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Poo in my Compost Heap

CloggieCloggie Cambs Fens but not black soilPosts: 1,451
in Wildlife gardening

Can anyone identify this?  I'm hoping it's toad and not rat but I'm open to other suggestions.

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The heap hasn't been turned all winter and it was when emptying the shredder that I noticed the poop.

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Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 82,181

    Rat I'm afraid  ... snug and dry in there. 

    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Derbyshire but with a Nottinghamshire postcode. Posts: 16,463

    I agree with Dove, that looks like Rat. image

  • CloggieCloggie Cambs Fens but not black soilPosts: 1,451

    Darn it. image

    Oh well, all creatures great and small and all that.  The heaps are well away from the house and back on to fields so I'll disturb it in Spring when the heaps will get turned.

    I've got mice in the shed too but then again, we get Sparrowhawks, Owls and Red Kites so without the small mammals, they wouldn't visit.

    Oh, and there are local moggies so I'll let nature take its course.

    Thanks Dove.

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 82,181

    Stir it up and keep it damp, otherwise they'll be breeding in there ... 

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4429886/Rats-produce-half-BILLION-descendants-three-years.html 

    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • CloggieCloggie Cambs Fens but not black soilPosts: 1,451

    Ack, perhaps I'll take the top off tomorrow and give it a good going over, I've a water butt nearby so might direct the overflow into the bin (although it doesn't look dry when viewing from above I know it can be very dry underneath).

    This was the last bin to be filled last year so it's possibly set it up as a perfect rat storm for the winter.

    Thanks for the guidance, I hate to interfere with nature but also don't want to unwittingly cause any issues.  Perhaps if I move it on it will set up home nearer the owls and not nearer the house (or under my shed!).

    It now knows that it's not alone since the addition of the paper today so I'll keep an eye on it and be forewarned.  Thanks.

  • ObelixxObelixx Vendée, Western FrancePosts: 28,555

    If you haven't the time or the energy to turn it or the weather is a bit inclement, just leave the lid off for a while so it gets cold and also a good soaking from any rain.

    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • CloggieCloggie Cambs Fens but not black soilPosts: 1,451

    Good tip Obelixx, thank you.

    I have 6 such heaps plus a home-made leaf-mould container made from pallets with a wire top, and after checking them all today, this is the only one with droppings.  The leaf-mould maker is new this year and I was rather hoping it would provide a home for a hedgehog but I can't see signs of habitation.

    Leaving the lid off is the best strategy so far, I'll do that and see how we get on.

    Thanks Team. x

  • LynLyn DevonPosts: 21,137

    Very good idea to turn it as often as you can, rats hate disturbance, even if you don’t dig deep, just try to go down a bit, also every time you walk by them, give them a good bang on the sides with a spade or something, theres nothing a rat likes more than an undisturbed nest.

    Please read Doves link and be aware of the dangers, I know we would all like to live by the ‘Live and let live’ rule, but not where rats are concerned. 

    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • WaysideWayside Posts: 807

    Return the gesture by a doing a small turn, and peeing in it often for a while.

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