Using Ratty Compost

[Emagggie]

There are many rat droppings in my compost heap which has made me wary of using it. Should I be worrying about it? It seems a waste of otherwise decent compost to dump it but I can't help thinking of disease ect.
Anyone got any views please?

[Emagggie]

[Mr Smith]

Maggie,
              I don't think I would be using it just to be on the safe side, if you see rat droppings there will also be rat urine(weil's disease) personally I would dig a really big hole and bury the lot, ;)

[saddad]

My understanding is Weil's disease needs to be "kept" in water... so using it as a top mulch should be OK...   :-\

[Mr Smith]

Saddam,
                   I'm careful when I go fishing just for that reason, from what I can gather rats pee all the time and thats how it gets into the water in lakes, :)

[Robert_Brenchley]

I'd wear gloves when handling it just in case, but it'll rot down fine, and any disease won't survive the process.

[saddad]

Yes, but, as I understand it, the vector is only viable in water... once it dries out it is no longer a problem... but I could be wrong....

[Baccy Man]

The bacteria, fungi & worms in your compost will neutralise any diseases that persist without a living host.
Dried rodent droppings are considered dangerous as they occassionly contain Hantavirus which is transmitted by breathing the dust of old dried droppings. This won't be a problem on your allotment as even if it was spread before the droppings had composted the compost will keep them moist until the droppings have composted and/or any diseases present have been neutralised.
As saddad said Weils disease is waterborne & can't survive in soil so is nothing to worry about.

[Emagggie]

Many thanks all, I will now spread with confidence. ;D ;D

[caroline7758]

If evryone who had rats in their compost threw it away, there wouldn't be many of us bothering to make compost!

[Emagggie]

There seem to be lots more rats this time Caroline, they mince around like they own the place :o ;D

[Robert_Brenchley]

Get traps or poison down quick, unless you want to try dogs. I let things deteriorate like that one year; they had all my pumpkins, and chewed their way into an empty beehive. You should have seen the mess inside!

[Emagggie]

 :o :o :o that sounds dire Robert. I don't like poison but I think it's all I can do,
Couldn't deal with a trap and not allowed dogs on site. I wish there was a plant they didn't like or something, that would be so much easier. ::)

[Ninnyscrops.]

I think mine must be nesting underground as they've turned over all my compost and appear to have taken down the shredded paper!  I've tried bunging up their holes down the side with plastic bottles and they just dig another.

Would pouring a few cans of water in the composter do any good - flushing them out? I did plan to use most of it in the bottom of the bean trench anyway.

Linda

[Robert_Brenchley]

I doubt whether that would have any effect at all. You really do need drastic action if you have more than the odd one.

[hellohelenhere]

I had a friend at work, who had heard that office paper gets contaminated in the warehouse by mice and all sorts of horrors. I used to use a sheet of A4 as a makeshift 'plate' if I ate a sandwich or something - she would wrinkle her nose and say, 'eeewwww Helen! There have been mice all over that!'
Seemed a bit extreme to me. :D

You piqued my interest and I just did a bit of Googling - I couldn't find any references to hantavirus cases in the UK, but I did find a report in Nature magazine that 'a large increase in hantavirus infections since spring 2005 has been detected in Belgium, France and Germany. '
Therefore I guess we should be aware of it. But I'm sure that average rat droppings in average compost break down pretty fast. As Caroline said, a lot of (or even most) compost will have had rats in or around it at some point.

[caroline7758]

If it's a council-run site (or even if not), it might be worth contacting the council if you've got a serious problem.

[redimp]

I wish there was a plant they didn't like or something, that would be so much easier. ::)

Rhubarb leaves act as a deterrent and in my experience they do work.  I stuffed some down a rat hole and the rat vacated - and I don't mean just his bowels.

[Emagggie]

Right, picked some today, leaves in the holes tomorrow.
Thanks RC

[Mr Smith]

It appears to some that Rats come across  being fluffy and nice,  take the advice of RB, from a personal point of view if I had rats in and around my compost bins/heaps I would dig the nest out, rats do not liked to be disturbed  so take your compost heap/bin apart, :)

[Emagggie]

Yep Mr, S, I fully intend to do that. I will wait until the weekend though, when HE is going to do my edges for me (I can't do anything in a straight line ::)) and pass the job over. ;D

We have had our share of pet rats and they made great pets but I am under no illusion about the wild kind. I just find it very difficult to kill anything :'(