Oh Rats!!!!

[Bibis]

Please could someone help me. We have a problem with rats, they were burrowing into the compost bin so I repositioned bin onto paving slabs and surrounded the base with bricks. This seemed to work for a while but I have just been to have a look and have discovered that the little darlings have gnawed a hole in the bin (it's one of those black plastic ones).

Now I don't have a problem with living alongside nature but this seems a bit much. I am very tempted to get a cat (or two), but is there another eco-friendly/organic way forward? I am not keen on putting down poison as we have a toddler who may well decide it's her food instead...............

Should I just create a different type of bin totally enclosed with chicken wire?

Oh hell, I'm not a rat fan at all and don't really want evidence of them being in the garden.

Please help me

[MrsWho]

Think I would run screaming and cover my house in chicken wire but thats not a lot of help!

Think the best thing is the chicken wire compost bin.

[NoodleStroodle]

I think that you might have to stop composting for a while. Rats love fresh fruit and the such. I don't think chicken wire is going to stop them - they can chew through concrete. Take away the source of food and they'll get bored and go away.

[thefuturesbright]

that's my experience too - definitely don't compost anythign cooked like bread and absolutely not meat. chicken wire is too wet to keep them out you need that really strong stiff galvanised stuff.

if you put your compost on paving slabs it won't compost as well either

forget the kitchen waste for a while except the dullest peelings from potatoes etc and stuff like paper. you may have to poison them - buy it at homebase and steel yourself for the odd corpse

[Bibis]

Oh poo .

thanks very much for the advice, we are very good at not putting cooked food on but I will have to bin all the fruit scraps etc, seems a shame but it would be a greater shame to have an invasion of rats [yuk emoticon].

Do any of you have problems with rats or am I in the minority? .

I knew the composting would take longer if I put composter on slabs but if it avoided the rats it was worth it.

Just a thought, I have some of this liquid compost maker - would that put the little blighters off?

[mamhaf]

I was like the woman in the Tom and Jerry cartoon when a rat ran out as I was digging out the compost. It was quite small, but deffo a rat. The neighbours must've heard me scream from quite some distance.
Later, I got DH to dig out the bin while I made our terrier stand close by (bit p*d off that the dog hadn't deterred it in the first place as she loves chasing rabbits and squirrels..never catches one though).
There was no sign of the rat then, and (fingers crossed) haven't seen it since.
We've put chicken wire under the bin, and also got rid of the hedgehog house (the hedgehog decided to make its home in the dog kennel anyway, much to the dog's annoyance).
So, no, you're not the only one...it seems it's a risk when you have a compost bin.

[Hallgerda]

I've had the same problem, and gave up composting after a call to the council rat exterminator. Could you try an indoor wormery instead of a compost heap? I have to admit that friends' experiences with wormeries have put me off, but you may have more commitment than I have

[snowwonder]

could you just put the chicken wire around the bottom of the bin to stop the chewing???

[snowwonder]

sorry didnt read the other posts seems the wire wont do the trick

i have had field mice in my garden and that has been bad enough

[fakeblonde]

We had the same problem a few months ago.
imo rats are a hazard so i think you should call environmental health at your local council.
They wont just go away you prob have a nest somewhere.Ours was underneath the shed.
We called our e h -it was free and the chap who came was really helpful.He thoroughly examined the area,asked about children and pets also.He placed the poison in areas the children and pets couldn`t get at and then came back a few days later.He called the follwing week also.He really put my mind at rest ,gave me lots of good advice and we are still composting.He reckons feeding the birds are the worst culprit.