Rat proof container for bird food? (not a big dustbin)

KittenChops

Ectophile said:

Maybe a metal tool box from a tool company.

Ammo box from army surplus store.  They come in many sizes.

Thank you, I would never have thought of this
Just got to find something that doesn't cost the earth!

Rodders53

Stop the rodents from getting in!!

Seal up all the entry points, stainless steel fine mesh and similar.  Stick down door entry threshold strips. etc.,.

They don't just look for food - they're after warm(er) safe places to nest and breed as well!

KittenChops

Rodders53 said:

Stop the rodents from getting in!!

Seal up all the entry points, stainless steel fine mesh and similar.  Stick down door entry threshold strips. etc.,.

They don't just look for food - they're after warm(er) safe places to nest and breed as well!

Now that's easier said than done - it's a very old shed with lots of gaps.  Good thing we have a cat eh?  Except he just sits & watches them!
Seriously though, there are probably things in there I could remove and bin, to make it less attractive to them, as well as the bird food...

greyteam1959

Get rid of the rats.
Lots of options to do that.

carly

How big do you need it to be? Ikea have some metal lidded bins. Smaller than a dustbin.

grumpy_codger

Metal filing cabinets are frequently offered on Freecycle and similar sites.

GardenBirdWatcher

KittenChops said:

We've been keeping it in the big plastic lidded containers that we bought it in, but a couple of these have been chewed through in the last couple of days.

I've always found the plastic containers the feed comes in to be very flimsy and more often than not they crack during delivery or when I try to open them, so I'm not surprised they've been chewed through.

I've kept all of my feed (mixture of the plastic tubs, bags and individually wrapped suet blocks) in a large heavy duty storage box from B&Q for a few years with no problems and I know we have mice and rats getting into the outbuilding it is stored in.

I can't remember exactly which one I got, but it's something similar to this https://www.diy.com/departments/strata-heavy-duty-black-60l-plastic-stackable-storage-box-lid/5021711050080_BQ.prd

oystercatcher

I have just put metal biscuit tins in the search on Am@zon and a variety of tin containers come up. Not sure of your budget or if they are big enough but several smaller tins might work better on shelves. 

Emmia

You can buy "mini metal dustbins" - is this the sort of thing you're after?

https://amzn.eu/d/9pFkhSY

That one is 30cm high and 37.5cm diameter so should work fine on a countertop or your shelves.

moneysaver1978

Crazy but how about a pressure cooker pan? I haven't found any metal containers to be as solid as a pressure cooker pan with lid! There is probably one available for free in Freecycle or Facebook community groups.