GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

31-03-2003, 10:44 AM

(Nick Maclaren) wrote in news:b68v6p$qh4$1
@pegasus.csx.cam.ac.uk:

In article ,
"Paul Kelly" writes:
|
| Do you live in town or country?
|
| In town putting meat on the compost bin is an open invitation
| to foxes and rats.

Suburbs. There are both in the vicinity, and I believe that both
visit the garden regularly. It is an old wife's tale that putting
meat scraps or bones on the compost heap attracts rats (or even
foxes) any more than anything else does. I don't know whether
putting whole joints on would, as it is not something that we do!

To support this, one of my cats caught a rabbit (not one of mine!) the
week before last.

I slung it on the compost heap. I had a prod through this week and it's
still there, quite untouched (even by flies yet: must be too early in
the year).

Another example: there was a time when we used to buy big bones for our
dogs. Dogs aren't very organised, so they tended to leave the chewed
remnants in distant beds and under hedges. Never caused a rat problem
(I don't think the rats were scared for the dogs: the dogs were
wusses!).

The one thing I have found attracts rats is fresh grains in rabbit or
guinea-pig food. They really like that, and will hang around to get it.

I keep food for my bunnies inside the house in a sealed box, and if the
bunnies don't clean out their bowl I feed 'em less till they do: this
seems to help and is also better for the bunnies (they don't believe
this though!).

Victoria

(Yes, I know I could have made a pie. It was a busy week and I find
preparing rabbit from scratch very tedious. Skinning takes forever and
all those little bones!)