On Sat, 6 Mar 2004 23:23:02 +0000 (UTC), "nambucca" wrote:


"FF" wrote in message
. com...
FF wrote in message
...
Twice this week, the husband has seen a rat in the compost bin. When I
checked there
was no sign, no holes in or around the bin, the lid's on, the little
slidy door's
closed.

What should I do? Turn the compost and turf ratty out? Get rid of the
compost? How
did he get in there in the first place! We've never put any of the
banned things in
there, just peelings and garden waste really.

Many thanks,


Liz

Many thanks to all of you for your replies. I turned out the bin today
and used most of the stuff at the bottom, then I stomped the hole he'd
dug under the fence, put the bin back and put the newish stuff back in
with a good dose of Garrotta.

I think the rat was probably only in there because of the snow last
week. The house backs on to a nature reserve so if it's just one rat
come in from the cold I don't think there's much the council can do.

We had a constant problem with them a few years back and the council
sent a man who insisted on using a poison that the rats have been
immune to for 20 years (I'll remember it's name in a minute). The
council insisted on trying twice with that stuff as it was cheaper. (I
know! I know!) Then the neighbours' shed fell down and we found out
where they'd all been living! I don't know what the neighbour did but
we've been clear ever since until now.

I'll have to check out if anyone's got ferrets locally... it's not
really that kind of place, but stranger things have happened at sea:-)

Thanks for all the help

Liz

But as already said you need to put the bin on a brick or a paving base that
way the rats cant burrow in


This sounds like sound advice, but doesn't it get messy? I was going to put it on a
pavinf stone when it arrived but the instructions said not.

Liz