There is no doubt about it; rats are everywhere. Rats like to keep to themselves and remain hidden. This brings about multiple problems, not least that you can often hear a rat without seeing it. You may notice food going missing, chew marks in packaging, and droppings in dark places. The only thing worse than not seeing a rat is seeing one; there is nothing worse than seeing a rat scurrying across your kitchen or living room.
A good rat poison can take care of the rats for you. Having rats in your home can be a real nuisance, and they can be dangerous when cornered or frightened. Rats do not set out to harm anyone, they are mainly looking for shelter and food, but if confronted by another animal or person, they can try and fight their way out. Fighting their way out can mean bites, and that is never a good thing, for an animal or a human.
8 Most Effective Poisons That You Can Find at Amazon
There are many poisons on the market. It can be hard to know which are good and which are less effective. The hard work has been taken out of the equation for you. Here are some of the best on the market.
1. Havoc Rat and Mouse Bait
The main selling feature of this poison is that it is extremely toxic. This has an upside and a downside. Being one of the most poisonous rat poisons on the market, it is extremely effective in killing rats. The downside is that it can be dangerous when around pets and children. The poison comes in the form of pellets. When the rat consumes the pellets, it is gradually killed. One feeding should kill a rat though, and this poison has the power to kill multiple rats without a massive amount of poison. This poison is deadly, but it is easy to use, and it can be used on mice and rats.
2. Contrac Blox rodenticide
Another block-type rat poison, and one which can be used to kill rats and mice. The main selling feature of this poison is that it is so fast-acting that rats will not have time to get back to their hiding place before the poison kicks in. You will need to use this poison with a bait station. The bait station holds the bait in place and does not allow a rat to take the poison back to its home. You want to be able to dispose of the rat and not let it get into your walls or under your floorboards.
3. Tomcat All Weather Bait Chunx
Another block-type rat poison, and one which can be used to kill rats and mice. The main selling feature of this poison is that it is so fast-acting, that rats will not have time to get back to their hiding place before the poison kicks in. You will need to use this poison with a bait station. The bait station holds the bait in place and does not allow a rat to take the poison back to its home. You want to be able to dispose of the rat and not let it get into your walls or under your floorboards.
4. Old Cobblers Farnam Just One Bite
Another effective poison for both rats and mice. The main selling feature of this poison is that it has been specially designed to be an attractive food source for mice and rats. The poison tastes great to rats, but also has hard ridges, making it hard to eat a lot. They eat just enough to kill them, without a lot going to waste. You will want to use a bait station for this poison and always try and put it in a place where rats can get to easily but have a hard time getting back to cover once they have consumed it. Always use gloves, to both protect your skin from the poison, and so that you do not transfer your scent to the poison (which could scare the rats away).
5. Kaput Combo Bait Blocks
Kaput’s Combo Bait blocks work to kill both rodents and fleas. The convenient blocks, which have holes in the center, make it easy to set traps.
Just apply 4-16 blocks per bait station at 15-30-foot intervals. Maintain a fresh bait supply for 10 days, and watch your rat problem disappear.
This poison uses a combination of Warfarin (0.025%) and Imidacloprid (0.020%) to kill rats. Warfarin is an anticoagulant used to kill rodents, while Imidacloprid is an insecticide that will kill fleas. Together, they’ll kill the rats and voles in your yard along with the fleas they’re carrying.
Did you know that the fleas on rats and other rodents can carry infectious diseases that affect humans? Imidacloprid in this poison will kill those fleas, so you don’t have to worry about disease.
6. D-Con Prufe II Baitbits
Baiting and trapping rats can be tedious. What if you don’t set the trap properly? What if the bait makes a mess? D-Con’s Prufe II makes it easy to tackle your rat problem. There’s no need to worry about setting the bait – it’s already done for you.
These pre-filled bait stations have a unique wedge shape that fits into hard-to-reach areas. The unique shape also makes the whole baiting process less messy.
Formulated with Brodifacoum, this bait is potent and will kill warfarin-resistant rats.
Prufe II bait stations can kill rats after just one feeding. Just place the tray where you know there’s rat activity. Your rodent roommates should start dying within a few days.
7. Neogen Ramik Nuggets
Neogen’s Ramik Nuggets is an all-weather rodenticide that controls rats indoors and outdoors. Ideal for use in wet, damp areas, such as the basement, this poison is fish-flavored to attract more rodents.
Ramik uses a wax-free formula and contains Diphacinone to kill rats.
Just place the pellets in a bait station, and lay the stations where you see rat activity. Once rats start taking the poison, it will only be a matter of days before you start seeing a decline in their population.
These nuggets come in 4-pound and 8-pound bags. You can also buy bags with bait stations to make your life easier.
8. JT Eaton Top Gun Pellets
JT Eaton’s Top Gun pellets are a neurological bait, and they’re specially formulated to prevent feeding after rats have eaten a lethal dose. This allows you to kill more rats with less bait.
Rats will start dying within 1-2 days of the “stop-feed” action.
