Allotments 4 All

Quote from: Georgie on January 16, 2010, 18:44:53

Quote from: Baccy Man on January 16, 2010, 18:41:45
Avocado skins and pitts contain high levels of persin which is highly toxic to rodents.

Thanks for the speedy reply.  I guess that means they still suffer a slow agonising death then?

G x

Death usually takes 24-48 hours but as most animals have the sense not to eat things which are poisonous it's debatable wether they would consume them or not when there are other food sources available.
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/htm/bc/211102.htm

I think we'll start eating avocadoes.  Unfortunately the artificially ripened ones are rather tasteless.

I am a wimp. I don't have a compost bin but if there was a rat in my greenhouse or sun room I would run like hell and if there was one in my loft I would move!!!! The best rat catcher I ever knew was my late Father-in-laws wired haired terrier, they had allotments at the bottom of their garden but any visiting rats didn't last long.
Hope you manage to get rid of it.

My 3 composters now live on paving stones up at the plot - not seen rat in evidence since  ;)

Ninny

I wouldn't buy the avocado's specially because there were a lot of them in my dalek when my rat moved in early this winter.

It was nesting in my shed and feeding from the bin next-door and making me extremely jumpy.

I seem to have got rid of it.

First cleared everything out of my shed, then cut off it's food supply by stopping putting vegetable scraps in the bin and tiling and piling bricks around the sides of the bin and the edges of the shed.

I used this rat 'repellent' inside the shed liberally and regularly
Ratty Instant Rodent Repellent
http://www.homebase.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=20001&partNumber=527299
(BTW, It's not organic like some sites say so I wouldn't personally sprinkle it on any earth)

I don't know which of these worked, maybe in the end the repellent wasn't necessary after cutting off the larder and eliminating it's nest and nesting materials, but it's a big relief.