Help! I have rats in my composter

[TheGander]

DH suspected there were rats under the bike shed as holes had been dug, which he blocked up. Then yesterday I saw rat faeces in the composter. My heart sinks. I’m going to empty it all out, chuck everything away and now take all veg matter to the allotment . Any other suggestions? We really want them to go away and above s not come in to our home.

Apparently if composting is done well, you shouldn’t get rats. My son has studied it at school, I’ll ask him when he gets up.

Yukky I know , but he prepared for babies . Shudders .

You don't want to toss anything out, but you probably want to block up the entry points. They usually don't live there, they only forage. Can you review what you are putting in, any obvious rats-like foods you could keep out?

I think you can contact the council to bait them, might be free as it’s rats. We decided to not put vegetable peelings in as there was a small chance of the bait being dragged out by the rats and then poisoning the dog. Altering what we put in there did seem to make a difference

Pest control man advised us to remove anywhere they could live / hide and any water source.

Well a few days ago I put some cooked cabbage leaves in ( used to have a rules no cooked food). Also egg shells. Other than that just raw fruit and veg peels, spent houseplants , egg boxes. It’s an old, beehive style wooden composter and it’s going to be impossible to make it ratproof. I’ve been composting there for about 15 years, never had this problem before ☹️.

We didn't put cooked food in but cured the problem by not putting egg shells in. They must be attracted to the traces of egg left behind.

Yes we stopped eggshells too. I just put all food waste in food waste bin and only garden stuff in composter, no more rats now

I’m going to stop with the egg shells for good 💯.

I agree, rats love eggshells, I never put eggshells into compost now. We never compost cooked food either.

What sort of bin do you have? If it is one of the black 'dalek' types, we put layers of chicken wire over the base (brought it up the sides, stapled it on). And that, along with being careful about what we composted, kept the rats out.

You could also consider moving the composter further from the house.

You probably can't stop them living under the shed, but if they cannot get into the composter for food/warmth they are more likely to move away.

If you feed the birds, that will be another source of food for them as bits drop on the ground. So use a type of feeder to try to prevent that.

Thanks @Arcticsway . It’s an old battered beehive style wooden compost. Will be impossible to rat proof it, some of the slats are bowed. I’ve think it needs a spell of being empty. We only have a small backyard so couldn’t move it any further , and don’t feed birds as we have a cat.

I've just said this on the fox thread. You need a terrier 😀

Seriously though, I bet it's the egg shells.

I've had composters for gosh, decades and only ever had one rat. That was because I put a job lot of wine mustings in one once.

I'd stop panicking, compost is specifically made up of droppings from all sorts of organisms and insects and beasties. It is literally what it is. I'd just make sure you turn it more regularly. If you still want to compost in your back yard then take the wooden one to the allotment and do home composting in a tumbler.

@TheGander I think you need a new composter, I used to have a beehive type and they do have a limited lifespan.

You could think about getting a hotbin. It is ratproof, you can put in almost all kitchen and garden waste, and it works quickly. It might look expensive but ours is ten years old and good as new.

https://hotbincomposting.com/?fm_source=g&fm_term=pmax&utm_source=ppc&utm_medium=googleads&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21589539811&gbraid=0AAAAApjGm1lUjrC5VRW4eRaK7edyv6Jof&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9czHBhCyARIsAFZlN8Tm2gOO-r7w6YZwR3jsOudglGmrvYYEAWp8XUPZ97T4IlU6OnCpdbwaAiYSEALw_wcB

I’d worry about Weils disease though @Shedmistress . Maybe that’s irrational and by the time it’s fully composted there’d be no organisms left, but I’m a worrier and I know it would play in my mind. Love the idea of a hotbin @Arcticsway someone at the allotments has one and it’s impressive how quickly stuff breaks down.

Weil's disease is found in standing water not in compost heaps.

Plus unless you are eating the compost which I'd not advise, and handle it with gloves even if you do it wet then you are just as safe as if you walk through a puddles in a park.

I’ve emptied the compost bin, I’m getting rid of the top layer with the faeces. The more rotted down layer I’m going to keep, segregated in bags over the winter, hopefully it’ll get a good case of cold to kill off any bacteria. Everything from now on goes in the Dalek at the allotment. Thanks everyone for your tips and sympathy!

They do say that in most areas of the UK you are likely to be within 50 metres of a rat, more if a run down area. And yes Weils disease is actually caught from rivers lakes etc. Thats why fishermen are so careful because rats are carriers and often live near water.

You could consider moving your old bin to the allotment and using a tumbler bin for home? Rats ate their way through the plastic of my standing bin, but haven’t found their way into the tumbler at all.