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| 'Roger the rat catcher' from Goodna. Roger can catch rats which have increased after the floods. |
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| Keiron Butler with a rat found on his Goodna property. Mr Butler says rats are a more common problem in Goodna since the 2011 floods. |
GIANT rodents are back infesting Goodna, but Roger the rat-catching greyhound is loving every minute of it.
Goodna resident Keiron Butler, a leading greyhound trainer, said the rats were "breeding like wildfire" and moving up into unoccupied homes after being disturbed by last week's floods.
Cr Paul Tully has also encouraged people to cut their grass to prevent another major outbreak of the vermin.
Rats were caught in Goodna as big as bandicoots and possums after the 2011 floods. Mr Butler said Roger, an expert rat exterminator, had been kept busy. Mr Butler's rat baits also killed a rat the size of a bilby last week.
"Roger the rat catcher is doing well," Butler said.
"He catches rats most mornings and he has been doing his job patrolling the house at night. He keeps an eye on the place, and if he sees a rat he grabs it. I've got to get it out of his mouth otherwise he'll eat it.
"He's getting older and slower but he's still doing his job is old Roger the rat catcher.
"There are big rats coming from the river and we are seeing more of an impact since the floods.
"I've had to put more baits out and I caught a rat the other day that was as big as a bilby.
"They did quieten down over the last six months, but they are back now."
Cr Tully said residents should be on the lookout.
"We got reports of a rat infestation within hours of the flood," Cr Tully said.
"People in Woogaroo Street were saying that the rats were coming up out of the river and going into homes again.
"We need people to keep their grass down so it doesn't get overgrown and provide easy hiding for rats.
"Council will be on top of that and serving notices on people with long grass.
"Some of the homes haven't been reoccupied and they are re-infestation points.
"These rats live along the river and creek banks and with all the rain they have been flushed out.
"We have to address this problem again with baiting, rat traps and with people being vigilant.
"It was a major problem in 2011 to eliminate the rats. They are big and they are back."
Goodna resident Keiron Butler, a leading greyhound trainer, said the rats were "breeding like wildfire" and moving up into unoccupied homes after being disturbed by last week's floods.
Cr Paul Tully has also encouraged people to cut their grass to prevent another major outbreak of the vermin.
Rats were caught in Goodna as big as bandicoots and possums after the 2011 floods. Mr Butler said Roger, an expert rat exterminator, had been kept busy. Mr Butler's rat baits also killed a rat the size of a bilby last week.
"Roger the rat catcher is doing well," Butler said.
"He catches rats most mornings and he has been doing his job patrolling the house at night. He keeps an eye on the place, and if he sees a rat he grabs it. I've got to get it out of his mouth otherwise he'll eat it.
"He's getting older and slower but he's still doing his job is old Roger the rat catcher.
"There are big rats coming from the river and we are seeing more of an impact since the floods.
"I've had to put more baits out and I caught a rat the other day that was as big as a bilby.
"They did quieten down over the last six months, but they are back now."
Cr Tully said residents should be on the lookout.
"We got reports of a rat infestation within hours of the flood," Cr Tully said.
"People in Woogaroo Street were saying that the rats were coming up out of the river and going into homes again.
"We need people to keep their grass down so it doesn't get overgrown and provide easy hiding for rats.
"Council will be on top of that and serving notices on people with long grass.
"Some of the homes haven't been reoccupied and they are re-infestation points.
"These rats live along the river and creek banks and with all the rain they have been flushed out.
"We have to address this problem again with baiting, rat traps and with people being vigilant.
"It was a major problem in 2011 to eliminate the rats. They are big and they are back."
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