I've check them and yes they are RATS! I personally don't mind them in my compost bin because the airate it a bit but since I don't know if they are actually disease free and my neighbors aren't a fan of them either I need to keep them out. I searched the web and have tried almost everything from not putting in any kitchen scraps for 2 weeks to putting it in the open area where the kids are fairly often to hopefuly scare them away to turning it every other day and nothing is working. When I see the evidence of their pressence I set out and old fasion snap trap and with in a few days I get it but then there is another one back in a week or so.
Any ideas on how to keep them away? Any type of plant or spice that repels them? I'm thinking about using a sealed bin (a trash can with a tight lid) and using that for my food scraps until they are broken down enough that rats may not like them. Then pour it in to my big compost bin. But I'm not for certain that's why they are in there. I think they just like to "live" in my bin and not always eat from it.
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smokensqueal
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What kind of bin do you have? My girlfriend experienced this also, with her BioStack, and found that there's a "floor" you can put on the BioStack to prevent--ah--incursions.
You DO NOT WANT RATS in your compost or anywhere on your property. They are disease vectors and can be nasty biters if cornered.
But let's start with the bin before figuring out how to get rid of the rats.
Cynthia H.
USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 17
You DO NOT WANT RATS in your compost or anywhere on your property. They are disease vectors and can be nasty biters if cornered.
But let's start with the bin before figuring out how to get rid of the rats.
Cynthia H.
USDA Zone 9, Sunset Zone 17
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smokensqueal
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- Location: St. Louis, MO Metro area
The bin is home made. I know I could install a mesh or screen on the sides, bottom, and top but it's fairly large and I really don't want to try to retro fit a screen onto it or even try to move it to be able to place a screen under it. Plus, that's got to be a pain to pull compost from the bottom when your fighting aginst a screen every time. I guess if worst comes to worse then after the garden is finished this season I can pull everything out of it and thow it there while I reto fit it but I don't quite understand why everyone says they have no rodent problem and I can't do anything to keep them out of mine.
Is there a food source for them nearby? Birdfeeder?
I had this problem in my old garden. My compost heap was at the end of the garden and the neighbours kept rabbits and guinea pigs at the end of their garden. This meant the rats had an easy food source and a nice comfy, warm home within spitting distance!
We had to kill the 12 baby rats we found in the heap and then trap and kill the adults. Not something I wanted to do but no choice in a suburban area.
We now live in a more rural location and I have a compost heap but nothing but the odd mouse lives in it because there is no food nearby to make it seem inviting. Regularly turning it also seems to deter inhabitants.
I had this problem in my old garden. My compost heap was at the end of the garden and the neighbours kept rabbits and guinea pigs at the end of their garden. This meant the rats had an easy food source and a nice comfy, warm home within spitting distance!
We had to kill the 12 baby rats we found in the heap and then trap and kill the adults. Not something I wanted to do but no choice in a suburban area.
We now live in a more rural location and I have a compost heap but nothing but the odd mouse lives in it because there is no food nearby to make it seem inviting. Regularly turning it also seems to deter inhabitants.
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smokensqueal
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- Joined: Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:36 pm
- Location: St. Louis, MO Metro area
Thanks Jess I didn't think of that. I'll have to look around and see if there are any bird feeders or anything else around they might like. I only have two neighbors right next to me and my back yard bumps up to a corn field. My neighbors found some in thier areas that they killed. I'm actually surprized to find rats. I would expect mice but not rats. Over the past 2 months me and my neighbors killed 5 rats. Hopefully that's the entire family and we won't see them again.
Just checked on some sites for rats in your area. (I know...get a life lol!)
Never knew rats could be so interesting.
You have a choice of three rats in Missouri; Roof, Norway or Black. Worth finding out which you think you are dealing with as they do have slightly different habits and habitat requirements.
Never knew rats could be so interesting.
You have a choice of three rats in Missouri; Roof, Norway or Black. Worth finding out which you think you are dealing with as they do have slightly different habits and habitat requirements.
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smokensqueal
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- Location: St. Louis, MO Metro area
Jess after doing some looking it really looks like it would be a Norway rat. From what I found Black rats aren't really in my area and roof rats well like to live up high. The description and living discription matches that of a Norway rat. They say the norway rat doesn't travel more then 150 - 200 ft from it's nest and I looked last night and only one neighbor has two bird feeders at his house but he' more then 200 ft away. But in talking with him he did find two rats under his concret patio a month or so ago and he said the neighbor on the other side of me found two in his brush pile. I'm hoping that in all the recent catches of these rats that the family and or population of them have dropped and hopefully we got rid of all of them. 