Topic: RATS IN MY COMPOST BIN

[Alan_Y]

I have just discovered a big rat overwintering in my green house. The run are all under my mypex sheeting. I have cleared everything out and bated the green house which it is eating by the cup full and still coming back.  On further investigation it is living in one of my plastic composters which is outside next to the green house . My Question is WILL I HAVE TO GET RID OF ALL MY COMPOSTED MATERIAL DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF CONTAMINATION ???

Any thought .

Happy growing ( RAT FREE)

Regards

Alan

[Mrs Ava]

I am sure there will be lots of differings of opinion here.  My personal views are, the compost will be fine, just make sure you were gloves and wash yourself well after using it.  I have ratty living in my heap at home and mice galour in my heap at the lottie, but I still use the compost.  In my opinion, it is all part of the great circle of things (ooooooo and I am so not a hippy!  ;D)  Ina will tell you to make sure your tetnus is up to date (mine isn't, I know I know, I will get it done, I promise).  In the garden, I try to use the compost on wet days figuring the rain will wash any iffy stuff down, or at the back of beds and rake forward a few days later.  Little darlings aren't they!

[Marianne]

Not sure here Alan.

I suppose the rats will have peed and pood  :o in your compost.  Maybe some up-to-date members can give you a better response as to the danger of contamination.

Just the thought of rats in my garden gives me the shivers, :o

I wish you luck and hope the nasty little thing leaves your premises .... quick!
Good luck.

[teresa]

Hi Alan
Your compost will be fine to use just make sure you wear gloves plastic ones and have a tetnus jab if yours is out of date.

As long as the rat is eating the poison it is still alive but when it stops eating you can be sure its dead. You may find it looking asleep just prod it with a long cane and when its dead either compost it or bury it under a plant natural blood fish and bone meal?
You may have more than one rat so you need to kill them now before they breed, rats return to home nest to over winter,

If you live close to railway lines ( like I did )you will find this an on going story.

Teresa

[wardy]

We have a professional rat killer near me and he uses ferrets to despatch the horrible creatures.  Very environmentally friendly and you don't get poisoned rats dying somewhere we you can't get at them.  Yuk

There might be such a rat catcher near you  ;D

I don't put any cooked food in my bins and I wash the eggshells out and up to yet I've not had any rats in.  If I do I'll set my little Jack Russell onto them  ;D

[Gardenantics]

Not so sure about poison around your greenhouse & garden, I have been very successful using rat traps baited with milk chocolate, gets 'em every time, you know it's dead, you can bury it knowing it's not full of poison, and you can count them up so you know what scale of a  problem you have. The old saying is you're never more that 6 feet away from a rat!
Try to buy a metal trap, as the wood ones don't last, and take up more space. Put your trap down at the bottom of the wall where they run, and don't set it for a few days so they get used to it being there, get some Dairy Milk, and do the dirty deed. Remember to wear gloves like everone else said, especially if you can't resist the bait yourself!

Good Hunting

Brian

[wardy]

Mice really like Kit Kat  ;D

[Svea]

and nutella :) !!! i once aught two mice with one swoop! such romantics, i christened them romeo and juliet before disposing of them ::)

[chalky]

Yep! think most have a problem with rats or mice if you have a vegi garden. Main thing is to be completely certain nothing other than vegetable/fruit/eggshells etc. go into the composter. Any type of raw/cooked  food i.e meats, bread or such will attract these type of vermin, who will find some way of nesting among a place were a food source is available. Keep meat/bread/fats away from your compost heaps/bins only use green rot-able material and if you use grass clippings make certain you put a layer of rolled paper or such between and turn your compost every month throughout. This helps rot down the compost and also disturbs the pests so they don't over winter. One good tip is after say August (early) do not put spud peelings into compost, they do not rot down over winter and you will finish up with spuds among everything.

good gardening.. cheers chalky ::)

[Alan_Y]

Thanks every one for their information. I emptied both composters out where he was nesting and riddled it through (lovely stuff). No sign of ratty for several days but not looked yet thismorning.

Just a thought its possible that all the bird feeders and fat ball crums that are falling to the floor may be the food source as my compost bins are just veggie. don't like to brush up as it gives other birds a chance to feed that can't use the feeders.

I'll let you know i find the bugger or if he returns.

cheers

Alan

[Marianne]

 ;D

Good luck !