RATS!!

Although there is no food in the compost bin, we have had rats take up living there. Today we have emptied out the bin...thankfully no livestock today although runs can be seen. Hubbie has put wire on the bottom now to deter them getting in.. and I shall be able to use it again without being scared to open the lid. No one ever mentions about them when they say compost!!!

 

I`m surprised you have rats in your compost bin, when there is no cooked food in it. Are you sure it`s rats and not mice?

 

"No one ever mentions about them when they say compost!!! "

I have before!

Basicly your on the right track with chicken wire, also turn the compost regularly.

 

We have got rats in our Allotment sheds for the first time in 27 years of having allotments.There was also one dead down our road last year probably killed by someones cat. :D

I read somewhere that because of all the rain we are having the rats are being driven out of the sewers because there is too much water down there for them :rolleyes:

 

I WAS TOLD THAT THEY LIKE COMPOST BINS BECAUSE THEY ARE WARM AND DRY. THE ONES I HAVE SEEN ARE BIGGUNS..SO DEFINATELY RATS. BEFORE THE BIN WAS PLACED ON MUD, SO THEY COULD BURROW UNDER.. NOW AS I SAID WE PUT WIRE THERE TO HOPEFULLY DETER THEM.

 

Normally, and I use that word advisedly, rats only target a compost bin if there`s cooked food in it. My advice would be to set rat traps in the area, baited with chocolate.

 

Every time I add anything to the bin I chuck in about a gallon ( that's 5 litres Pro-Gard :D ) of water. It seems to make it too wet for vermin and everything rots down fine.

 

The thing is though cajary, you don`t want it to rot, you want it to compost down. That`s why it`s called a compost bin and not a rotting bin. :D

 

Dai, I'm a peasant. The subtle difference between rotting and composting escapes me. All I know is that it ends up as nice, crumbly, black stuff( apart from peanut shells :D ) and the plants all say thankyou at the end of the season. Well, I think they do or maybe it's those funny voices :D

 

Dave, no need to bait the traps just put them across the runs or even better two back to back with chicken wire over the top and a bit of cat food between the traps.

 

THANKS FOR ALL YOUR ADVICE...WE HAVE ACTUALLY USED RAT POISON..SAFELY BY THE WAY...AND I THINK WE HAVE NOW GOT RID OF ANY THAT WERE IN THE GARDEN.THEY SAY DON'T THEY THAT YOU ARE ONLY 6 FEET AWAY FROM A RAT, AND THESE DAYS THEY SEEM TO BE MORE COMMON. I FEED THE WILDBIRDS, AND GOT TOLD THAT IS AN ATTRACTOR TO THEM... AND ALSO DID YOU KNOW THAT THE FAT BALLS YOU FEED BIRDS IS AN ANTIDOTE TO THE POISON FOR RATS IF THEY EAT ANY??

 

Eileen i had a rat or rats last year
i went to a agricultural market.they had a
new poison which came from Australia
i faithfully put it under my shed,about 20 times
every time i checked them they were gone .until someone on this site,sorry cant remember name
told me that my nuts for the birds were an antidote for warfrin so as i was feeding the birds i was curing the rat :eek: :eek:
dont know the spelling for warfrin :D

 

If your bin is near enough to your house you can get a sonic rat repelent, pitched too high for people (and cats and dogs to hear). the noise is supposed to just make them move away. you cant use them near pet rodents though as they will be driven barmy by the noise as well

 

My 'other' business Asside of horticulture is pestcontrol and I can assure you that sonic repellers do not work at all.

It is a myth that fat balls are an antidote and the same for peanuts. Whilst peanuts contain vitamin K1 the antidote for anticoagulant poison, the quantity in peanuts is not enough to counteract the poison although it is best to stop feeding the birds prior to laying poison so less competeing food sources.