Rats

[rich p]

We've had a nest of baby rats in our open top wooden compost heap and been advised by the council rat-man that it's fairly common for rats to use such heaps. He says to get rid of it or only use a plastic sealed bin.
It ocurs to me that I could carry on using the open one (which produces the best compost) for garden waste and keep the plastic one for the kitchen waste.
During the snow I saw a rat on top of the heap, snaffling the peelings.
Any thoughts?

 

[Globalti]

Yes, don't put food waste in the compost bin.

Also don't throw old bird's nests on it because all the blood-thirsty fleas will abandon the nest and jump onto the next human who comes along and pees in the compost. Guess how I know?

 

[mr Mag00]

we have them in our i use the 3 types, open platic wall with lid and the dalek like ones with a lid. i put 3 layers of chicken wire under the delak ones and they are still in there. they are not near the house i am not too bothered i turn the compost twice a year. i guess the droppings will breakdown and i use it one the garden as normal. you could put poison in the compost bin and they will die off, but experience says others will move in.

 

[Greedo]

I thought the fox you posted a picture of on the heap would have had a feast eating the rats???

No wildlife expert by any means and don't know if rat is on the daily diet list of a fox but thought it would snaffle them up!

 

[chris667]

If you're near Reading, I'd be happy to bring Poppy out for a day:

She's the one at the top left. The big dog is much too wet to despatch a rat, despite looking mean.

 

[swee'pea99]

Any thoughts? Poison!

 

[Watt-O]

It's the heat from the decaying matter that makes the compost heap so attractive to ratty. Ioce found a nest of baby rats in a compost heap, they must have been only a day old, tiny little fellows, all pink, eyes still closed. I beat them to death with a spade - only kidding I left them to die naturally.

 

[Wigsie]

Double tap to the head!

Our house backs onto allotments and our neighbour has rabbits, guinea pigs, snakes and all sorts and the waste/food etc seems to attract the little blighters. So every now and again we see them sniffing around the patio out the back, So in the conservatory for such occassions I have an air rifle ready for the long range shots and an air pistol for the closer stuff

 

[661-Pete]

Agree with the advice: no food waste. Get a wormery or separate bran-based digester: put vegetable waste in there (but not meat or fish - though I believe a wormery can tackle those); once it has decomposed into a mush you can either spread it direct on the garden or, by then, it's safe to go in the bin, rats (and humans) will no longer find it palatable.

We had rats in the bins a few years ago. I made a concrete base for the bins to stand on (actually I just laid a few spare paving slabs that were lying around in the garden, but I cemented them down so as not to leave gaps). That helped a bit, along with having lids on the bins.

Also don't throw old bird's nests on it because all the blood-thirsty fleas will abandon the nest and jump onto the next human who comes along and pees in the compost. Guess how I know?

You may have just been incredibly unlucky, but I believe the sort of fleas that infest birds and their nests, don't normally bite humans. That honour is reserved for cat and dog fleas, as well as Pulex irritans of course...

 

[Aperitif]

A nice little Manchester Terrier will do the business for you rich - she'll also catch rats and break their necks in 0.5 seconds. I was astounded when my lovely timid little 'chien' turned into this monster dog. Today, the only rats I see are those in the pub opposite.
Poison I suppose is the usual way. Warfarin - thins the blood, chilly rat returns to the nest, tries to stay warm, dies, other rats in residence eat the remains and
I live above (adjacent) a Sam's Chicken outlet and in the early hours (when I'm not posting on here ) I watch them dance across the service road, back and forth, carrying their own 'takeaway des refusées' aka dumped food. There is no faulting an animal's instinctive industry in caring and providing.

 

[dellzeqq]

dogs are great, but traps are more fun!

 

[Wigsie]

dogs are great, but traps are more fun!

Dogs are arguably a bit more expensive too! I am also sure our resident Snapper would be none too pleased at the concept of buying a dog to kill a rat... I mean what would you have to buy to kill the dog once it had dispatched the rat?

 

[chris667]

Dogs are arguably a bit more expensive too! I am also sure our resident Snapper would be none too pleased at the concept of buying a dog to kill a rat... I mean what would you have to buy to kill the dog once it had dispatched the rat?

You're an evil man. It's just as well she can't read.

 

[Davidc]

My sympathies, I had that happen when I had a compost heap, and when I trapped them or let next door's Jack Russell terrier break their necks more moved in. I wondered if once one lot of rats had been there others could smell it.

I changed over to a wormery, to a design I picked up at a gardening exhibition, made from plastic pipes. It was enclosed apart from a small vent, so not much could get in or out, and the liquid and solid products were excellent soil enhancers, almost as good as proper compost. In addition it didn't smell as much as the composter. Could be worth a try.

If you do then be sure that the only food waste in it is uncooked vegetable bits - I discovered the hard way that other stuff killed the worms.

 

[Amanda P]

If the rats are doing no more than helping themselves to the warmth and food of your compost heap, and aren't bothering you, why do anything?

There are always rats around whatever you do. It's when they start eating your food or your house that you need to worry.