Rat in compost bin.

[Scoot]

So i have a rat in one of my compost bins. Ive stopped putting all raw veg waste in as i think that is what it must be eating. Ive tried a humane trap but it hasnt worked so now i have tried a non toxic poison (flour, sugar and baking soda).

Any tips as to how to get it to clear off if the above doesnt work?

[Baldy]

Flood the compost bin regularly. Whack the bin with a spade Everytime you go past
If you can face it mix up the compost with a spade / fork. Basically disturb the rat make the bin wet etc less attractive.
Taste like chicken (probably).

[Scarlet]

Lots of water as Baldy has said or a snapper trap on the top loaded some peanut butter....

[Mr Bones]

As already said, keep turning it. I make aeration holes with a steel fencing pin, that usually sees them off.

[geepee]

Statistics say we ae on average only 4' away from a rat..!!
So given the
at Rats must only be the same distance from a partner......If you got one ......how long before you get a 'Pair' ??
Not sure what the gestation period for a rat is but google it .....I.d gues just a matter of weeks ...
So ..1 x pair rats ......produce 10/15 offspring ... say half female......|(they dont do genetics)......so the females breed at 8 weeks old .....therefore 5 or 6 female rats , in say 8 weeks time produce 12 baby rats each !! .....you now got 6 x 12 = 72 rats , half them going to breed at same rate ....so in another 8 week you got 72 +72 = 144 rats and so on ,so on.
That means another half of last litter is female ie half 72 =36 each breeding 12 young is 432 +144 you had before .........My advice is ...Take what ever action to get rid of first one ...!!!!
Forgive me if sums are wrong but principal still applies I think

[Scoot]

I think it may have had some of the poison i put down yesterday. I've put some more down mixed with drinking chocolate this time. Hopefully it'll not get touched and that'll mean the first lot has worked.

If this doesn't work, i will deffo try the flooding method. Thank you all for your help.

[roitelet]

You need to put poison down for several days for it to work.

[Scoot]

You need to put poison down for several days for it to work.

Even homemade poison such as baking soda?

[veggiechicken]

Make sure that dogs and cats can't eat the baking soda as its toxic for them too.

[DannyK]

Make sure that dogs and cats can't eat the baking soda as its toxic for them too.

Do they blow up like shark in Jaws?

[veggiechicken]

Baking Soda | Pet Poison Control

[MarkPelican]

My dad used to use cement mixed with sugar and other tasty things (not tried it myself).

Be aware that the rat will probably die in your compost bin so you'll have to be slightly careful when emptying it out. That's why flooding the bin is "better" it drives them away rather than killing them in situ.

[4Shoes]

If you have a Rat problem it needs to be addressed quickly. Rats need Food, Water and Shelter. Remove one of these and the Rats will move on. They will not move if they have young in a nest.
Some people have tried sonic devices, but there is little evidence they work, and will not work if they have young.

If there is evidence of digging in and around the Compost Bin, then you have more than a single rodent. and flushing it out the compost bin will just move it a few feet.

The key is to address the Rat problem and not impact non-targeted species. The method of rat removal should not be cruel. i.e. you should not feed them with food mixed with a fast setting compound (cement, polyfiller, etc). They will have a slow agonising death.

The 1st thing to do is remove any food and/or water sources (put a lid on your water butt). Then complete a site survey to see if there are any tracks/ rat runs. Get an understanding of size of problem.
Rats tend to travel 100m or so, so may have number of homes small distance from your Compost Bin

Rats do not like changes to their environment. They use their whiskers to guide them and gives the ability to travel at speed along the rat run.

Once you put down bait or traps, they are unlikely take the bait in the 1st few days. (unless you have a big problem)
Place snap traps with the snap against / perpendicular to a wall i.e. form a T.
Set # Traps every 5m or so.

If you do down the poison route, mass bait ensuring that bait is covered and non targeted species do not have access. Continue to feed them until bait stops being taken.

If bait still being taken after 3 weeks, you have a bigger problem and you should call in environmental control.

If you use a humane trap (Rat Cage) the rat needs to be dispatched humanely. It is illegal to release or drown rats and for that matter grey squirrel and other vermin

[4Shoes]

That reminds me...

Chilli pods will have little impact.

Just got here today and found I have a mouse problem. see picture.

They have been eating Red Scotch Bonnet and Ring of Fire.
Not got taste for the Sweet or milder ones yet

[4Shoes]

Started on the tidy up.

There must have been about 20 Red Scotch Bonnet Chillies eaten and another 10 each of Ring of Fire and Cayenne. Quite a mess.

The trapping programme got off to a bad start. The 1st set of traps all failed to catch a mouse, but with some adjustment to the trap and location, now caught 4 mice, but expect there will be more.