Rats/mice nesting in compost heap.

[ThatBloodyWoman]

Definitely don't want to give up composting,so any tips to deal with this.
There is a resident cat and terrier,and don't want to resort to poisoning the critters.
Would like to just move them on -we are rural so they are perfectly ok to do their ratty thing in the surrounding area!

Humane traps, for trap and release?

I've used them when I've had rats indoors before without much luck.
But I have got one on order becayse in this instance I can clearly see where the main rat run is,so I'm hoping it'll give a head start.
I just wish I knew of something that deters rats,other than a plug in repeller.

aaaarrghhhhh
'rat run' and 'nesting' sounds major to me. Get pest control in very quickly. Providing a breeding ground for rats will not be popular with neighbours or family. Popular with rats though.

Ahh, sorry, iswym!

I honestly can't think of anything! What a pita

Ahh, sorry, iswym!

I honestly can't think of anything! What a pita

We currently have two non-humane traps in the compost bin which are pretty successful, does mean we have to be careful putting stuff in the compost to avoid disturbing the traps but hey ho. Poisoning and non humane traps anywhere else is not an option because of cats, chickens and owls etc. Humane traps have trapped 3 wild birds this week so far so not really helpful and have now been abandoned, blooming nuisance

Is it just me that doesn't see the big issue? Rats are everywhere, you just don't see them most of the time.

I just bang my compost bin with a stick before I open it. They soon scarper and they come back much after that.

They don't come back much after that, I mean.

I agree Alice, they are everywhere, and we know well never get rid of them completely however we tend to find that well see one, no biggy, then after a week or two suddenly you'll see several so we take action and then they bugger off for a bit, then repeat cycle etc. I'm not sure if we did nothing we'd be in pied piper territory but I'm also not sure I want to find out

I'd turn the compost heap frequently as it helps it decay faster and then let the terrier catch any that run out. Avoid putting foodwaste on the heap - use a wormery instead.

I agree with Alice.
I consider any creature OUTSIDE, or even in the barn, as belonging there. We are encroaching on their territory really.
(Actually I am quite cool about house spiders and even the odd few house mice that I ever see)

But even I wallop the compost darlek with a stick before I open the lid, the element of surprise when Mr Rat pops out unexpectedly is too scary, even for me!

A few years back I was proudly showing my dad the compost in one of my many composting containers. It was a "dalek" type thing; I lifted the lid and ran my hands through the beautiful crumbly compost; and then; I felt something very soft; it was a whole nest of varmints. I screamed the place down; I don't ever remember screaming so loud and for so long.
I kicked it over and didn't return to my allotment for a while after that.
Humane traps BTW are not humane, they prolong the suffering of their pray and you have to coax poor dying mouse/tatty into a box; put it in your car? and drive it a couple of miles to "release" it only for it to die an agonising death.

Avoid putting foodwaste on the heap - use a wormery instead.

This! A compost tumbler might also be an idea?

Why aren't humane traps, humane, BBB? We used to trap house mice, walk to the muck heap and release them from the trap. I doubt it killed them or caused them to suffer more that the cat, terriers, poison or a lethal trap would have?

Still reading,and thanks all.
I think perhaps humane traps can be used in the wrong way -there is a responsibility to check them regularly,and I certainly do that.
I think they beat the poison or air rifle options personally.

I need to get on top of them a bit -I like rats tbh and they have every right to be in the environment around me.But,they're partying in too large numbers now in my garden,and experience tells me its only a matter of time before they 're indoors.

I like to think it's mice, not rats, in mine. It seems a shame not to put food waste in to make good compost, but I suppose I'll have to stop. Why don't wormeries attract mice in the same way, then?

Rats are awesome! The rate of breeding is just beyond belief though and they can carry disease. They aren't a rodent I'd want in my home (aside from our pet ones!)...

On English farms:

Webster and MacDonald (1995) studied the parasite and disease load of wild rats on farms in England:

red text = transmissible to humans

Helminths (worms):
the oxyuroid pinworm Syphacia muris in 67% of the rats
the strongoloyd parasite Nippostronglyus brasiliensis found in 23%
the liver worm Capillaria in 23%
the cestode Hymenolepsis diminuta in 22%
Toxocara cati causing Toxocariasis in 15%
the oxyuroid pinworm Heterakis spp. in 14%
the cestode Hymenolepsis nana in 11%
the intestinal tapeworm Taenia taeniaeformis in 11%
Bacteria
Leptospira spp. bacteria causing Weil's disease in 14%
Listeria spp. bacteria causing listeriosis in 11%
Yersinia enterocolitica bacteria causing yersiniosis in 11%
Pasturella spp. bacteria causing Pasturellosis in 6%
Pseudomonas spp. bacteria causing Meilioidosis in 4%
Protozoa
Cryptosporidium parvum causing cryptosporidiosis in 63% of the rats
Toxoplasma gondii causing toxoplasmosis in 35%
Trypanosoma lewisii in 29%
Eimeria separata in 8%
Rickettsia
Coxiella burnetti evidence of infection by Q fever in 34%
Viruses
Hantavirus causing Hantaan-fever or hemorrhagic fever in 5%
Ectoparasites (note: these ectoparasites are vectors for diseases which are transmissible to humans, such as typhus)
Fleas found on 100% of the rats
Mites found on 67%
Lice found on 38%
www.ratbehavior.org/WildRatDisease.htm

Impressive! But not in a good way...

How do they even fit all of that in and on one little body?! Although, they seem to be getting bigger and bigger!

If you sit your compost container on small scale welded metal mesh (better than chicken wire) it stops the critters burrowing up from underneath but still lets the worms etc have access. If you have a lid too it should stop them getting in. I've had rats before in my compost - this year it was a mole! - all those juicy worms were too tempting. I'm now trying the mesh trick.

I shall definitely try that aircooled.
We are digging out our old home built compost and replacing with those plastic jobbies with lids,so that'll be easily tried.
Rats can chew through mesh,but it'll make it more bother for them at least.

We have a large population of tawny owls. They did for the rats (most) rspb says definetly no poison tho.
Live traps ok but can rats die of hypothermia.? A competent air gunner definitely most humane .ferrets and terriers are round here too & owners who may have air gun also

We have lots of tawny owls round too -but I assume they're hibernating at the moment as I don't hear them.

I have rate in my heap.
Always have done because I put all food waste on it.
BUT
Rats will only breed up to the level of the food supply / predator pressure.

So for the last 18 years we have never had more than 1 breeding female and one or two juveniles.
The babies are cat TV and then snacks.
The adults neatly shred and destroy all food scraps
except what the blackbirds and foxes and hedgehogs and cats get

its really not something to worry about so long as they stay out of houses

Tawny Owls don't hibernate. So are you sure they are still about?

In an idle moment I rang the RSPB to ask about the poison issue (None!)

Someone there said they see about 100 times better than us at night although slightly distorted and black and white

Well I hear them every Summer!
Maybe its because I'm in the garden or have windows open after dark more than in Winter.
I'd just assumed they hibernate tbh!!1