Something burrowing - likely culprit?

[ldsau93]

I was tidying up some seldom moved bags near our plastic compost bin and found some 'critter' has been burrowing into the bin and created a tunnel (3-4 inches in diameter) at least 3 foot long.

Curiously, it appears to have been 'furnished' with scraps of paper from the bin.
Rats give me the heebee-geebees as such wish to dissuade them from taking residence.

Any ideas on identifying what's doing it and - if rats - how to get rid of them?
I've disturbed the tunnel for the moment.

Thanks in advance

[muddled]

yep, sounds like a rat.

Don't put cooked food scraps, meat or fats in your compost (which you probably don't anyway) and disturb as often as you can.....kick the bin every time you pass, shove a hosepipe in and flood the tunnel, move stuff about when you can. Rats really don't like that.

Chances are that he just needed somewhere warmer for a cold spell or the water table rose and washed away his home and he'll move on when he realises this is not the peaceful place he'd hoped.

[ldsau93]

Ok thanks. We did know about what not to put in but will continue to make life less easy for him.

[WendyC]

Water the compost bin. If I find rats have been in evidence, I put in flowerpots of rat poison and keep topping up until the poison doesn't disappear. Depends how you feel about using poisons.