Guinea Pig Waste On Compost Heap- Attract Pests?

4pigs&counting

4pigs&counting

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A potentially daft question! I currently put all the guinea pig waste onto an open compost heap in the garden (I use aubiose). I am really paranoid about attracting pests (rats?) - is the guinea pig waste attractive to rats like food waste is? I started putting it in a black compost bin so that it was sealed but there is just so much of it I would need too many bins so it is just in a heap at the moment. Thanks :)
 
Hiya, I’ve not got much experience with this I’m afraid as we have a small back yard, but yes I would think that it could attract rats. (It’s not a daft question, happy to help with any thoughts/ queries/ questions if I can) x
 
Hoppity.K said:
Hiya, I’ve not got much experience with this I’m afraid as we have a small back yard, but yes I would think that it could attract rats. (It’s not a daft question, happy to help with any thoughts/ queries/ questions if I can) x
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What do you do with all of your waste when you clear out your cages? As I use aubiose there is so much of it... I guess if you use fleece then there is less. I really don't want to put it in black bags and send it to landfill as it is all such good natural stuff!
 
I also use Aubiose. Do you throw the entire cage worth when cleaning out? I use trays under the hides and once I’ve thrown away the stuff in the trays, I only get rid of a fraction of the rest on the cage - most of it is still clean and dry as their wee and ooo is (mostly) concentrated to the gaps between the hides and few random spots. I turn it all over (like a stable) take the wet and poo out and re use the rest. It does take anout 40 mins for my cage, but I cannot bear the thought of throwing it all away each week. I end up with an 80ltr bin bag of waste each week but most of it is hay.
I take it to our local tip every few weeks
 
Guineapigfeet said:
I also use Aubiose. Do you throw the entire cage worth when cleaning out? I use trays under the hides and once I’ve thrown away the stuff in the trays, I only get rid of a fraction of the rest on the cage - most of it is still clean and dry as their wee and ooo is (mostly) concentrated to the gaps between the hides and few random spots. I turn it all over (like a stable) take the wet and poo out and re use the rest. It does take anout 40 mins for my cage, but I cannot bear the thought of throwing it all away each week. I end up with an 80ltr bin bag of waste each week but most of it is hay.
I take it to our local tip every few weeks
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Thanks @Guineapigfeet . Yes, I do tend to clean out the entire cage every weekend. Although, since using hay trays I have on occasion just been able to 'refresh' it by cleaning out the wet bits and topping up with a new layer. Perhaps the answer is to buy a few more trays and then have a tray under each hidey etc. although they do tend to use mainly the hay trays. Do you have a layer of paper underneath your aubiose? I find that this is often wet even if the aubiose on top looks relatively dry - it is the paper that needs replacing. Perhaps if I didn't have paper it would work better?
 
No, I don’t use paper, the Aubiose is designed to let the wet through and absorb it from the bottom and having paper just means it doesn’t get a chance to do that and you end up with a soggy mess of stinky paper!

There are occasions when I do chuck everything regardless, like when they’re holidaying at Aunty C’s - it’s so much easier to just throw it all away when I bring them home!
 
Why did I not realise this?! I have been using paper to line the cages for 18 months and I think that is the problem! The amount of waste I'm generating (not to mention the cost of all the aubiose I'm buying) is huge! From today I will ditch the paper - thanks @Guineapigfeet :)
 
Compost heaps will attract rodents of all types and possibly an occasional snakes (we found a grass snake nest in the back of one heap at my parents). Compost heaps generate a lot of heat as they break down and are (unfortunataly) the perfect hiding/nesting places for small rodents even if they don't contain waste food.

Have you got plenty of cats living in your local area? You'll probably find they balance out any rodent population you may have.
 
Tewdric said:
Compost heaps will attract rodents of all types and possibly an occasional snakes (we found a grass snake nest in the back of one heap at my parents). Compost heaps generate a lot of heat as they break down and are (unfortunataly) the perfect hiding/nesting places for small rodents even if they don't contain waste food.

Have you got plenty of cats living in your local area? You'll probably find they balance out any rodent population you may have.
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We live in quite a rural area so I am sure we are surrounded by various creatures - and have seen snakes and slow worms in the past - so I am sure there are rats too, I just don't want to encourage them too much! We do have lots of cats around, including our own (although they are rather lazy) - hopefully it won't be a problem and with my new regime (courtesy of the info from Guineapigfeet) I will be generating much less in the future. Thanks all - can always find an answer posting here! :)
 
Hi. I also use aubiose. And as it was used above it can last quite a while. The only areas I use paper under it is sleeping area and toilet area as these are completely cleaned every day. Then I just do spot clean and it's quite easy to pick the poop up/remove peed on bits.
It lasts me ages. My waste is mainly hay. Unfortunately, my council won't let us put it into garden waste. Glad I've read about the creatures involved with compost as I've now reconsidered!
 
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