# Rat in the trash can, what do you do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 9, 2019, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761 "2019-07-09T09:13:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bytheway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bytheway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bytheway)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/1 "2019-07-09T09:13:00Z")
No longer need answer fast. A small rat tripped an old fashioned spring trap and fell into a trash can. The trash can is plastic with a square cross section, maybe 10 inches on a side, and about 3 feet tall. The cover has dual doors which swing down. I could hear the rat scurrying around so I pushed one side of the cover down and peaked inside; he was not caught in the trap. As I was considering my options I saw him near the top so I whacked the lid. He was crawling up the side of the plastic bag. He actually made it over the cover a couple times but I whacked him each time to knock him back into the trash can. Yes, I was playing whack-a-rat. There was nothing handy to completely cover the lid, just a large circular platter which left about 1 inch exposed at each corner, and lots of trash bags. What would you have done to get rid of the rat? I’ll come back soon to post what we did. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/2 "2019-07-09T09:23:42Z")
I’m a softy. I probably would have knocked over the yeah can to let him out. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/3 "2019-07-09T11:44:47Z")
If he’s caught in a trap, he’s probably in pain. So I’d kill it. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/4 "2019-07-09T11:45:54Z")
Skip to my Lou, my darling! (Couldn’t help myself; titles with that meter show up quite often.) ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/5 "2019-07-09T11:48:45Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Skip to my Lou, my darling! > > (Couldn’t help myself; titles with that meter show up quite often.) Dammit! Quit anticipating my posts! ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/6 "2019-07-09T11:53:37Z")
^ You’re a cat–get in there! ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/7 "2019-07-09T12:07:47Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Skip to my Lou, my darling! > > (Couldn’t help myself; titles with that meter show up quite often.) > [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > Dammit! Quit anticipating my posts! Curse you both. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/8 "2019-07-09T12:23:32Z")
I’d sic my cat on the rat. Even de-clawed, she’s proven herself to be a great mouser. Otherwise… could the plastic liner be bunched up and sealed, trapping the rat and enabling its demise? ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/9 "2019-07-09T12:31:54Z")
A heavy glove and a shotshell in the .38; the glove more for ricochet than for the rat. If that wasn’t an option I would go all mortar and pestle on his ass with a baseball bat. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/10 "2019-07-09T12:33:51Z")
Aim the Trashcan Man at him. While it’s not nuking from orbit… ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/11 "2019-07-09T12:37:07Z")
Where’s the trash can? If outside, I would let him escape. If inside, I would quickly take it outside and revert to the previous case. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/12 "2019-07-09T15:33:15Z")
My Siamese would look at me in disbelief if i sic-ed them on it. My pups would look like the lights weren’t on.(kinda dim they are) I’d be on my own. I’d throw in some rat poison, seal him in. Put a trash can outside, far as i could get it away from the house. And wait. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/13 "2019-07-09T15:49:48Z")
Take him far away and release him. You stand a chance of screwing up your plumbing here if this is going where I think it is. ---
**Author:** ![bytheway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bytheway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bytheway)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/14 "2019-07-09T16:49:11Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > If he’s caught in a trap, he’s probably in pain. So I’d kill it. He wasn’t in the trap, but he may have been in pain from being whacked several times. Regardless, my goal was to kill him without being bitten. ---
**Author:** ![bytheway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bytheway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bytheway)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/15 "2019-07-09T16:52:58Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I’d sic my cat on the rat. Even de-clawed, she’s proven herself to be a great mouser. > > Otherwise… could the plastic liner be bunched up and sealed, trapping the rat and enabling its demise? I briefly considered this, but I am sure he could have torn the bag and escaped. Also, since he had demonstrated his ability to climb the side of the bag, taking the cover off to tie/bunch the bag seemed risky. ---
**Author:** ![bytheway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bytheway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bytheway)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/16 "2019-07-09T16:55:33Z")
> [@kopek](#): > > A heavy glove and a shotshell in the .38; the glove more for ricochet than for the rat. If that wasn’t an option I would go all mortar and pestle on his ass with a baseball bat. No gun or bat was handy, just the yardstick I was whacking him with. ---
**Author:** ![bytheway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bytheway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bytheway)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/17 "2019-07-09T16:58:26Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Where’s the trash can? If outside, I would let him escape. If inside, I would quickly take it outside and revert to the previous case. Inside, but release was not the preferred option in any case (which is why I set the trap in the first place). ---
**Author:** ![bytheway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bytheway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bytheway)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/18 "2019-07-09T17:08:03Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > My Siamese would look at me in disbelief if i sic-ed them on it. My pups would look like the lights weren’t on.(kinda dim they are) We have an old silky terrier. He barks a good game but his vision (and hearing) are going. Not sure he could catch the rat. > [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I’d be on my own. I’d throw in some rat poison, seal him in. Put a trash can outside, far as i could get it away from the house. And wait. If I had poison handy I would have considered that. Although, I also did not have an effective way to seal him in. ---
**Author:** ![bytheway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/df705f/32.png) [@bytheway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bytheway)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/19 "2019-07-09T17:10:03Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > You stand a chance of screwing up your plumbing here if this is going where I think it is. Definitely would not have done this. Seems quite possible it could have come back to bite me in the ass, literally. ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761/20 "2019-07-09T17:12:25Z")
What _I_ would do involves the use of heavy gloves and a potato gun. I’m guessing that’s not your solution. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rat-in-the-trash-can-what-do-you-do/836761.md?page=2)