Rats in the compost bin - eek! MERGED

myrnahaz

Is it normal to have rats in the compost heap? I thought I was being all green and good in buying one of those plastic compost bins rather than give my veg to the council, and I've been really good at filling it up all summer. We don't put grass in as our lawnmower mulches the grass cuttings, so it's only kitchen waste, but I make sure I only put raw veg, fruit, eggshells, teabags etc and never put anything cooked into it, never anything like bread or meat - yet today, I opened the lid and there was a huge rat in there. Fortunately, the level was only about 1 foot deep so the rat was a few feet away from me.
I can't believe that I actually threw today's offerings (rotten cucumber and some potato peelings) in on top of him and slammed the lid shut - he could have run out of the hole in shock and up my leg - yeuch!
I thought that the stuff was composting really well as the level never seemed to be rising, but it must have been a lovely salad bar for rodents.

My son is building a house in our garden, so we've had lots of excavations going on since December, plus our drains have been blocked recently - both of which could have encouraged rats, but it doesn't make me feel any better.

I'm so horrified that I've just washed out our old, neglected council-supplied compost bin, and I'll be using that in future (and letting the council have rats) unless someone can suggest something to get rid of young Roland (something that doesn't entail me looking in that bin ever again).

mr_magoo_5

Unfortunately yes,think about it, nice and warm and a good food supply!
Got rid of mine for exact same reason.
You can poison them but make sure pets,birds can't get at it.

Noah'strolly

I had a rat in mine a while ago. I put a tray of poison pellets on the top of the compost and stopped composting food for a while. I put the peelings etc in a large plastic tub with a lid until they were so slimy even a rat wouldn't want them and then put them in with the garden waste. I've heard rats like to nest in compost as it can get nice and warm in the winter from the heat of composting.
If you only compost kitchen waste you might consider a wormery or some similar sealed or indoor system.

myrnahaz

I'd try the rat pellets, but we have cats (not rat catching ones, obviously) and I'm not green enough to have a wormery, so I think I'll have to get rid of it - I certainly don't fancy lifting that lid again.
Thanks for your speedy responses!

Doom_and_Gloom

I know many won't agree but I'm not too bothered about a rodant making camp in my compost bin if it wishes to :rotfl: . I've had mice (up to 23 in one go) and I have 6 rats at the moment (I mean pets with this). As long as they do not come in the house I'm fine with them. An animal needs to survive after all. The droppings and pee would be fine in the composter if you want to use the compst made as it is a veggie rodant in there I'd gather. I don't get squimish about it all. I'd be inclined to try and catch it so it could eat better as my pet :rotfl: . I know I'm weird.

If you really are worried though maybe a few rodant friendly catchers around it to see if they walk into them so you can get rid of it/them?

myrnahaz

Do you want my rat, Doom? You're welcome. I thought the flies in the compost were disgusting, so the rat hasn't got a chance.

I think I must be too pink to be green.

Doom_and_Gloom

myrnahaz wrote: »

Do you want my rat, Doom? You're welcome. I thought the flies in the compost were disgusting, so the rat hasn't got a chance.

I think I must be too pink to be green.

If you can catch it I might consider a new addition :rotfl: . My dad will have something to say about it though. He said no more rats when I had 4 and I went and adopted 2 more anyway . Now he really would do something about more especially if I said it was wild :eek: . I know what you mean about the flies though. They really hit you whenever you decide to put something in. I've found they aren't as bad at night. Might help you with the flies also . I still can not get over the fact that you have a rat in your composter :rotfl: . Mine would hate those conditions. To be honest they are not the best conditions for a wild rat either but they put up with it as it keeps them from getting killed I'm sure.
Hope you the best with your little friend .

2cats1kid

myrnahaz, I am almost certainly giving up on my composter too, so we can keep each other company LOL. We got a seriously cheap compost bin years ago and fed it religiously until our council gave us a bin that we could put all our organic waste into. This spring I excavated the old stuff out of the bottom and used the fine stuff on my herb patch and the lumpier stuff as a mulch. Anything in the fine stuff died as the compost was too acidic (sigh) so I got garden lime to try to counteract it, and since about April I have been using the bin again.

It is still too acidic, no matter what I do, and the fruit flies are rank. Added to that I am noticing an increase in the number of mice in the garden (cat presents, kestrel in garden and also lots of tell-tale munched bits in my peas) and I am putting it down in part to the compost heap. I've moved it to a different location in case it wasn't getting enough warmth where it was, and I am now just cheesed off with it. For all the compost I get from it, it is not worth the hassle - might as well go to Homebase!

Now I realise this is probably heresy, but it's not for me.

Anyway, I've read in Grow Your Own this month that for runner beans you dig a trench and put all that sort of stuff in and cover it up so it's nice and rotted for spring, so end of next month that's what's happening. Current contents of compost heap into where my runner beans are going and from then on my kitchen waste is in the green bin.

So I am hoping for a bumper bean harvest next year! Garden lime can go to the brassicas, and garden stress down %lots%.

A_Clock

I tend to just put garden waste in mine now, found it too much hassle taking kitchen waste out all the time

notenoughcash

Keep putting plenty of water in it, the rat's in there because it's warm and dry and but if you keep it wet the rat will go away and your waste will compost quicker.

teedy23

I had a small problem with mice in mine, I left the lid off on a rainy day to dampen the whole thing down, haven't seen them since. Perhaps my compost was a bit on the dry side anyway, if they decided it was a dry cosy place. Got slugs now though.