Mice in compost

This may seem a silly question but every time I go to my compost bin, there's a mouse on top which rapidly disappears! It doesn't bother me - its quite funny to watch, but is it bad for the compost if they have a nest in it and if so what should I do? Its one of those large round black plastic composters

 

I would get rid of it you don't want to start a colony they would find their way into your house eventually

 

They are not bad for compost though, even snakes live in compost. If you kill the mouse leave it there, decomposed animals make compost.

 

What's the best way of eradicating them?

 

The kindest way is with a humane trap, once captured, you 'relocate' it somewhere far away...

 

i agree with jarbax, i had them living in my garage last winter,i found the see-saw type humane trap worked very well. i baited it with honey and caught 1 a night for over a week. you need to re-house them a fair distance away from your house though-think the packaging said at least a mile.

I used to drop mine off in a field near me, the same one i took the photo's of the barn owl in!!

 

So that would be a 'Meals on wheels' would it Glen?? :D :D

 

:D :D

 

HImane trap it is then. Now to tell the wife we've got them...

 

Please Help !!! When I opened my compost bin last night A mouse was running around the top of it Now I know it sounds stupid and I know the veg and other waste I put in it must encourage them ,but now I am scared to go near the bin I just didnt expect mice I read this post about mice in the compost bin and using a humane trap I could,nt use anything like that !!!!!Please there must be another way to get rid of them

 

I don't know why the vegatable waste should particularly attract mice, unless you are putting in cooked food which is known to attract mice and rats. I wonder if the compost is a bit dry? If its a warm and dry and sheltereed it would make a nice cosy nest. The ideal compost should be warm but moist, not ideal for mice to live in.

 

Thanks Geoff I have only started composting and up to now I only have leaves and twigs at the bottom followed by shredded newspaper and raw veg peeling lots of leaves grass cuttings and all the usual uncooked kitchen waste, potato peeling, egg shells, egg boxes,My bin stands in the full sun all day {which isnt very often just now} do you think maybe thats the problem ? I hose inside it sometimes ,maybe Im not hosing it enough I keep a big stick beside the bin and I give it a few bangs just in case its siting there .I think my neighbours think I,ve gone mad

 

Every time I add to the compost i put in about a gallon of water. Makes it much too wet for vermin and it seems to rot down beautifully. The only thing I get in there is slugs and snails. While they're in there they're not munching my plants!

 

Thanks Cajary I will try that and hopefully that will sort out my problem