At the start of this pandemic I abandoned my flat in locked down Melbourne city, to live in freedom close to the surf in a 1970s caravan in regional Victoria. One evening I saw a small object run across the floor and disappear underneath the sofa. I thought that was a big spider. We do get some big ones here. Over coming days it became evident that I had a mouse problem. Finding how they were getting in was impossible in such an old structure that had various cupboards and renovations tacked on to it. Mouse traps baited with peanut butter placed either side of the fridge, seemed to rid them or at least keep under control. Over a period of about 6 months the traps only caught 2 more.
For caravan park regulation reasons I was forced to leave the caravan, but instead of heading back to Melbourne I managed to get a lease on an old weatherboard house. I took the lease out sight unseen, in-person inspections not available and the video inspection link didn't work. The location from a surfing point of view was superb, so I took a chance, uploaded all the documentations and clicked the "apply" button. At that time short term holiday homes in regional Vic were being rapidly unloaded onto the market for long term rental due to job insecurity and loss of the usual income. With Melbourne going through what would be a 112 lockdown demand for these leases was low.
The pictures of the interior on real-estate agents website had given a fair representation and the interior was about as good as I could expect for a house of similar era to my caravan. It had over time undergone some slightly eccentric, but well fitted renovations. There was evidence of mice droppings in some corners when I first moved in, but I never saw any.
I sleep with bedroom door open and one evening I was woken by some rattling in the living room. There were 2 rodents running up the cords that operate the blinds, before quickly running out of sight. Out came the mouse traps, but they caught nothing over the next few days as I was woken each night. I did get to see them, quite big, must be field mice or something. They were crapping large droppings on the cooker and leaving a nasty smell on the wooden floor. Then the trap caught one. An internet search confirmed not a mouse, small ears and hairless tails, large size = rat. Apparently rats reproduce at an astronomical rate and they need to be dealt with quickly. If they are only seen at night then the problem is still in its early stage.
I do not like the idea of poison because dead animals hidden in cavities will make the place stink. A mate of mine once had a terrible smell which came from a dead possum in the roof cavity. I spent the next day going through all the cupboards and every inch of skirting board looking for holes. Not much furniture for them to hide in. I found just one hole in the skirting that corresponded with the direction in which they disappeared. I plugged it with sponge rubber, installed sonic deterrents, replaced the mouse traps with stronger rat traps in all rooms and for a few days saw no sign of them. Then they were back. Mice are stupid, but these rats were clever bastards, they would set off the traps without getting caught by knocking them. Sticking them to the floor with blu-tack didn't catch them either.
Then during a nightly disturbance one ran past me and into the bathroom. The only place they could possibly be coming from was behind the washing machine. Sure enough after moving the machine I could see the bottom of the cubby hole next to the laundry trough was not boxed in at the base and with a torch I could see the wall cavity. Most older houses in Australia are on concrete stumps which is good for keeping dampness out, but means trying to stop animals getting underneath the house is impossible. The cavity in the base of the cabinet could however be blocked. I sawed up two pieces of plywood and boxed it in. I also removed a loose panel from under one of the cupboards and discovered droppings and a passage into the wall cavity right at the back. Inaccessible, but I blocked the hole by pushing a brick against it with a stick. Its quite possible that there are other such cavities, but I can't do anything about that and the rodent problem is solved. No sign of them and no smell.
A relatively smaller annoyance is mosquitoes. Its cold and well into winter, but drainage ditches filled with water must be breeding them. All windows have fly screens. The wall ventilation all fitted with wire mesh. I have no idea how they are getting in. It only takes one or two buzzing in my ear to wake me up and leave me with itchy bumps on my face. Not a problem every day, but the last two evenings I have needed to put eucalyptus repellent on my face when sleeping.
I am very happy here though. The house is owned by a carpenter and the renovations have been professionally done. Its got reverse cycle heating and air-con. Extractor vent over the cooker. No carpets, all wooden floorboards and tiles so easy to keep clean. Never surfed so much in all my life and having a garden makes a nice change from years of 3rd storey apartment living. Regional rent and house prices skyrocketed in regional areas. However I have managed to extend the lease for another year and hope to stay here a while.
