El Andalous - Rats, Flat Overhaul

Entrance Piazza at Sunset

I am lucky to have good neighbours.

Jac – or Jacquie – often comes over to speak to me while I’m sitting on my balcony so that I have at least a bit of company at some point in the day. She and her husband will go back to the UK for Christmas, but will then return here in January, possibly permanently.

Anyway, today she popped over to see me, along with her husband (Chris) and the manager (Medhat). They were explaining to Medhat that I had rats and that they needed to clear the storage room next to my flat as this was a breeding ground for rats. Medhat protested that no way were the rats coming from there, but Chris insisted that they clear it up as it wasn’t fair on me anyway to have all this rubbish next to my flat.

Medhat then came in, along with three others, to inspect my flat. I had deliberately not cleared up the wood chippings, because I wanted as many people to see them as possible to illustrate the seriousness of what was going on. They, too, like the pest controllers, pulled out the fridge and the dishwasher to see if there were any entry points. I pointed out that the vent had come adrift and some poison had been put there.

After much discussion, it was decided that this was a very likely entry point for the rats. They immediately got a guy to come in and re-seal it. Jacquie had also suggested that they put a wire mesh over it, so that the rats and mice couldn’t squeeze through the vents. They did this, too. I was a bit sceptical at first, since I thought I would have heard them jumping down from a height, but the more I look at it, the more it looks like it is inviting unwanted entrants.

Medhat gave me his phone number and told me I could call him any time, so it was good finally to get a direct line to the manager for future occasions. I am now thinking a metal draught excluder for my bedroom door wouldn’t go amiss, since that would block any rodents from coming into my bedroom, at least.

The workmen got household cleaning to come in and clear up after them, so maybe I will ask Medhat if housekeeping could do my entire flat once a week while my leg is in a cast, as I’m not really able to do it very well at the moment. The poor guy, now that I have his phone number, he will be inundated with requests from me!

My technique for the evening was to mix the peppermint oil with olive oil and then place soaked tissues around the kitchen. I wanted to stay up until around midnight to watch the X-Factor (yes, sad, I know), if my internet connection was strong enough (I watch via my laptop and can get it only if the connection decides to work that evening). The rats usually turn up between 10pm to midnight. I wasn’t too sure what I would do if it didn’t work.

It was a surprisingly peaceful night, with no rodents making an appearance. I still left the bedside lamp on at night, and still blocked my door with a mixture of toilet paper soaked with peppermint and plastic bags.

I heard nothing untoward and finally got a good night’s sleep until almost 10am. Were my problems finally over?