LOL...you and me both, brother. Tree rats and I do not get along at all. They have been destroying our home and outdoor items for years now. I only kill the ones I see actively causing damage but I think that will have to change soon. The population is booming with very few natural predators in the area so they are becoming a major pain .
I feed the tree rats to our Raven family. When they hear a .22 shot, they know it's dinner time. The Ravens had 3 offspring this year + they adopted one from somewhere. "School" has been going on for 2 months now and it is loud. These young birds are taught from about 5am til around 8pm daily and it is an amazing sight.