[cariad345]

Went to put the kitchen waste into the compost bin earlier and there's a bl**dy great rat in there. I'm really worried about this, especially as we have chickens and ducks in the back garden.
I know there's definitely no cooked food gone in there - it's full of grass cuttings, cardboard and raw vegetable peelings/ apple cores etc.
We put eggshells in - could it be them? Was it after the membrane that's left on the egg after the kids have eaten them?
Any advice would be really appreciated, especially as my husband is terrified of rats so if he finds out I'll never hear the end of it...

[SnooziSuzi]

I've heard that some rats will overwinter in a heap because it's warmer than underground.   do you put seeds out for the birds?  it could just be sheltering in there but normally coming for any birdfood put out.

Where we live, some people have complained about rats because a local building site has disturbed all of the nests so they're more active during the day and therefore more obvious...

[Bigbadfrankie]

I would not worry, put down a trap, he likes it in the dry and warmth of your compo bin. I had one in mine a bit of a shock :shock:  when i lifted the lid . but he just scurried down into his tunnels. I would think he is getting his food else where. fill the bin with grass cuttings and it will become wet and very uncomfortable.

[Lee1978]

You will have more than one rat that is for sure!! they are probably attracted to the compost heap, could also be attracted to your chickens and ducks? you should be turning your compost heap regularly to avoid this. You need to get rid of them before you are inundated with the little *!

[cariad345]

Well I always make sure I only give the poultry as much food as they eat so I don't have any lying around. I have been a bit lax with turning the compost recently, that's true. And I do leave out food for the birds.
Luckily I'm not scared of rats. When I saw it it was more of a girly 'Ooh ooh ohh' than a big scream. And I'd definitely go into a room with a rat in it - with a big stick!
Thanks for all your advice. I'll get a trap tomorrow.

[lincspoacher]

Theres no such thing as one rat............unless its the last survivor............


And be careful, rats give your Wiels Disease, which is a particularly unpleasant way to die and involves your liver liquifying.........

[compostqueen]

you need to wash your egg shells before adding them to the compost bin.  Also you can water your compost bin as vermin won't hang about in their nesting etc if you make it good and wet

[upert]

capture and rehabilitate it. give him a dman good talking to.

[cariad345]

Oh I'll give it a talking to alright. With the aforementioned big stick!

[lincspoacher]

Oh I'll give it a talking to alright. With the aforementioned big stick!

Safer to shoot it at a distance with an air rifle, if you get it cornered it can turn on you - very dangerous, you dont want to get bitten.

Or get a Yorkshire Terrier...........

[Brian_of_Bozeat]

I agree with compost queen, give the heap a bloomin good soaking. they will move on (and you will probably find your compost cooks away nicely afterwards)

[She'sinthegarden]

You're very unlikely to get Weil's. Think how many rats are about. If it was easy to catch, there'd be far more cases. However, I wouldn't use the compost on the veggies after rats have been nesting in it just to be on the safe side-even though the man on the RHS helpline said it would be ok :shock:
We have 3 main bins and had a big problem with rats last year. We got the council in and they charged a 1 off payment then kept coming back until all the rats were gone. It took weeks. They said the rats were probably attracted by our neighbour who is an avid bird feeder. The rats scavenge what falls down apparently. They just picked our bins to nest in. We have put wire mesh on the bottom of the bins and folded it up the sides so the lovely worms can do their stuff but Mr Rat can't get in.
Best of luck!

[muddifoot]

what kind of a compost container do you have?   I've got one of those black round things from the council and everytime I open it I hold my breath because I am terrified of rats- it has a cover and a little hatch on the bottom. and the bottom hatch isn't to secure. would they go in that kind?

[cariad345]

It's just a Dalek - shaped compost bin, with a lid but no hatch at the bottom.
My next question was going to be whether the compost would be safe to use. Or should I just err on the side of caution and chuck it? Seems a bit excessive when I've only seen one furry foe.
I thought about an air rifle too. I was reading Hugh Fearnley-Whitting-Twitting's book and he said about not needing a license for one. Again though, it seems a bit excessive!

[Skip]

Hi Cariad

Rats are bad news.  I caught one in my laundry a couple of weeks ago.  He (or she) didn't eat the rat poison or touch the rat sachets.  It came into the laundry to eat my tomato seeds fermenting in the laundry (they are too smelly to store in the house).  I finally got the rat after four days.  There have been none back since but I have left the sachets and bait in there as, from time to time, I have 'fly buys'!

I so much miss my lovely cat, Whisk.  She was a small cat so only ever caught mice and small birds.  When my mother had rats under her shed we set the trap and caught several.  We threw Whisk the 'bodies'.  She played with them like there was no tomorrow, throwing the rats up into the air, then springing up and catching them!  This got her used to them.  From then on Whisk cleaned up every rat in the garden.  Whisk had been mistreated when a kitten so was always terrified of strangers.  She even took ages to get used to me!  At the time I had a very large veggie patch in the backyard.  Thru some uncanny sense (?ESP) she knew when I was growing a crop in the various beds and never once went there.  She was a magnificent huntress and I pampered her every day whilst we had her!