Huge.
Posted on 10/16/2018 1:44:50 PM PDT by Red Badger
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — Furious tenants of a public housing project in the Bronx were pleading for help Monday, saying their buildings are overrun with rats — and they’re not kidding. They have the video to prove it.
But we should warn you, the pictures are not for the squeamish.
“I’m traumatized,” tenant Veronica Martinez told CBS2’s Marcia Kramer.
You’d be traumatized, too, if you had the same kitchen as Martinez.
Rats. An entire family of rats, some as big as cats, have taken over, hopping in the sink, into pots and pans. It’s absolutely gut wrenching.
“I should never have to experience not one but seven rats in my kitchen,” Martinez said. “It’s disgusting. All over the stove, the washing machine, they just invaded my apartment.”
And she’s not the only tenant at the New York City Housing Authority’s Claremont Consolidated Houses in the Bronx who are “ratting out” the problem.
“My wife can hardly sleep because you hear them in the walls,” one tenant said.
Asia Clemente’s 1-year-old son was bitten by a rat. She wants Mayor Bill de Blasio to fix the problem.
“If we’re paying you rent we deserve to live like human beings, not live like we’re savages, because we’re not,” Clemente said.
What makes the situation worse is that garbage is left out in the courtyard and the residents say it breeds more rats.
Tenant Marilyn Veguilla took a picture of the garbage there on Monday morning. Of course, it was magically cleaned up before reporters arrived, but some of the opened trash cans remained.
“I got small kids upstairs. There’s about four of us with asthma. We cant be dealing with this kind of condition,” Veguilla said.
“It was as if that family was living in a sewer, infested with rodents. I think we’re sick and tired of seeing the Housing Authority and the city at large treat NYCHA residents as second-class citizens,” Bronx City Councilman Richie Torres said.
Bronx Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson said Mayor de Blasio should see the conditions first hand.
“Come to Claremont Consolidated,” Gibson said, “and see how your residents, how our constituents, are living day to day. It’s not acceptable. You wouldn’t live like this.”
NYCHA agreed, saying it’s now taking steps to deal with the problem.
“Our residents should not have to live in these conditions. We apologize to our residents and will continue to vigilantly monitor this situation,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The agency said it intends to come up with a comprehensive plan that will include inspections and fixing unsafe conditions.
Down in south Louisiana, we call those "nutria". Fortunately, they don't try to get into houses.
I swear by sticky traps now. Caught a whole family of mice on one rat size trap.
The old 5 gallon bucket with some water in it and coke can on a clothes hanger works well. Just have to remember to check the bucket before the critter dissolves.
Some have very positive reviews though they vary in quality based on them, while tests say they show no proof.
Another option are rat zappers, and they do work for mice, though rats are smarter. And can restart their heart after a few minutes. Tell me if this video works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grcl0nI78Jc
Also, Rat Resurrection: Diseases once thought long gone are crawling around the city
While rats can eat through brick, you want to cement any openings into their building, or your apt if that is the case. And use covered heavy barrels.
“Get a terrier.Problem solved.”
Good suggestion Farmer Dean. It was my first thought. I have one and she would have that place cleared out in a flash.
Once a American Eskimo Miniature we owned killed a huge rat. I had to look on her with respect.
But the Jack Russell is the hands down winner. I bet they are not ‘allowed’ to have pets. I would have one regardless, if I was forced to stay there.
Of course you call them nutria, if you called them rats no one would go to Louisiana...
It is great they don’t try to get into houses, but I bet if they did the locals would have figured out how to stop that.
Getcha big fatts out of NYCHA
The big ratts won’t bybytcha
Wow, sounds pretty elaborate. I think I’ll stay with the old-fashioned traps.
Your link was 404, unfortunately. But that’s ok - from the title, not sure I wanted to see it anyway.
So far, so good with the acoustic things. I’m sticking with them.
“Monitoring the conditions”?
“Hi ma’am. We’re monitoring the rat situaion. How many this week? Ok. Thanks!”
“Good morning, sir. We’re monitoring the rat situation. How many rats do you have this week. Ok, thanks!”
“Hi little girl. Can you tell me...”
I’ve caught a few mice on sticky traps, but I had the bucket with the coke can and peanut butter set up for months. Didn’t get a single mouse.
We bought a rodent zapper. It worked a couple of times, then mice wouldn’t go near it. I cleaned it thoroughly after its victims were removed, but I think they could still detect a smell of death. They’re smart little critters.
Did you have a ramp to the top of the bucket?
Yes. I had it set up exactly per instructions.
Wrong. I live in a building that is 112 years old (old for this part of NYC). We have no rats. The building next-door has them. It has to do with how conscientious the workers are. We have 90 apartments, and we’re right next to the park, which is where they like to hang out when they are not looting garbage bags.
The difference is that the remainder of the building in section 8 is high-rent, so everything has to be kept nice for the people keeping the landlord afloat.
A long time ago when I had mice, I left an opened spaghetti box standing upright in the pantry. A mouse climbed on top of a closed oatmeal container to get into the spaghetti box.
Another one got caught in a trap with his front feet outside the trap and dragged the trap over to a mouse hole and somehow was able to get his feet inside the hole and keep walking and left the trap outside the hole.
When I told the super, he said “I wish I could only be as smart as them.”
Huge.
This is “public housing”. So those tenants live there for free or little rent. This particular housing complex was sold to a private enterprise under a program touted by Obama. I’ll bet it was sold to a big dem donor who is just bleeding it dry.
There IS a NYC Terrier Ratting club, actually. People call them and they bring their highly effective little ratters to get rid of the rats. The name of the club is Ryders Alley Trencher-fed Society (RATS).
If they weren’t so nasty, they’d be cute.
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