[evie2]

I'd say rat's not snake, too big for a snake unless it's a boa

[savbo]

I opened a dalek composter once and a young rat sprang about a foot in the air with fright. I sprang 2....

[Paul Plots]

Personally I'm not too keen on rats even when they are the frightened ones. 

I don't "go a bundle" on those kept in cages as pets either..... so perhaps I should be thankful I have foxes in my compost heap as I'm sure they would soon persuade a rat to move. 

[kippers garden]

About 4 yrs ago i took the lid off my dalek compost bin and found the biggest rat staring at me...i jumped a mile.  I now take the lids off my dalek bins in winter as they seem to  go in for warmth and i don't seem to have them in there now.

[eli]

i'm a bit nervy at the thought of huge rats jumpin out at me!
i think i might discourage whatevers in there by giving it a good water whislt i'm there.
i'll report back if there's anything going on...
i'm just off up the allotment in a minute to put together the pallets i took up there the other day to make my new composters :-)
i've never done it before but it seems totally straightforward, i'm excited about it :-)

[jamima]

Sounds  like rats to me too .

[Paul Plots]

i'm a bit nervy at the thought of huge rats jumpin out at me!

Fortunately they mostly tend to be more frightened of you than you are of them. They are not too keen to hang around when you use a strimmer either. I had one run between the strimmer and me straight over my foot in its eagerness to vanish.

And, as for rats in the compost… last year I evidently pranged one with the fork, lifted it and the compost into the wheel-barrow and then dumped it into the trench and put the next row of spadefuls of soil on the top.

Later…. I discovered its tail sticking up after I had put the rotovator over the soil.

So pleased I wasn’t making planting holes with my hands as I sometimes do!!   

[eli]

its definitely rats, i found piles of their droppings inside, on the top of the heap.
i gave it all bit of a tentative turn and nothing happened. no jumping-out-alien-stylee rat attack :-)
so i poured a fair few gallons of water into the composter for good measure, turned it over a bit more then left it.
i also got my pallet compost bin made :-) its not got its front door secured on yet, so i used the door as a temporary roof and sat inside it to shelter from the rain.
it was like being in the scouts :-)

[Paul Plots]

Eli...

Before you start using the new compost bin if you have any chicken-wire it might be worth sticking some at the base. If the r-a-t-s decided they like that one too it will help prevent them making runs in the soil below. It might put them off. 

Just a thought.

[Troopersnoots]

There's only one thing you need to remember regarding rats, .... you're never more than 10 ' away from one!

[eli]

right, i'll do that with the wire tomorrow :-)

[Rampant_Weasel]

they will chew that.....best off with weld mesh.

[RichardA]

I had reason to be out in Australia on a power station site some years ago, the guy who was driving us to look at a large open cast coal pit had to check the power supply to a drainage pump on the way. He kicked the door to the pump switch panel several times before he opened it - does the door stick I asked?? No he said -- the snakes like the warmth and it is only polite to tell them I am at the front door so they can go out the back !!!!!!!!!!!
R

[Paul Plots]

they will chew that.....best off with weld mesh.

That makes better sense - thanks!!

(Perhaps I thought chickens were tougher old birds  )

[Paul Plots]

There's only one thing you need to remember regarding rats, .... you're never more than 10 ' away from one!

I'm OK then... I always think in metric