Compost Bins - does anyone have trouble with rats ?

[BettySpaghetti]

and if so what do you do about it?

It looks as if something has been burrowing its way under the compost bin to get to the compost -we can only presume rats are the culprits.

yes - we saw a massive mother of a rat coming pout from under our compost bin yesterday. On closer inspection it had gnawed away several of the windfall apples we'd put in earlier.

Only rule I know is never to put in any cooked food.

I deliberately got one of the off the ground, tumbling sort of composters because I was paranoid about rats.

I love my composter, but have never seen any rats. Having said that, we have a rather 'efficient' cat next-door, who, I presume often leaves us presents of mice, so I don't have to worry about this too much, fortunately!!

Was wondering this myself Betty as I just noticed a hole dug out under our compost this afternoon!

We've got a rat in our compost at the moment, for the first time ever. We never put in cooked food and only really put in a few veg peelings and the chicken bedding, have a very good vermin catching cat but still have one We're going to turn it all over tomorrow with a shovel and cat at the ready

We have loads of active killing-machine cats around here (and a fat lazy one of our own ) but AFAIK they've not caught one but we are surrounded by common and woodland so they go hunting there.

We don't put any cooked food in just fruit and veg scraps etc

I have what I prefer to call "unidentified rodents". I put bait in it occasionally.

I think I'm going to put it onto concrete slabs next year.

Actually (partly answering my own thread here ) I'm sure I've heard of putting chicken wire or something similar under the bin to stop the rats getting in. Do you think that would work?

i guess you could install a thick (un-gnawable) mesh underneath the compost bin, either flat to the ground or even dug in under the ground in a basket which would allow worms to come and go (good thing) but keep out vermin.

if youre not after actually using the compost, but want to dispose of all food waste, inc cooked and meat/fish, you could try something from here ... they seem to have a buried basket which would keep out rats etc.

apparently this year has been one of the worst ever for rodents due to something about the weather

Avoiding putting meat and fish products in the composter helps reduce rodent attraction

Our council advises mesh underneath, too. Found a large fuzzy wild rat in our bin the other day -- we are surrounded by grain fields so not suprising. I felt sorry for it as it looked so terrified and we have pet rats.... but mesh is still on DH's 2do list. They will come for peelings and fruit if that's all they can find this time of year.

I think we've one in ours now - lots of gnawed veg peelings and two holes/tunnels either side.

What I don't get is they say don't put cooked food in but surely rats or other wildlife prefer their food uncooked???

We have mice hibernating in our (urban) compost bin - I disturbed them last week and they got a bit of a shock, but I am sure they are still huddled down in there somewhere. Seems a bit of a shame to make them homeless, so I'm not going to turn it until Spring now.

are they eating through the plasic sides then?

or do you all have posh wooden ones?