks odd, too, like it's dry and dessicated. Didn't notice too many flies around.

Maybe the problem is over? *hopeful*

MS KIKI · Aug 1, 2018

Larry M said:
I suggest using a rake or a shovel to get it into a garbage bag and into a garbage can. If you can't make yourself do it, offer a neighbor a six pack of beer or something to take care of it.

Larry, get over there! :hi:

Cobalt Jade · Aug 1, 2018

Does your landlady live on-site? Tell her to deal with it, it's her property! (Speaking as a landlady myself. One of the joys of being in that profession.)

If she lives out of the area, though, that's not appropriate IMO. Get something like a large bag (doubled-up brown paper bag is good) and shovel the rat into it with some dirt if you can't stand looking at it. Scrunch the top over and quickly dispose of it in the trash.

Larry M · Aug 1, 2018

MS KIKI said:
Larry, get over there!

It would take a lot more than a 6 pack to get me over there with the rat.

Dead rat

Marian Perera

starting over

csteffoz

Larry M

ajaye

partial to a gum tree

M. R. Kessell

MaeZe

MaeZe

Marian Perera

starting over

carrie_ann

frimble3

Heckuva good sport

MaeZe

M. R. Kessell

Marissa D

Scribe of the girls in the basement

Marian Perera

starting over

MS KIKI

Cobalt Jade

Larry M