Compost intruders!

[hamster]

I think there is something stealing things from my composter. There were definite signs of something having tried to tunnel into it, and I had a good old poke around and no enraged rats came flying out at me, so I just left it. Then when I went back today, there were signs that something had been trying to get in, and whatever it was had taken out bits of cardboard and onion etc...

Is it likely to be something like a hibernating hedgehog that I wouldn't want to disturb? Or more likely rats/rabbits/foxes/squirrels? (I suspect the latter.) There is a grey squirrel that runs along the fence all the time, and I once saw a fox come right up to my back window...

Is there anything I can do to discourage things from rooting around in there? E.g. different balance of things in the compost, turning it and trying to disturb the unwanted residents?

[Chickenlady]

We discovered rats in ours a few days ago. I think they are the most likely suspects.

[the.fee.fairy]

it is most likely rats, but when we moved our old composter, there was a grass snake living in it!

[kimmie]

we have a rat thats desperatly trying to get under our compost bins too! i keep blocking them up and filling them in! blighters!!

[hamster]

I'm glad it's not just me! I can't be doing anything really wrong if other people have the same problem.

[Millymollymandy]

We have rats, grass snakes and mice in ours!

Maybe you've got a Hamster in yours!

[hamster]

Maybe I have

Just so long as it's not a fox skulking around my garden, I have a pathological (and utterly irrational) fear of urban foxes. *shudders*

[red]

prolly rats I am afraid. but in reallity there are rats all over the place anyway, so dont get too stressed about it

I find it amusing that it is constantly said not to put meat on composts cos it attracts vermin.. but rats eat veg too!

(i dont put meat on cos A we eat it and B it would smell)

[Thomzo]

My neighbours chuck a bag of veg peelings over the fence for my chooks every couple of days. The other day I found the bag, half eaten at the far end of the garden. We decided it was probably the fox that had dragged it up the garden as it was far too big for a rat to move. Apparently they will eat anything at this time of year as they are getting cold and desperate.

Zoe

[Peggy Sue]

Didn't say anything to the OH but there was a hole burrowed in our compost heap which was rather too big for a mouse , but sure there are rats everywhere so I just accept it and will wear wellies when I dig it out! (He's a bit squeemish though and would ban the heap if I told him!)