In a video that spread widely online, a New York homeowner documented an unexpectedly one-sided battle with rats living in the small garden outside his house. His humane attempt to drive them out backfired when the animals tunneled their way to freedom through newly made openings.
The saga, shared by content creator Brad Hurtado and his partner Sean that was then viewed by over a million people online, also highlights how human-altered neighborhoods can help create these conflicts, as The Nerd Stash reported.
What happened?
Hurtado said rat problems had been part of life in his Brooklyn neighborhood for years, in part because an empty lot beside his home had become a "perfect haven for a colony."
A nearby construction project appears to have shifted the problem rather than solved it, and the rats ended up burrowing into a vulnerable patch of soil in the front garden beside the box for his heated sidewalk system.
@back.to.the.studs HELP!! Please tell us what we should do….🫢😳 #rat #advice #renovation #lgbt ♬ original sound - Brad & Sean & Grace
In the video, Hurtado says, "I cannot believe that after 15 years, they found a soft spot in my garden bed and dug a new home."
He set up lights and a camera to monitor the burrow and first tried electric shock traps. He later turned to dry ice, choosing it over poison because dogs pass by the garden every day.
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"This is the same stuff you use on Halloween to make fog on the ground," he said. Instead of being contained, the rodents carved out another opening and got away once more. After another attempt using even more dry ice that then also failed, Hurtado summed up the ordeal, saying, "That hole is looking like the Lincoln Tunnel with how big it is. What are we gonna do?"
He and Sean posted a follow-up video over the weekend, seemingly achieving success through the eventual use of hardwire cloth, necessitating a full excavation of the plants and soil to do so.
Why does it matter?
Rat infestations can damage property, create sanitation problems, and leave homeowners dealing with stress, fines, and costly mitigation. Hurtado said he and his household were even hit with a rat-related violation before getting the fine reversed.
Vacant lots, dense development, easy access to food, and construction can all create ideal rat habitat or push animals into nearby human spaces. In this case, the rats appear to have been displaced from one part of the block and forced into another.
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What are people saying?
Many viewers were grossed out but impressed by Hurtado's storytelling. One commenter wrote, "I did not enjoy this one bit but stayed to the very end."
Another added, "Is there a prize for TikTok storytelling? Because you win."
Not everyone was rooting against the rodents, though. One viewer asked, "Is it just me that feels sorry for the rats?" while another said, "Leave them alone."
But persistence paid off, and it seems like the rats may be forced out from the garden bed...for now, at least.
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