The 5 animals & bugs I’m living with
For over a year, I have been living in probably one of the cheapest places near campus. And while the cheap rent is definitely a plus, there are a few downsides, a big one being the many pests that we share a home with.
5. Bunnies
The easiest and nicest unplanned roommates are the bunnies that apparently live below and around our house. While I haven’t seen these bunnies yet, my roommates have told me they often see them burrowing around our house.
4. Spiders
Growing up, I was terrified of spiders so I know my younger self would be shocked to see a spider be one of the most bearable pests. Spiders don’t bother me too much anymore but constantly seeing spider webs randomly appear in every room in our house and finding huge ones out on our deck is definitely still unsettling.
3. Bats
Bats are probably one of the grossest pests that my roommates have found at our house, but I, luckily, have never had to deal with them. Some of my roommates used to consistently see or hear them on our deck, while my other roommate swears that she hears them flapping in her walls at night. They would be higher on my list, but I have been very fortunate not to run into one of these yet.
2. Centipedes
Objectively, centipedes probably aren’t worse than bats, but I have definitely had more experience with these 100-legged pests. Once, after a long day, I was taking a shower, and toward the end of it, I went to rinse off, looked down at the tub, and found one squirming to get close to me just inches from my feet; I have been terrified of them since then. And, these are the bugs that I have found everywhere. They have obviously been in the bathroom, but I’ve seen them run out from under our fridge and crawl out from under my bed, which has made them just a little more scary.
1. Mice
And finally, the worst pest that I live with is definitely the mice. These mice came out of nowhere and we just can’t get rid of them. First, my roommate saw one squeeze underneath her bedroom door, but now we have seen them run across our living room floor while we’ve been relaxing on the couch. Once I left the lid of an ice cream container out on our kitchen table, and just fifteen minutes later, my roommates saw a mouse scurry away from the ice cream, just off our kitchen table, and run behind our fridge. And just last night, we set a mouse trap on our stove – I even sacrificed my nice cheddar cheese from Trader Joe’s – and the mouse somehow managed to get the cheese from the trap without setting it off. I could go on and on about why I can’t stand living with these mice.
While my roommates and I may enjoy our cheap rent, the only notable amenity that our house comes with is the many additional furry, multi-legged or winged roommates that we did not agree to have on our lease. Even after living with all of these pests, I still wouldn’t exchange the house, or at least the memories we have made in it, for the world.