It is possible to put down poison safely if it is placed in something like a length of drainpipe where the rats can access it but livestock and pets can't reach it.
Rats are a fact of life. On the farm we used the dalmation, the sheepdog used to catch them but wasn't a killer!
Further to everything that has been said, perhaps the best way of deterring the rats is to do what all composters should do. Turn your compost thoroughly and regularly, at LEAST once a month. This would make life a bit uncomfortable for them, to say the least. Rats DO NOT LIKE CHANGE ! and would move on if it became too inconvenient for them ! NOW, it's a fine afternoon, and I'm off to the lotty to do just this. Turn the compo !
I started a compost bin (dalek) from scratch for the food waste, buried it, placed rocks around it. And after many months a rat and most likely family had moved close by.
At the beginning of the year. I emptied and moved the bin. And now have it buried with three layers of tough wire mesh beneath. They may have moved on somewhere else.
Rats are everywhere. Sit somewhere in your garden very quietly and still and you might spot one. From an office window we watched a very fat rat scurrying up a bird table and ambling about a nearby garden. And all the signs of rats are in our bike shed which makes a great shelter. They just need to waddle out under the neighbours bird feeder when peckish. I saw a huge rat in a tree earlier this year. It wasn't a squirrel but was just as agile. Luckily most of the time they keep out your way, probably because those that do are more likely to survive. I too like wildlife but do not like wild rats, especially when they are close by or within the house.
I have just found large Rats in my compost pallet bin, with very large droppings.
Not too bothered about rats in general but quite worried about the spread of disease and using my well rotted compost. Will it still be safe to use ? Would be grateful for any advise
You should always wear gloves when handling compost, as even if you haven't seen rats they may have been there and they can spread Leptospirosis (Weil's disease) via their urine. I don't know how long the bacteria may persist in the soil, but it can contaminate waterways, so presumably could be present in wet soil too.
So wear gloves, wash your hands thoroughly after gardening and before eating, drinking, smoking etc. The compost should be safe to use on borders but I personally would be wary of using it in the veg garden as you can't wash all veg in hot soapy water!
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Rats are a fact of life. On the farm we used the dalmation, the sheepdog used to catch them but wasn't a killer!
Further to everything that has been said, perhaps the best way of deterring the rats is to do what all composters should do. Turn your compost thoroughly and regularly, at LEAST once a month. This would make life a bit uncomfortable for them, to say the least. Rats DO NOT LIKE CHANGE ! and would move on if it became too inconvenient for them ! NOW, it's a fine afternoon, and I'm off to the lotty to do just this. Turn the compo !
It is quite alarming when you're in the middle of digging over your dalek compost bin and a large rat emerges from the bottom though.....
OMG ! I misread the last comment from the singing gardener. Could be alarming and quite painful !
What is one man's poisson, is another man's fish.
Use a proper rat bait station and pets will be safe http://www.screwfix.com/p/procter-rat-bait-station/71520
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I started a compost bin (dalek) from scratch for the food waste, buried it, placed rocks around it. And after many months a rat and most likely family had moved close by.
At the beginning of the year. I emptied and moved the bin. And now have it buried with three layers of tough wire mesh beneath. They may have moved on somewhere else.
Rats are everywhere. Sit somewhere in your garden very quietly and still and you might spot one. From an office window we watched a very fat rat scurrying up a bird table and ambling about a nearby garden. And all the signs of rats are in our bike shed which makes a great shelter. They just need to waddle out under the neighbours bird feeder when peckish. I saw a huge rat in a tree earlier this year. It wasn't a squirrel but was just as agile. Luckily most of the time they keep out your way, probably because those that do are more likely to survive. I too like wildlife but do not like wild rats, especially when they are close by or within the house.
I have just found large Rats in my compost pallet bin, with very large droppings.
Not too bothered about rats in general but quite worried about the spread of disease and using my well rotted compost. Will it still be safe to use ? Would be grateful for any advise
You should always wear gloves when handling compost, as even if you haven't seen rats they may have been there and they can spread Leptospirosis (Weil's disease) via their urine. I don't know how long the bacteria may persist in the soil, but it can contaminate waterways, so presumably could be present in wet soil too.
So wear gloves, wash your hands thoroughly after gardening and before eating, drinking, smoking etc. The compost should be safe to use on borders but I personally would be wary of using it in the veg garden as you can't wash all veg in hot soapy water!