hello all, havent been here for a while but back now asking for advice... had a bit of a shock down the allotment today, opened up my compost bin and hey presto big brown rat jumping about! well, i must say i was a bit girly and shrieked which set the children off so I kind of just put the lid back on and had a bit of a panic... its the type of compost bin that has a front 'flap' at the bottom and i presume it must have got in there so I have made sure it was able to get back out of its 'rat flap' - dont want it dying in there - but not really sure what to do about it now - will the compost be safe to use? will it make a nest in there? any advice would be hugely appreciated, thanks!
Tinks x
Rat suprise!
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Boots
- A selfsufficientish Regular
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- Joined: Thu Dec 29, 2005 2:23 pm
- Location: The Queensland, Australia.
If it is down on your allotment, then I guess it doesn't have household scraps in it? Not sure how you folks work your allotments... maybe you take your household organics over?
Anyway, if it is a regular food source, it will probably set up shop.
If it is a breeding mama, then it may nest in the warmth. Not sure if your compost is moveable, but if it is nesting and its not too full you may simply be able to move the box and disturb it and it will likely go build another nest where it won't be disturbed.
Over here, mice and rats are seasonal, and the season never lasts long, so I don't worry about them too much. I have a live trap that I bought on ebay for $25 and if I notice one happens to have set up shop close to the house then I put out the trap with a pumpkin seed and peanut butter on it.
They won't hurt your compost as such - but they will eat it, turn it and rummage about making tunnels in it and usually nest beneath it. Here, we respond by having a cat and rat dog, and we have some gorgeous owls that make short work of them, not to mention our snakes. Chooks love mice and they don't stand a chance if a chook spots them, but can't say I have ever seen a chook tackle a rat.
If you have no natural predators then maybe just go with a trap?
Anyway, if it is a regular food source, it will probably set up shop.
If it is a breeding mama, then it may nest in the warmth. Not sure if your compost is moveable, but if it is nesting and its not too full you may simply be able to move the box and disturb it and it will likely go build another nest where it won't be disturbed.
Over here, mice and rats are seasonal, and the season never lasts long, so I don't worry about them too much. I have a live trap that I bought on ebay for $25 and if I notice one happens to have set up shop close to the house then I put out the trap with a pumpkin seed and peanut butter on it.
They won't hurt your compost as such - but they will eat it, turn it and rummage about making tunnels in it and usually nest beneath it. Here, we respond by having a cat and rat dog, and we have some gorgeous owls that make short work of them, not to mention our snakes. Chooks love mice and they don't stand a chance if a chook spots them, but can't say I have ever seen a chook tackle a rat.
If you have no natural predators then maybe just go with a trap?
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Tinks
- Jerry - Bit higher than newbie
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- Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2006 9:36 pm
- Location: Exeter, Devon
Hi and thanks for replying,
my compost bin does have kitchen waste in, I carry it down there though I have been thinking about getting a wormery at home instead. It does only have peelings/egg shells etc in though. Would I be able to tell if the rat has made a nest? I might try moving it, the area its by is quite overgrown - would that have attracted the rat? I'm not sure about setting a trap - as I'd still have to deal with it!
I was concerned about whether the compost would get weils disease and then i'd spread it all over my crops - is this likely?
Sorry for asking all these questions and I'm not assuming that you have all the answers - guess I'm just thinking aloud!
thanks again, tinks
my compost bin does have kitchen waste in, I carry it down there though I have been thinking about getting a wormery at home instead. It does only have peelings/egg shells etc in though. Would I be able to tell if the rat has made a nest? I might try moving it, the area its by is quite overgrown - would that have attracted the rat? I'm not sure about setting a trap - as I'd still have to deal with it!
I was concerned about whether the compost would get weils disease and then i'd spread it all over my crops - is this likely?
Sorry for asking all these questions and I'm not assuming that you have all the answers - guess I'm just thinking aloud!
thanks again, tinks
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The Chili Monster
- A selfsufficientish Regular
- Posts: 1087
- Joined: Sun Feb 05, 2006 10:51 am
- Location: East Sussex
Hi Tinks
Not sure about the Weil's thing. I've always associated it with urine in water but I could be wrong. Who knows, perhaps the heat of the compost would kill off the bug?
Anyway, these bods would know: http://www.leptospirosis.org/contact/
Not sure about the Weil's thing. I've always associated it with urine in water but I could be wrong. Who knows, perhaps the heat of the compost would kill off the bug?
Anyway, these bods would know: http://www.leptospirosis.org/contact/
"Rich, fatty foods are like destiny: they too, shape our ends." ~Author Unknown
Support Team "Trim Taut & Terrific"
Support Team "Trim Taut & Terrific"
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gunners71uk
- A selfsufficientish Regular
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- Joined: Thu Jul 14, 2005 4:16 pm
- Location: nottinghamshire
i have 3 compost bins made out of pallets, ihave not turned mine for a long time but i have them covered with carpets, but wont turn them till later but i will put water in to help it rot but at the end of the day there are so many places rats and mice can be ie old greenhouses disused sheds etc they will find home where to live. but we have about half dozen cats and the odd dog on the prowel,as soon as you turn compost anything which is in there will come out and probably go back in.sometimes.
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Tinks
- Jerry - Bit higher than newbie
- Posts: 37
- Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2006 9:36 pm
- Location: Exeter, Devon
Thanks very much for all your replies and help. I have decided to leave it for a week or two and then I will empty it out and fork it over, if I keep banging on it then hopefully they wont nest in there. I shall then move the compost bin somewhere else. I thought about the weils disease thing and looked at the site and i think it is just to do with water, so have decided not to worry too much about that neither! I'm not sure if rats are a big problem really, I've heard that there is always a rat within 8 feet but dont know if thats true or not!
Thanks again,
Tinks
Thanks again,
Tinks