Adventures in rodent sub-letting

Last night I went to put an ice chest back into the storage closet outside, and disturbed a rat napping (and pooping vociferous) on my camping gear. Tonight I took the time to dig out a bunch of stuff and evict the little bugger into the cold night. Last year I found some stuff damaged by such nesting, and the year before the remains of a very dead varmit.

Yuck.

Still, I'd much rather evict the little guy than let the thing starve in a sticky trap or snap it's neck in a spring trap. It's hardly the rodent's fault for wanting a warm and dry place to sleep. I'm just not thrilled with the idea of it having to destroy hundreds of dollars of tenting, bedding, and packs to get a good night's sleep.