A woman in Guiyang, China, was left bleeding after a rat crawled into her bedroom and bit her behind the right ear while she was fast asleep.
The incident happened at around 5am on Nov 2 in Yunyan District, where the woman, identified only as Xiao An, was sleeping in her rented apartment on the fifth floor.
According to reports, she had been living there for just three months when she discovered that two rats had entered her home through a hole in the window screen.
Although one of the rodents eventually escaped, Xiao An sealed the damaged screen and stored away all food in an attempt to prevent further infestations.
She also tried using sticky traps and rat poison to get rid of the remaining rodent, but her efforts were unsuccessful. She eventually decided to leave it without food, hoping it would starve to death.
However, the rat remained inside the apartment and attacked her while she was sleeping in the early hours of Sunday.
Xiao An recalled feeling a sudden bite followed by a pulling sensation on her head. Still half-asleep, she initially thought something had fallen onto her before reaching up and discovering that her hand was covered in blood.
The rat had bitten through the skin behind her right ear, leaving a visible wound on her scalp.
She subsequently went to hospital, where she received tetanus and rabies vaccinations at a cost of more than 480 yuan.
“I was quite frightened at the time,” she said.
The rat responsible for the attack is reportedly still inside her apartment. Xiao An is now considering getting a cat or hiring professional pest control services to remove it.
