It is November. It is 3am and I am lying awake listening to the sound of rats chewing the electrical wires within the walls of my house. If you’ve ever heard mice or rats scuttling around in the walls, you’ll know how annoying it can be. Imagine that, but with the rats separated from your head by only a slice of MDF. The scratching and gnawing is so loud, I can’t get back to sleep.
Last night I spent the evening convincing my children that the noise is just a family of squirrels who have made a nest on our roof. We try to be kind to all creatures, here on our off-grid farm. There is something about rats, however, that triggers my panic response. Not least because Google research has told me that rats like to chew the insulation around electrical wires as a way to sharpen their teeth. So while the electrics might continue to function, this would come with an increased risk of sudden fire.
