Rats in the basement

Last night I was woken over and over by the sound of rats gnawing under my bedroom.  It's that time of year when the young rats born in the spring time get kicked out of their nests in the lagoon and start invading houses.  I can't afford to be tolerant, but the basement is off-limits t me because of the presence of historical rat dander, so I have to have someone else manage the traps.

I've got skin prickles already.  I guess it's reasonable, since the rat was presumably gnawing on some part of the subfloor, which makes them less than three feet below the bed.  And it was really loud, so I suppose it had to be close, even accounting for the acoustic properties of wood.

If you've been around for a while you might remember that I'm seriously allergic to rats: living with a pet rat before I knew about it made me cough blood, and I can't walk inside a small pet store without feeling a thickness in the air and prickles all over my skin. That's why I can't afford to be tolerant.

Fortunately I have visitors who have promised to manage the traps for me!

I have no idea why the rat was trying to get into my bedroom, though -- why not the kitchen?