You guys... (critters ahead)

[mamaalysson]

We have rats. It's horrific. I just met with the exterminator's crawl space guy, and I am on the verge of a panic attack. The kids and I are leaving for my parents' house tonight, and DH is trying to find a long term place for us for the next few months. This is so horrible.

[nicolewi]

OH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I'm so sorry!

Is this a rental or a place you own?

[mamaalysson]

We own this damn house. I'm so over it.

We have two weeks of school left, and DD's final dance recital. So, we'll stay in town through mid-June, and then see. Our original summer plan was to spend July in Vancouver, BC...we're scrapping that and staycationing at home. DH has some connections with some new condos, so he's seeing what he can come up with. We're Also checking to see if our homeowner's insurance covers anything.

It's so bad. They are in our crawl space, and have destroyed it with tunneling. They haven't yet, but can get to our kitchen from there. They have also torn a duct, but he doesn't think they are in it, yet. We also have a leaking pipe which is providing them a water source. The exterminators have set a ton of traps and are coming Monday to fix all the ways they think they are getting in, and fix the path to the kitchen. Then they keep trapping until they are all dead. Then, they clean and decontaminate. THEN, they repair the crawlspace, inspect the duct, and we get a plumber to fix the pipe. All of this will take until mid-July. Then we all enter therapy for trauma counseling.

[gastro]

I am so sorry. I feel so bad for you all. It is your worst nightmare!

[nicolewi]

Wow, that is quite the process. Now I see why you have to move out. I am so sorry.

[dizzycooks]

Omg that is horrible! I am so so so sorry. I understand why you need to move out. I am it is quick. Do they poison them too so thy take it back to their other home?

[momin2013]

Aaaccckkk! I'm sorry you have to burn your house down and build a new one in its place!

Hmmm.....an idea, maybe....? 

[mamaalysson]

Jun 2, 2017 6:57:09 GMT -5 momin2013 said:

Aaaccckkk! I'm sorry you have to burn your house down and build a new one in its place!

Hmmm.....an idea, maybe....? 

I suggested it to DH. He said we weren't at the "burn that mutha down" stage yet. I may disagree.

No poison. They don't want them dying where they can't find them. Just lots and lots of traps. Bait traps outside and snap trap all around the basement, garage, and crawl space.

[Deleted]

Omg so sorry! That's terrible ☹️

[jag01]

Awww. That sucks!!! Not only about the rats but missing your vacation too. A mouse is horrible, a rat, I can't even imagine. Hopefully you get it fixed soon.

[mamaalysson]

Slight update: We only need to be out of the house until they clean and decontaminate, which is scheduled for June 12. Luckily, we have a friend who just purchased his grandmother's duplex, but isn't moving into it yet. He's letting us crash here. Pro: All four of us are back together and it has no rats. Con: It's pretty much unfurnished. His girlfriend is storing her stuff here, so there's a couch and her mattress we can pull out, but otherwise it's empty.

I had my first full blown panic attack since all of this happened. We got to this new house, it was empty (not even any toilet paper), I had had a fight with my mom before we left, the kids were crazy, it was 7 and no one had eaten. DH got home and took the kids for dinner and I lost it. I was supposed to be at a girls' night tonight, and my wonderful friends called just as I was losing my shit to ask the address and showed up with dinner and wine and chocolate. I love them. And the DH came home with more wine and toilet paper and the kids' mattresses and all our blankets and pillows. Now he's handling bedtime, and I'm snuggled into the one piece of furniture with my wine. We'll get through this.

[lexus]

Aww I'm so glad your friends were able to help!

[nicolewi]

I bet the kids will think this is awesome. They will remember it as some kind of fun camping-like experience. Sorry you have to deal. It's a lot less fun for grown-ups. I hope your house is back to normal soon!

[mamaalysson]

Yes! Thanks for asking. We moved back in last weekend after they decontaminated and sealed up all their points of entry. Knock on wood, I think we are rat free. They come back next week to do a (hopefully) final cleaning and decontamination.

BUT, because of this, we learned we have a massive leak in our kitchen drain pipe that has been spilling water into our crawl space for a loooong time. And that pretty much all of our plumbing is about to fail. We also have water damage to the drywall behind our kitchen sink and foundation issues that caused the wood around our garage door to rot (which is how they got in). Basically, our house is falling apart. The silver lining in all of this is that since fixing all of this is going to cost a shit pile of money, plus the new roof we already knew we needed, I think we're going to go all in and do a massive reno of the whole house - add a bed/bath, reconfigure the kitchen, etc. it won't be our dream house, but it will be so much nicer, and will be a house we can comfortably stay in until we find our perfect house. So, silver linings for the win.

[Deleted]

Ahhh good luck!! And good for you guys for finding the silver lining. Glad your critters are gone 😁

[nicolewi]

Wow, good luck with the renovation! Sounds exciting.

[dizzycooks]

That sounds so stressful. I hope it's beautiful and worth it.