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up vote 12 down vote favorite

Delighted to observe that the rat poison we put down was disappearing.

Less delighted to find some weeks later that they had moved it all to a larder in the compost. The poison is Slaymore (as far as I understand it is a standard household rat poison). It comes in the form of blue pellets.

Does this render the compost dangerous to use on a kitchen garden (ie. with all kinds of vegetables)?

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Unfortunately rat poison will end up in places it was not intended - killing owls and other animals as well. Best to stay away. – Tim Jun 8 '11 at 21:38
Any idea why the rats made a larder in your compost pile in the first place? Were you adding things to your compost pile that you really shouldn't have been ie Adding items that attract pests? How big is your compost pile & where on your property is it located? – Mike Perry Jul 6 '11 at 19:03
@Mike we have chickens and horses and the other side of my hedge is a farm with cattle, sheep etc. with all those animals there's a lot of stored stock feed. there are rats around, they're a fact of life. i didn't add any of the usual "forbidden items" (meats, cooked food) to the compost. i think they just like to the warmth, especially in the Autumn. – Tea Drinker♦ Jul 6 '11 at 19:16
@Tea Drinker, "there are rats around, they're a fact of life", very! true. Where on your property is your compost pile located? Could it be better located eg further away from "stored stock feed"? Also do you turn your compost pile (regularly)? – Mike Perry Jul 6 '11 at 19:48
@MikePerry no i don't turn it at all. location of compost is determined by Mrs Tea's dictat, ie far from her sight – Tea Drinker♦ Nov 9 '11 at 5:57

2 Answers

up vote 10 down vote accepted

Slaymore contains bromadiolone, an anticoagulant that is toxic to rodents and other mammals, as well as poultry and fish.

A data sheet on bromadiolone claims that it will not be taken up by plants in case of spillage. It also talks briefly about cleaning up spills.

Even with this information, I'd be hesitant to apply that compost to anything I'm going to feed my family.

For future use, you may want to investigate bait stations that prevent the rat from removing the bait.

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up vote 9 down vote

As always, you should always read the label on the rat poison. For my money, if you think poison is around, the things it touches are not food-safe.

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