Possible Rats in the Compost Bin

[Rashmika]

Hi folks, I'm not sure if this is the correct forum but it is mammal related

I was emptying the kitchen caddy yesterday evening (Tuesday) into the compost bin and I noticed there was an odd hole at the top. I'd previously been in the bin on Sunday and nothing was amiss. I did turn the bin with a fork but nothing leapt out at me

I checked again today (Wednesday) and there was indeed some sort of tunnel. The diameter of the tunnel was around two to two and a half inches. I could not see any signs of droppings in the bin nor could I see any signs of munching!

My compost bin has some plastic mesh (possibly coated over chicken wire) at the base and we only ever put in egg shells, tea bags, fruit and vegetables (uncooked).

I am planning to empty it and some heavy duty chicken wire over itself amd then put the compost bin back... but before I do this:

Is this a rat problem or something else?
What can I do with the compost?

The compost... meh, it's just starting to hit that lovely dark coloured crumbly state. We were about to start out veggie garden with it, but i guess tha'ts out the window now.

My missus has suggested popping our outdoor camera in the bin to see if we can spot what it is, but I am not sure about putting ANYTHING in there that I'd want to keep.

[Stinky Bob]

Does sound like a rat to me, why can you not still use the compost or am I missing something.

[Rashmika]

Well my gut instinct screams no in case the compost is contaminiated by the rats (please excuse my ignorance here).

is it still safe to use? What about Weils disease etc?

[Stinky Bob]

If it was me I would tip water over it to dilute and then allow to dry, its only when wet or moist when its a problem. I would also wee in a bucket and pour that over it as well, in fact I do this quite often as its a good activator. Seems a shame for to waste it.

[Rashmika]

Okay! Thanks for your replies

[Rashmika]

Hey there... a quick follow up.

I bought some chicken wire at the weekend and replaced the plastic mesh I originally put underneath the bin.

I did some checking and the rat(s) had been very busy digging tunnels along the bottom of my garden disappearing into my neighbours. On a plus, the chicken wire was folded over twice so that should keep them busy for a while.

I've also ditched the open bird feeders as I caught a rat in one of them yesterday I've replaced them with allegedly animal proof ones, so we'll see how that goes.