Of Mice and Composters

[calzephyr]

My FIL has been wanting to build us a garage all summer, but due to conflicts with the gas line and our property not being big enough in the back, it was a no go. Instead we're getting a concrete parking pad. We were standing around today while my FIL pointed his measuring tape here and there, and his gaze dropped to the composter. He casually mentioned there was a mouse behind it. I peered around, and maybe my eyesight isn't as good as my FIL's, but I didn't see it.

I have to move the composter two feet over to accommodate the pad and I'm dreading it. It's the kind subsidized by the city that has an open bottom and is anchored by four large screws. After about 3 months of composting, there certainly isn't any "black gold" in there, but now I'm wondering if it has become a mouse house. Yuk! Suddenly it's quite apparent that with no bottom, the composter is not mouse proof - maybe every other non-burrowing critter proof though.

My parents had a similar experience with a black squirrel who camped in the cozy tent that was created when a tarp covered their outdoor chairs. The tarp came off in spring to reveal a gigantic, squirrel sized hole in the foam. I'll probably have to hit Home Depot and find a piece of plexiglass or something that they can't chew through for a bottom.

Comments

[lonehowler.livejournal.com]

I was reading the booklet that comes with the composter apparently i needs enzymes or something like that from the soil and so that water can drain rather collect and go ransid

[calzephyr77.livejournal.com]

Ahh...I'll have to look for that too. I don't water the composter much. It's surprising how long it takes for something to decay!

I'm going to enlist the help of Patches and Twilight, I think. The booklet also says to put dog hair in the composter as a deterrant. I think some nice cat hair should do the trick too!