We have a rat visiting the compost bin…

Iam64

Greyduster

There’s no such thing as ‘a’ rat - there are only rats! Where there’s one, there will be others☹️.

Exactly ! They’re my room 13. I’m hopeless so after seeing a big fat one sitting under my squirrel free bird feeders, I stopped feeding the birds. I miss their singing

In this case ( mine) there is such a thing as ‘a’ rat, as the one that visits our bird feeder has something wrong with its tail, so easy to identify.It’s there every day at some point, I don’t really mind as it’s welcome to a few bits of seed that the birds drop.
😃

When you compare rats to squirrels there really isn’t much difference.

I no longer feed the birds I would get rid of the compost bin putting traps out is the only way also having nothing against walls and fences helps and moving things around in the garden as apparently they like order and it confuses them

merlotgran

The only effective way to get rid of vermin is to put down bait traps. Get a professional to do it as they will know how to identify the ‘rat run’ and place the trap correctly.

A lot of people will advise you not to make compost but if it’s done responsibly, as you are, I believe it’s an essential part of the gardening process.

It’s not cruel, it’s a trade off with nature You get what you want and the rats don’t.

Am I the only one who agrees with merlotgran?

Rats carry disease which can be transmitted to humans.

Oreo

When you compare rats to squirrels there really isn’t much difference.

My cat deals with rats, rabbits, squirrels and even foxes.
He's French and took on a wild boor once!
I've no idea what possesses him!

^ they like order and it confuses them^. I should be okay then😁! We had evidence of rats not long after we moved into this house and so did neighbours. There was a house with a large paddock behind us and the owner used to keep chickens. Rats not only liked the spilled chicken feed but the eggs too. He was eventually forced to get rid of the birds. No more rats.

He's French and took on a wild boor once!

Was it called Boris?? 😂🇫🇷

To avoid cruelty to animals I once put out a humane trap. Fortunately nothing went in there as I forgot to check it!

Allira

merlotgran

The only effective way to get rid of vermin is to put down bait traps. Get a professional to do it as they will know how to identify the ‘rat run’ and place the trap correctly.

A lot of people will advise you not to make compost but if it’s done responsibly, as you are, I believe it’s an essential part of the gardening process.

It’s not cruel, it’s a trade off with nature You get what you want and the rats don’t.

Am I the only one who agrees with merlotgran?

Rats carry disease which can be transmitted to humans.

I do agree with Merlotgran. Our compost bin was great but after my husband died, I found digging out and putting the compass on the borders too much. We never had a rat problem with the compost.
Last time I saw a rat, the council rat catcher told me he’d been called by several neighbours. He said recent floods had washed the rats out of the drains. Also lockdown took the town rat populations easy access to food rubbish from restaurants, so they were moving to the suburbs. 😂
His traps and poison did the trick. I also could be confident he knew where to place then, which my dogs couldn’t get to

A wild boor you say? I’ve met a fair few of those over the years😂
Anyway escaped your cat sounds like an effective hunter but a bit scary.I watched an online vid of a cat chasing a large dog, and another cat chasing off a bear, also a crocodile!

we had a real problem where we used to live, caused by our neighbours chickens. We put bait boxes every 5 metres along all boundaries and the result was they burrowed up through the floor of an outhouse and died

My cat is basically a bully Oreo, and everyone knows it.
When he came from France to live in London, we had to take him to the vet because he had been in a fight with an urban fox. The vet said he wouldn't have liked to have seen the state of the fox. Our cat had fox hair in his claws and a broken tooth!
Totally fearless of the wild boar and just stood his ground. The smaller prey was brought in dead as presents.

😄what a moggy!
If he had only been able to bring back the boar you could have invited the neighbours for a hog roast.

I like his expression btw it’s saying ‘are you looking at me!’

.....and dogs, which is my panic.

Thanks, Allira and Iam.

I’m a country girl in the suburbs now and have only seen one rat since I moved here thanks to the local fox population keeping them under control.
Turned my compost heap this morning. Blooming hard work but I have enough to mulch the borders.

Nell82

To avoid cruelty to animals I once put out a humane trap. Fortunately nothing went in there as I forgot to check it!

I'm feeling awful today. I had a mouse in my kitchen last year. Tried a humane trap for one day but it didn't work. I always give mice a chance eg put stick in any buckets or watering cans outside that might fill up with water if it rains so they can climb out. But if there's a health risk I'm afraid I use a pretty fierce mouse trap and that it what I ended up doing However, I put the humane trap back in the garage and it had some peanut butter still inside. Cleaning out the garage just now I've found a poor dried up mouse in it. I'm going to check any other humane traps I have. I don't want that to happen again. I've never worked out how you can easily free a mouse trapped inside one of them; it took me ages to get the end of the trap open the get it out; not sure how that would be possible with a live one inside.

I’ve never had mice in the house but think they’re sweet little animals. I had a rat in my compost for a while. He didn’t bother me and I didn’t bother him.
I’d rather have rats, bats and boa constrictors than spiders!

I wastoldnot to put eggshells (even washed ones!) in compost as they take years to rot down. I would crush them up very small
and dig them into the soil itself.

As for rats- I have only ever seen two in the eight years I've been here. They came up the drains and ran up the wall into my neighbour's garden!

I much prefer spiders...

merlotgran

Thanks, Allira and Iam.

I’m a country girl in the suburbs now and have only seen one rat since I moved here thanks to the local fox population keeping them under control.
Turned my compost heap this morning. Blooming hard work but I have enough to mulch the borders.

In London, when the Council refuse collectors and street collectors were on strike, I saw a couple.
Here I've seen a few over the years but everyone does feed the birds so I suppose it's a trade-off. At one time the Council would send the Rodent Inspector round to deal with them but no longer. I found a desiccated one on the lawn once so someone must be putting out bait. We have hedgehogs so we haven't done that.

Tizliz

I eventually got rid of my compost bin when I realised that I would never have the courage to do anything with it since I got bit by an adder lurking in it.

Whoa!
That’s horrible.
We don’t have a compost bin and certainly won’t get one after reading that.
🫣

Please compost your veg waste and plant cuttings Babs03 your chances of getting bitten by an adder are absolutely minimal and if you do ever get bitten, the chance of death is not worth worrying about as it's extremely rare. Homemade compost is good for the environment, good for the soil and good for the soul!

keepingquiet I was told not to put eggshells (even washed ones!) in compost as they take years to rot down. I would crush them up very small and dig them into the soil itself.

I have also been advised against using egg shells as rats love eggs.
It’s a dilemma though as they are a way of deterring the dreaded slugs.

My compromise is to wash and then microwave them for 15 seconds before crushing them. I put the crush around vulnerable new plants. I’m not sure that it helps but it makes me feel as though I’m a proper gardener.

Wouldn’t it be great if rats ate slugs? It would completely change my view of them!

Babs03

Tizliz

I eventually got rid of my compost bin when I realised that I would never have the courage to do anything with it since I got bit by an adder lurking in it.

Whoa!
That’s horrible.
We don’t have a compost bin and certainly won’t get one after reading that.
🫣

Well, not just horrible but potentially fatal.
Urgent treatment is needed.

Was it an adder or was it a grass snake or slow worm, Tizliz?

It’s most unusual for an adder to be anywhere near a garden compost heap. They are more likely to be found on heathland, moorland or woodland.

Slow worms and grass snakes on the other hand love compost heaps.