My neighbor the Pack Rat

[Darol Wester]

I really didn't notice any of this missing over a period of time. Then one day I was looking for some boat hoses and found a box full of this and lots of dog and chicken crap, mixed in with lots of old chicken bones. Kind of a witches brew. Anyway, the little devils can sure get off with a lot of stuff. Found a collection in the basement that consisted only of small animal bones and skulls.

 

[DarisMulkin]

Everything there you need to open a hardware store.

Daris

 

[Jon]

They clever fellas eh?
Wonder why they borrow that stuff as they can't eat it?

 

[Nick]

Clepto's

 

[Ernesto]

Anything shiny. Makes me want to go raid some nests,

 

[Jon]

Darol when you were down this way did you come across any of our Keas?
They pinch things off cars like wipers, wheel covers etc
They would go well with your rats
The worlds smartest bird or so they reckon

 

[highup]

I wonder what he was building with all that stuff.......... A time machine? A bigger boat that yours?
Incredible amount of stuff. I wonder if it was just one, or the whole hood.

 

[Darol Wester]

Darol when you were down this way did you come across any of our Keas?
They pinch things off cars like wipers, wheel covers etc
They would go well with your rats
The worlds smartest bird or so they reckon
]

Yep. We ran across them on the lower island coming back from Milford Sound waiting for a mess of sheep to cross the road. Fun to watch, destructive I'll bet.

I wonder what he was building with all that stuff.......... A time machine? A bigger boat that yours?
Incredible amount of stuff. I wonder if it was just one, or the whole hood.

I've always assumed that they use it to help build their nest. But the box this was in was packed tight with no room anywhere for a nest, and filled to the top. Just messin with my head I think. Last spring I was rebuilding my pump house. When I took the door off and dropped it on the ground, a big rat ran out of it and up a pine tree maybe 25 feet in a heart beat. New to me, cause I never knew they could or would climb trees.

Pesky little critters. Makes me wonder what else they got off with that I never noticed.

 

[Ernesto]

They will also go up stucco walls to get into your house and eat the wiring. A guys house burnt down here recently because of packrats.