Composting Rats!

[Rixy]

I understand you can put a dead bunny or rat in a septic tank to speed up the process?

It doesn't speed up the process, normally a dead bunny, rat, moggy, any dead animal really is added into a septic tank once it has been emptied, this then helps kick start the "new" tanks bacteria levels.

[lindyloo]

i think i am squemish- i couldn't put compost on the veg if i knew a dead rat was thrown into the mix. i have enough of a problem forgetting rats have probably walked over the veg area! mind you, my strawberries are making me forget all about that, as i eat them straight from the plant! yummy

[hamsterqueen]

I understand you can put a dead bunny or rat in a septic tank to speed up the process?

according to pal of mine, they chuck a dead rat in the vats of scrumpy at his local Cider Mill, when it is reduced to a skeleton the cider is ready

[lindyloo]

thank heavens i dont drink cider! i think it used to be a horses hoof they chucked in, and i think someone else once told me it was a frog. i know a dead pony or donkey used to be disirable to throw in the hole, before planting a fruit tree. hopefully, thats no longer done, as i like my fruit!

[frias]

Crikey, I wouldn't want to dig that hole! My sister used to live in Somerset and local scrumpy always had meat added. I never asked what it was.

[brad1001]

my mother in law has just brought me back a big plastic container of scrumpy from and old farm in cornwall.
damn!...i was looking foreward to drinking that.

[aikenjones]

It's not good for yourself and for the environment.

[Aberdeenplotter]

It's live rats that spread disease, not dead ones. Think of the scenario. Dead body (rat or anything else) on compost heap. Blow fly finds dead body as they do and lays eggs on body, maggots eat body from inside and leave skeleton. Not pleasant but that's how it works. Crows or seagulls may even remove carcase before the blow flies get involved.

[weekendwellies]

My compost heap is heaving with all sorts of critters, worms, beetles, slugs, etc. Some of them must pass away and add to the natural decomposing of the heap. And if a rat was to be rummaging around in your heap when it died, it would quite likely stay there unbeknown to you anyway. I cant see the difference really in the natural lifecycle of the compost and adding it yourself.

[debbie henri]

I would be worried that perhaps the rat (deer, sheep, moggy, etc) had not been thoroughly composted by the time I investigated the heap before using it. I can't think of much worse than delving in to find a very smelly, partly-decomposed body that I'd forgotten about.
I think I shall continue to deal with dead animals in the same way - cremation/burial.
And deal with compost heaps in a more healthy way - no meat, flesh or bones, tyvm

[FionaH]

It's not good for yourself and for the environment.

Cider is bad for the enviroment?!!!

[Two_Sheds]

I put some mackerel carcases in my dalek today - some lazy b'steward had chucked it over their fence onto my plot, rather than put it in their own bin

[Aberdeenplotter]

Cider is bad for the enviroment?!!!

Only after a hobbit has drunk it <flees>

[pinkprincess]

I have rats in my compost bin and although I only put in garden waste and raw kitchen scraps they still seem to appear. What I am worried about though is rats are incontinent and so obviously this will be in our bin. Will the rotting process kill any nasty bugs and will it be safe to add to veg beds?

[Two_Sheds]

Will the rotting process kill any nasty bugs and will it be safe to add to veg beds?

Yes.

... but you need to get rid of the rats. Water the compost heaps thoroughly and often. Don't allow any other places for rats to nest, eg under the shed