Rats in compost

[Bogie_Bear]

Apologies if in wrong forum, couldn't find a gardening one though assume there's some hanging around here?

We have quite a large household and take our composting very seriously, 5 big bins on the go. It would seem however that rats appear to have made it their home to the extent we have to sash a bin with a sock a few times before opening it. With kids, a huge pooch and an emergency foster home for dogs, very loathe to be laying poisons and would like not to have to destroy our decent compost with petrol and fire. Any suggestions to drive the little ******* to a less desirable postcode?

 

[theinventor]

Get one of these

She doesn't eat them all, but keeps them down to an acceptable level. What definitely helps is to make sure there's clear space all around the bins, then Ratty has to make a Sarajevo-style dash in the open and that when they get caught.

 

[medwaymud]

Simple - buy an air rifle.
Set up a hide nearby, protected from the elements, bait the impact area and you will clean up over a few days.

 

[Bogie_Bear]

We foster GSDs / Malinous and others. Think the cats might be the ones going Sarajevo style

 

[Just_plain_you]

Don't put meat in it.

 

[bedended]

Get one of theseView attachment 516493
She doesn't eat them all, but keeps them down to an acceptable level. What definitely helps is to make sure there's clear space all around the bins, then Ratty has to make a Sarajevo-style dash in the open and that when they get caught.

Morning @theinventor,
It's a sport in the dhaba I drink in. Four caught yesterday and the owner takes them 2km to the town dump and lets them loose.

Otherwise, he chucks them in gardens of locals who piss him off.

 

[wheel]

We foster GSDs / Malinous and others. Think the cats might be the ones going Sarajevo style

Foster a couple of Jack Russel's or Border Terriers for a few weeks.

 

[whiffler]

Morning @theinventor,
It's a sport in the dhaba I drink in. Four caught yesterday and the owner takes them 2km to the town dump and lets them loose.
View attachment 516498
View attachment 516497
Otherwise, he chucks them in gardens of locals who piss him off.

See Pikey thread

 

[Bogie_Bear]

Don't put meat in it.

Our rats are vegan.....

 

[A signaller]

Simple - buy an air rifle.
Set up a hide nearby, protected from the elements, bait the impact area and you will clean up over a few days.

What he said, We live along side a rural canal, and the rats make the occasional foray into our garden. I have two powerful .22 rifles, with scopes, or the occasional rat trap set up in the composting bin, or along a known rat run will do the job, bait with blue poison blocks, or chocolate, and peanut butter.

 

[theinventor]

There's a quite comprehensive thread in the shooting &c forum: https://www.arrse.co.uk/community/threads/rat-killing.292479/

You may find something of a common theme to the solutions proposed!

 

[Gout Man]

What he said, We live along side a rural canal, and the rats make the occasional foray into our garden. I have two powerful .22 rifles, with scopes, or the occasional rat trap set up in the composting bin, or along a known rat run will do the job, bait with blue poison blocks, or chocolate, and peanut butter.

Yep, those blue poison blocks are the best, they actually take it back to their nest and the whole family of rats help themselves to it.
Well that’s what I read somewhere and when I moved out to the country one day I spotted a rat, went to the local place which sells everything and they recommended this stuff and told me the same, haven’t seen a rat in several years now and only put that stuff out for a week.
You place it in a rat run contraption, they love going into tunnels this allowed them in where the blocks were and then out again, thus keeping it away from pets.

 

[Winnet]

Foster a couple of Jack Russel's or Border Terriers for a few weeks.

 

[Fang_Farrier]

Rats don't get past the dog.

Neither do rabbits, cats, mice, voles, shrews, pheasants or moles.

Only creatures to have escaped in our garden are pinemartens and hedgehogs. Although both require dog to be removed for them to escape!

 

[medwaymud]

What he said, We live along side a rural canal, and the rats make the occasional foray into our garden. I have two powerful .22 rifles, with scopes, or the occasional rat trap set up in the composting bin, or along a known rat run will do the job, bait with blue poison blocks, or chocolate, and peanut butter.

A cheaper but still quite effective alternative is the cheapest ( Lidl ? ) tins of sweetcorn.
Stick the contents through a whizzer then keep in a plastic bottle in the fridge.
They like the high sugar content but most importantly if shooting, they can't pick up a lump and run away - their natural instinct if wary.

 

[CrazyLegs!]

Get another bin and a balloon large enough to fill the opening of the bin. Put treats at the top of the balloon and the scratchy bastards will climb up the balloon, their horrible little minging claws causing it to burst, and they’ll tumble into the bin below (make sure the bin is smooth sided so they can’t get out).

You can then humanely stamp them to death at your leisure. Alternatively, if you have the finances, you can set the bin on fire then purchase another bin and repeat the process.

Did I mention I hate the crawly, bitey, horrible things?

 

[Oyibo]

Seconded regarding a dog:

Rats, moles, mice - it gets them all. Only stoats escape the murderous sh*t

 

[Ritch]

Apologies if in wrong forum, couldn't find a gardening one though assume there's some hanging around here?

We have quite a large household and take our composting very seriously, 5 big bins on the go. It would seem however that rats appear to have made it their home to the extent we have to sash a bin with a sock a few times before opening it. With kids, a huge pooch and an emergency foster home for dogs, very loathe to be laying poisons and would like not to have to destroy our decent compost with petrol and fire. Any suggestions to drive the little ******* to a less desirable postcode?

We have one of those hot compost bins. All we've done is raise it on a bed of bricks as someone said that rats like to burrow from underneath. Never had a problem and any rats in the garden have been sorted with my air rifle.

 

[theoriginalphantom]

if it wasn't for having pet Guinea pigs I'd have these in the garage, shed, workshop and office

however a few of these around and the rat we had has apparently buggered off

 

[AlienFTM]

In the true spirit of oneupmanship, can I say I'm glad I have a sparrowhawk keeping the vermin down?