Rats HELP

[fakeblonde]

OMG cant believe this.Noticed a couple of mouse holes in garden shed near compost bin recently. Wasnt particularly concerned until my neighbour mentioned that a cat had dropped a couple of rats on her doorstep ! Alarm bells rang so i phoned environmental health and chappie called earlier. Deffo rats under my shed ! has anyone else had this. i sort of feel dirty and dh is blaming the compost bin. The man said it wasnt the compost bin it was neighbours overfeeding birds ect ??
Also am really worried as this happened to a neighbour of mine 4 years ago and my lovely cat ate a poisoned mouse and died a couple of days later.
Should i keep my elderly cat (sister of one that died ) indoors and if so for how long.
EEew have gone off all my lovely compost all of a sudden and my veggie plot too !

We had rats in the garden - tiny garden, with a shed. Thank God I didn't see the rat - it was a workman looking in the shed who saw it. Then I remembered a wellington boot left in the garden that had been gnawed and I realised it was rats. Got pest control round immediately, they laid poison then came back later to check it had been taken. We didn't have any compost then - told all the neighbours and asked people to keep their rubbish well sealed, that's what seems to attract them.

if you have rats in your compost you will know it - they turn it over for you introducing lots of oxygen, and pee and poo in there adding nitrogen, and they also eat food scraps, so it composts down like mad and smells of pee. You will also see holes in the compost. Rats just come - they live on all sorts of stuff and some years there are more than others.

watch where they are putting the poison - you don't need a lot and it should only go where the rats definitely are. Ancient cat is unlikely to eat a dead rat, but you might want to keep her in for a few days. Don't put cooked food or meat in the compost bin.

Good luck

The environmental health man came again today while i was out.Left a message to say the rats had taken the bait and he had left some more-in my compost bin this time !
Surely that cant do my compost any good and where can i possibly dispose of litres of poisoned compost fgs !

I have the same problem - it's a small eco-crisis. Please post when you get a solution as I need one. Have dog, small sprogs etc.

We have rats under our shed too, discovered last friday afternoon. Apparently when dp went to pet shop for poison, the chap said he hasnt sold so much rat poison as he has in the last 5 weeks. Could easily have something to do with now fortnightly bin collections, food waste bins, more people with compost bins and because of the weather more poeple have had more bbqs.....

Have had a google and advice is pretty much common sense but will tell you anyhow-dont put and cooked food in compost inc egg shells.
If rats are a problem dig the base of composter 15cm into the ground and also put chicken wire to this depth.
Personally i am going to cover the rim of mine with rocks ect and see if that stops.
Have removed poison block from compost bin as at the end of the day would much rather be able to use compost and tackle the rats as separate problem.