Compost & rats!

We live in a rural area and have recently acquired two compost bins. Within days the rats had tunneled into the one in use. We then laid a cement floor and embedded the bins into the floor. Needless to say the rats then tunnelled underneath again but we are unsure whether they manged to break through the cement which is about 2 inches thick.
To the rear of us is an apple orchid and also a small stream so ideal for rats. We can't put down poison due to having pets and are very wary of traps unless they are humane, but then if you do catch a rat in a humane trap, what do you do with it.
With winter coming on we are concerned that there will be a lot more rat activity and they will continue to burrow under the wooden fence or just chew theri way through it. We are putting cat poo down wherever we see a hole and they don't use that hole again but dig another one.
Any suggestions please?

 

We've had the same problem, rats chewed thru scafold planks to get to the compost.

Now using a plastic barrel with a lid that Marley sorted out for us. Had a rat in there once when I left the lid off overnight but otherwise no problems. They can't smell it thru the plastic.

Caught a few rats in the humane trap, I let them go at the local estate agents or inland revenue office.

 

i am organising a meeting for late sept and our guest speaker is an expert on composting

the meeting is for plot holders so he will focus on composting at the lotties

we too have a rat problem with compost bins so he will address this too


i will post info after the meeting

loopy

 

loopy lou, pity the meeting is not in Worcestershire as it sounds interesting. I will wait for feedback on the rat problem but in the meantime will try concrete with wire mesh this time instead of cement

 

Would a couple or more layers of wire mesh (chicken mesh) not keep them out?
One disadvantage of solid bases to compost cones/binsis that the compost doesn't drain very well and can get soggy if you don't have a well balanced mix.

 

Dunno which is worse, soggy or rats! :lollol:

 

That's very good of you. Putting the rats where they'll be at home! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

 

0)Our rats are partial to nice fresh eggs for breakfast - so are we so the rats have to go!!!
Autumn time is always worse when they start looking for nice warm homes for the winter close to a nice cafe! Anyway - when things really get bad we have to resort to poison....our local seed merchant sells quick acting poison pouches which are ready wrapped neat little bags which you shove down the rat holes with a stick....the rats love the plastic and can't wait to eat it...they do not come out to die. Our chickens/pets have never managed to get it out.
This is ok as long as you do not have rats living under your garden shed cos that is a fav. place for rats to live and if they 'pop their clogs' under there you have to get the floor up & dispose of the decaying body! NOT nice!

 

Have had rat problems without compost heaps but have sadly found that the only way to get rid was to use a poison inside one of the plastic rat run boxes which are difficult for any pets to get at if you place them well.
They are certainly efficient in my experience.

 

I have five cats and a gun! No rat problems.

Chopper

 

Sorry to get off the subject slightly, but I think that sharing my worst 'rat experience' might help me to forget and move on...?!

Upon hearing scratching and scampering noises in our loft, we investigated to find rat droppings and some chewed up lagging material from around the water pipes. Mr Rural gardener decided that poison was the best way to go and put some just inside the loft hatch. After a day or two, the bait had clearly been nibbled...and we crossed our fingers in the hopes that the poisoned rat would vacate the premises in search of water and die somewhere else!

Unfortunately, after a few days more...the most disgusting smell began to pervade the house. Typically, Mr Rural gardener was away that night and so I had to ring him for help! The only solution he could come up with, to this foul odour problem was for someone to go up into the loft and track down the offending corpse for removal.

I couldn't convince either of two daughters currently at home to do it!

Muggins here finally ventured up into the unknown in search of dead rats. After a few scary false alarms of uncovering 'dead rat' shaped bits of debris, (wearing wellies and rubber gloves whilst holding your breath and and using a piece of cane to investigate with is not conducive to a smooth performance), I finally found a whole nestfull of four dead baby rats. Now, call me squeamish...but I didn't expect this. Suddenly I am a mass murderor. Obviously the mother rat has eaten the poison and gone off to die and these babies have starved to death.
After screaming and almost falling through the bedroom ceiling, I turned towards the loft hatch to call for a Tesco carrier bag from the support team bellow.
.....This was the moment that I saw the MOTHER RAT, blocking my escape. She was clearly not well, all hunched up and just sitting there on the boarded walkway. Looking at me....judging me!
My earlier scream had already alerted the girls, the expletives that now followed had them both screaming along with me and laughing at me all at once.
It's amazing how agile I became in negotiating the truss rafters at speed to get around the rat and out of the loft!

I rang Mr Rural gardener again! No, he was sorry but couldn't possibly come home. I would have to leave it for a few hours and check to see when the Mother rat was dead, then remove them all.

This sounded like my only option. I still couldn't persuade either daughter to go up. Finally after several hours and having peered through the hatch a few times, the Mother rat was at peace.
Back on went the wellies and rubber gloves. Armed with my little stick and clutching the carrier bag I gradually approached the dead rat. All of the time, giving a running commentary about the smell and how awful I felt and what if it wasn't dead etc., etc. The babies were now in the bag and I gave Mother a good few pokes with the stick to make sure she was really dead.

All seemed OK so I dropped her in the bag and shuddered and started to make my way out of the loft. This is when the carrier bag started to move. At first I thought it was imagination and then it started convulsing.

Whilst screaming (I am not a screamer, I didn't know I could make that noise!) I ran down the ladder and flew out of the house and bashed the bag against the wall whilst crying 'Oh the poor thing!' It stopped moving after a couple of whacks

Horrible. :(

 

Nightmare ! What happened to daddy rat ?

 

:cnfs: oh my, I am glad to say I never thought about that!