So it was a normal, slightly hot and muggy afternoon. My wife was going to be home from work soon, so I thought I would turn on the barbecue so I could have dinner ready by the time she got home. So I simply opened the valve on the propane tank, then turned the valve/igniter on the barbecue. Normally if it does not ignite on my 1st or 2nd try, I'll turn the Propane off, open the lid, and let it air out for a minute before trying again(for safety...) But this time I could hear the low roar of the flame right away on my first try so I knew it was good. I was about 1 second away from going back into the house while it preheated, but I heard unusual, additional noises coming from the barbecue. So I opened the lid, and a gigantic Rat practically flew(leaped far) out of it, and ran off. I just froze in shock as I've never seen a rat in the wild before. But I knew this one was about as big as they could get based upon literature I've read and what I've seen in pet stores. I strongly believe it ran off unharmed, aside from a bit of singed fur, and I just stood there frozen for about a minute. I didn't know what to think but I did know I felt violated. I will never know exactly what it did while in my barbecue. Even though a barbecue heats up far beyond what is necessary in order to destroy diseases, be safe etc. I just will never feel the same about using it. This may be just what I needed in order to justify getting a new one. The lesson here is to prevent pests from going into your barbecue in the first place, and always open the lid before turning on your barbecue.
From the time there was fire in the barbecue to when the Rat leaped out, was only about 2 seconds. I can touch it with my hand and not get burned at almost the 10 second mark so I know the rat was not seriously injured. Don't worry, I am strongly against animal cruelty, the Rat is totally okay.