There are many rats in downtown Bethesda. There are always rats in dense areas with restaurants. There is a huge rat warren in front of Chipotle by the Metro; on the side of OGR by the Meineke; and in front of the Starbucks in Woodmont triangle. The rats are smart enough to avoid the neighborhoods because of the dense population of Red Foxes and Barred Owls... but they love the urban parts. Bethesda proper is a city, make no mistake. It is larger and denser than many "main downtowns" in the United States.

Anonymous wrote:I once went to the bathroom in the middle of the night and after standing up, saw a rat in the toilet.

~Chevy Chase Section 5

Alito, is that you talking about your wife again?

I once went to the bathroom in the middle of the night and after standing up, saw a rat in the toilet.

~Chevy Chase Section 5

I work in old Bethesda, only saw a rat at night a couple of times during the pandemic.

Live near Rockville town square-haven't seen rats there (yet.)

No rats in Rockville 😎

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many rats in the old part of Bethesda. The area walkway near Imagination Stage is a literal rat run. Roof rats are common in Wyngate.

Ew. The business district or local reps don't want to address this????

They have new trash cans that help a little. Tommy Joe's seems vigilant. But, yes, the walkway between Imagination Stage and the carpet store is rat city.

Ew. Probably full of nests. They need to fill them, poison and sterilize (so they don't run to the next place)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many rats in the old part of Bethesda. The area walkway near Imagination Stage is a literal rat run. Roof rats are common in Wyngate.

Ew. The business district or local reps don't want to address this????

They have new trash cans that help a little. Tommy Joe's seems vigilant. But, yes, the walkway between Imagination Stage and the carpet store is rat city.

Anonymous wrote:So many rats in the old part of Bethesda. The area walkway near Imagination Stage is a literal rat run. Roof rats are common in Wyngate.

Ew. The business district or local reps don't want to address this????

Anonymous wrote:So many rats in the old part of Bethesda. The area walkway near Imagination Stage is a literal rat run. Roof rats are common in Wyngate.

Also a Wyngate resident. There are rats in Wyngate. A builder told me several years ago that all the houses being demolished for new builds send them scattering to other neighbor’s yards.

So many rats in the old part of Bethesda. The area walkway near Imagination Stage is a literal rat run. Roof rats are common in Wyngate.

There was a rat nest in the planter outside the Starbucks at 15th and K. Soooooo gross.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are rats where there are people. I doubt you’ll see them scurrying out in the open like you do in dense areas of DC or NYC but they are there.

I don't understand why we can't find a way to mitigate these populations. I mean, besides covered trashcans and sanitation crews, which DC could use lots more of. Isn't there a way to spay them?

Let me just track what you’re saying here you want to catch the rats alive and then do surgery on them and then release them?

I was thinking of something they could ingest that would sterilize them

This has actually been in the works for a few years, but I’m not sure why it hasn’t taken off (maybe it’s not been successful)?

Wyngate neighborhood person here- but lots of foxes around Bradley hills etc. I’ve never seen a rat in the Wildwood shopping center or any restaurant area in either downtown Bethesda or Rockville. But lots of other wildlife!