In message of Mon, 7 Mar 2005, Sacha writes
No point, unless she's nocturnal :-). Rats are everywhere in rural
and urban UK, we just don't see them often because they mostly move
around at night.

The ones I had can't have read the books then. They were all-too-visible in
broad daylight!

The pair today were happily gambolling about in broad daylight. Earlier,
when I had spotted just one, I was only a few feet away from it and it
kept on nibbling its breakfast. It was only when I moved that it
scampered off.

But IF the compost heap is wet..... I think as a precaution I would
certainly wear gloves. It's quite possible they're nesting in next door's
garden, her compost heap or somewhere in whatever is around and about.

Thanks very much Sacha and all who replied. It has made interesting and
rather chilling reading!

I have decided that I will clear the entire area this weekend and
dismantle both heaps. I will ensure I wear gloves etc for protection. In
case the rats are nesting in my 'untidy area' on in the heap itself
(both of which are really quite dry) I will soak the whole place
thoroughly every day until then.

Since I throw out a great deal of fruit/veg peelings I am rethinking my
composting. The heaps were very ugly anyway (have meant for ages to
build a screening fence of some sort).

I have googled a tumbling composter called an envirocycle tumbler. It is
very expensive (about 120 pounds) but you can add to it over a period of
weeks, tumble it several times a week and then empty it. I could empty
it elsewhere to further break down once it is no longer recognisably
food. It also makes a liquid feed from the run-off which can be diluted
and used as plant food.

Has anyone here had experience of this composter?

You all are pretty much of the opinion that while there is food
available the rats will come looking for it, so I want to eliminate the
food source. This tumbler would do this for me and speed up the
composting process a bit.

Thanks again for all your help.
--
Colette A. O'Brien