It was important for me to take some rotting fruit out and toss it out, and not entertain any of the rat nonsense.
In the future we might be able to sequester the rats in their own space, and then folks who want to create can go in separate areas. Rats have feelings too! I've had a lot of fun at hackerspaces over the year, but ignoring the problem isn't the solution, and we are always going to have to accept the reality of rats if we want to have community.