Model Railroading > Attack of the giant rodents

In one corner of my O-gauge layout I have a small cow pasture. I had stragetically placed some M&Ms to represent cow pies. I noticed this morning that the M&Ms are gone and there is a scattering of mouse droppings in their place. I guess I'm lucky that they didn't eat the cows.
Bill Pyper
Salem, OR

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Maybe just mash the mouse droppings a bit and you'll have replacement 'cow pies'?

Lactose intolerant rodents?

I have never seen cowpies that look like M&Ms, even chocolate ones... Also, if you want to get rid of rodents, get a cat.

Bill Deaver
Tehachapi, CA

Run them over with a train if you get a chance.

MojaveBill Wrote:
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> I have never seen cowpies that look like M&Ms,
> even chocolate ones... Also, if you want to get
> rid of rodents, get a cat.


And that way, we can see another train layout that gets visits from one or more giant cats!

That is udderly disgusting.

Had a mouse infestation in an old N-scale layout years ago. They took all the "leaves" off the trees in my forest, and made a nice little round nest in the middle of a 2-track cut. Luckily they hadn't "moved in" before I discovered it.

Sprinkel a little DECON around the layout.
Be careful they may be nesting in your tunnels which would look inviting to them.

Hal

Back in my youth, the late E.G. Baker of Louisville, Kentucky, had a 4-track O scale loop around the basement of his tiny tract home in south Louisville. Midst the clutter, he had Lionel Hudsons, all manner of home-built All-Nation brass locos, dozens of Walther's passenger cars and many freight cars from multiple manufacturers. One afternoon while a few of us teenagers were watching his trains and looking over some of his old Official Guides, we heard a clunk on the backside of the basement, where the tracks went over the washer and dryer. Breakers popped and we went over to investigate, only to find a mouse had been run over by the first of two Lionel Hudsons on a long passenger consist. The lead engine was resting atop of the furry varmint, but the rest of the train remained upright.

E.G. surmised that most likely some coffee was spilled in the diner (which was painted and lettered for his beloved Frisco).

Little critter wasn't moving and did not revive as he/she was carried, tail first, to a final resting place somewhere in the back yard...

timecruncher

At the club years ago, a member planted a Christmas tree farm.
Right before Christmas we noticed all the trees were gone. Each
one had about an inch of its trunk left in the dirt. Following the
lichen trail we found them arranged in an circular nest inside a
doubletrack tunnel about twenty feet away.

The Christmas trees have returned, but not the rat!

Larry

Time cruncher, THAT is a great story!

Used to be, you could just get a trap, catch a mouse, throw it in the trash. Now, at least in the Northwest, we have to keep the hantavirus in mind. There was a guy camping in his RV over in Lake Wenatchee a year or so ago. He got up one morning and found some mouse droppings somewhere in the RV. So he cleaned them up and disposed of them, and went about his business.

He went home a day or so later. Then he started feeling ill. He thought it was the flu. The doctor thought it was the flu. After several days of feeling really bad, he went to see the doc again. Finally, he happened to mention he had been camping, and about cleaning up after the mouse. After tests, sure enough, he had the hantavirus. This disease is life threatening. Early symptoms are similar to the flu.

Just sweeping up mouse droppings isn't recommended anymore. Now you have to go through a whole procedure. I don't remember what the procedure is, but that is what the Internet is for, right? Fortunately (I guess) for you, there have only been 11 cases in Oregon between 1993 and 2010.

You want more mice/rats and trains? Try this:

http://ratfreesubways.com/

I think I will wait for Bloomberg to get this one taken care of before I head back to NYC.

poffcapt