Rats in the compost bin - eek! MERGED

Lotus-eater

Wow, there is alot of doom and gloom on here!

All you need to do is put heavy duty, close mesh wire underneath your bin. No more rat problems.
I bend the wire up round the sides and put bricks round it to keep it up.

I wouldn't put up with rats in the bin as I use the compost around vegtables.

2kids1cat, do you know what rats do? They dig holes in the ground to live in. I suspect your runner bean trench will be hollowed out and eaten from below.

Doom_and_Gloom

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Wow, there is alot of doom and gloom on here!

All you need to do is put heavy duty, close mesh wire underneath your bin. No more rat problems.
I bend the wire up round the sides and put bricks round it to keep it up.

I wouldn't put up with rats in the bin as I use the compost around vegtables.

2kids1cat, do you know what rats do? They dig holes in the ground the live in. I suspect your runner bean trench will be hollowed out and eaten from below.

The wire mesh idea would certainly work. I mean that's how us with pet rats keep them in their cage after all .
wickes sell the one you would want I'm sure (as that is where I got my mesh wire from to build my cage). The cage and aviary mesh from there would be the best, 25mm mesh gap. You'd want the smaller one to keep smaller rodants like mice out aswell. You could probably work the mesh around the bottom of the outside of it and drill little holes to put a bit of wire in to hock it to the mesh. That would be more secure than the brick idea surely .

You are right that they dig holes to live in. 2kids1cat you might find your crop destroyed due to them because of this. Rodants are nutorious for destroying crops anyway. I'm keeping an eye on my crops as I KNOW we have a mouse in the garden again (we had one before that the dog managed to get a hold of _pale_ :doh: ). If it chooses the compost bin rather than my crop that would be better I think :rotfl: . I need to eat as well .

Lotus-eater

Doom_and_Gloom wrote: »

The wire mesh idea would certainly work. I mean that's how us with pet rats keep them in their cage after all .
wickes sell the one you would want I'm sure (as that is where I got my mesh wire from to build my cage). The cage and aviary mesh from there would be the best, 25mm mesh gap. You'd want the smaller one to keep smaller rodants like mice out aswell. You could probably work the mesh around the bottom of the outside of it and drill little holes to put a bit of wire in to hock it to the mesh. That would be more secure than the brick idea surely .

Well with using bricks you can bring the mesh up over the little door in the front of the plastic bins, I've had a rat sneak in there before.
Also it allows you to pull the whole bin up over the compost and empty it like that.

llamedos36

I was once told to keep hitting my compost bin with the spade when i was near it as the rats do not like the noise

I do this regularly and although we do have problems with rats in the area

I have never had them in my bins and no sign of them ever being there even when i moved the bins:j

Bev.

2cats1kid

Thanks, Lotus-eater. I haven't seen any evidence of rats in the garden (although there is that you are never more than 6 feet from a rat thing). I have seen mice (or deceased evidence/tooth evidence thereof), but have never had any indication that rats have been around, even anywhere near the compost heap. So I'll still give the trench thing a go, as if I'm getting rid of the compost heap I've got to put the part decayed stuff somewhere!

savingpennies

I had the same problem earlier in the year - Dalek type compost bin and rats in there. I didn't see them but the'd made a little nest. My dog alerted me to them, she had been going crazy around the bin. Anyway, I emptied the bin, sat it on wire mesh and now make sure it is kept wet and haven't had a problem since.

myrnahaz

I think I've solved my rat problem - I found a brave man (not my wimpy husband or son!!) to open the sliding door at the bottom of the compost bin so that the cats could get in (sorry rat lovers).
Thanks for all your advice, the wire mesh sounds good, and as soon as I'm brave enough I'll go and open the lid so the rain can get in. I don't like slugs, but they're not so fast as rats so I can escape quicker. But as for banging the side of the compost bin to frighten them out - yuck - when my rat saw me looking in the bin that day, he made a dash for cover and actually ran into the wall of the bin - and he made such a bang that I nearly fainted, he must have been about a stone in weight to have made that noise!

darcyvuqua

well guys i have no problems with rodents but flies and my bin a darlek kinda one is leeking a very unpleasant fluid from the bottom that smells so foul what can i do to stop this any help would be great i only started this about 5-6 months ago

Horace

My mum has 6 compost bins in her large garden - she had a few mice last year but I soon chased them out. Her bins either stand on wire mesh or directly the ground - I know she puts lids on but ensures that there is a heavy cover over the compost to tamp it down and help it compost quicker - so no large gaps between compost and lid.

If the bin is leaking fluid then the compost is too wet and needs to be mixed with a fork and aerated.

Oh rats are easy to get rid of (unless you have a plague of them following a blocked drain which case the pest controller needs to come out), you just sit by their run with a large metal shovel and when they run past bash them on the head. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

This method works because my gran used to do it when she had a shop and the little blighters used to scamper in via the worn step. She despatched them with the coal shovel whilst my granddad quivered in the other room - talk about wimp. He and gran were well matched - she couldn't handle mice so it was his job to despatch them and he couldnt handle rats to she dealt with them - this was during the war mind you.

cazbust01

Omg was just about to go and buy a compost bin but think i have changed mhy mind with all these posts eeuuugggghhh. can anyone give me a easy reasssurance that i can avoid all this easily
shuddering at the thought of rats in my garden as i have 2 children age 4 and 6#
many thanks in advance