Top Gun pellets contain Bromethalin as well as Bitrex, which deters children from consuming the bait.
Each tamper-proof pail of pellets contains 128 packs of bait. Rats love the taste of this bait. It’s usually gone within just a few hours of placing it. And because rodents stop feeding after taking a lethal dose, you should have plenty of leftover bait for future use.
How Does Rat Poison Work ?
There are two main types of store-bought rat poison. Anticoagulants stop blood from clotting and promote internal bleeding. Non-anticoagulants work in a different way, but there are far too many ways to describe them in a few words. Just know that non-anticoagulants do not cause rats to bleed internally.
Within these two categories, the types of rat poison can be broken down into two more categories. Single-feeding poisons will kill a rat after one feeding. Multi-feeding poisons will need a rat to feed multiple times before it will kill it. When choosing between the two, you should know that single-feed are more poisonous and toxic, while multi-feed are less poisonous and toxic.
Anticoagulant vs. Non-anticoagulant
Anticoagulant chemicals such as warfarin, chlorophacinone, diphacinone, difethialone, bromadiolone, and brodifacoum will cause a rat to bleed from the inside. Non-anticoagulants work in a different way.
Brodifacoum is one of the more potent rodenticides on the market. It works quickly, and it’s highly effective. Certain rats have become resistant to certain anticoagulants, like warfarin.
Brodifacoum will kill warfarin-resistant rodents. It works by taking away the blood’s ability to clot by lowering vitamin K levels in the blood. Once the blood loses the ability to clot, it permeates the artery walls. Eventually, the blood loss causes the rat to die.
Rats who take anticoagulant poisons show no symptoms and will continue to function as normal. This means that they’ll keep eating the bait until they die from internal bleeding. With Brodifacoum, death usually occurs within 3-10 days after feeding. With other anticoagulants, death can take longer.
Bromethalin affects the central nervous system. When the cells stop producing energy, they begin to swell, and pressure is put on the brain. The result is paralysis and then death
Cholecalciferol is otherwise known as vitamin D3. This vitamin helps the balance calcium in the body. Too much of this vitamin can lead to too much calcium in the blood. This affects the central nervous system, as well as the internal organs, eventually resulting in death
Zinc phosphide turns into phosphine gas when exposed to water and acid. This gas is toxic to the brain, kidneys, liver, and heart
Strychnine (a restricted toxin) produces muscle spasms in rats. Breathing paralysis and death is the result.
How to Choose the Best Rat Poison for Your Need
There are a few things which you should think about before you purchase your rat poison, things such as the size of the product, the ingredients, and the delivery system, and all things which should be considered.
Your urgency will determine your methods. If you need to get rid of rats quickly, then a store-bought rat poison is the way to go. If you do not need to get rid of rats a quickly as possible, then there are other methods (check out our home remedies later in the article). Some rat poisons will take care of your rats instantly, while others can take several days. The longer-acting poisons are designed to hit the rats hard and provide a more permanent solution to the problem. For little activity, an instant-acting poison is best. For a more widespread problem, a slower-acting poison is better.
The amount of poison needed will depend on how big your problem is. The more rats you need to take care of, the more poison you will need.
The ingredients should not be taken lightly. If you live with small children or pets, then you should choose the least toxic poison possible, even if you are using an enclosed trap. Try to find a poison with an antidote should an animal or person consume some by mistake. Many rat poisons have an attractive smell and taste, so be careful.
The type of poison should also be considered. Some poisons are designed for rats, some are designed for mice, and some are designed for both. Make sure to read the packaging and choose a poison which will do the job you need it to.
The delivery system will depend a lot on the type of rodent you have in your house and the type of poison you are going to use. Some poisons will come with their own delivery system. Others will need a delivery system to be bought separately.
The place for the poison should also be considered. You do not want the poison to be sitting in a place which is easily accessible for children and pets, but you also need to have it in a place where the rats will consume it. You should also put it in a place which will be easy to get to should you need to dispose of a dead rat. Dead rats can be messy, so consider the placement and the route for the rats.
Rat Bait Poison Tips
Handling rat poison is not a task to be taken lightly because it is dangerous and can be lethal to humans and animals. You should take some steps to ensure your own safety as well as that of others. Here are some simple tips you can follow to ensure that you remain safe.
Store poison safely when you are not using it. Rat poison should be in a sealed container and kept out of reach of children. If you can store the poison behind a locked door, then all the batter. The poison should not be stored near food or water, or water sources. Do not keep the poison in any place where there is a chance of contamination
Traps and bait should be placed where children or pets will not access them. The traps should be in a place where the rats can get to them, but the safety of your household should be the top priority
When handling bait, you should always wear gloves. This stops any of the poison transferring to your skin and other areas of your body. It also stops your scent from being transferred to the bait, which can scare rats away. You should always wash your hands thoroughly after handling bait, to ensure that no poison is left on your skin.
Ideally, rat baits should be placed 15-50 feet apart. Rats eat more than mice, so be sure to check and refill your bait stations often. A rat can eat as much as 1-ounce per night.
If you need to use the poison in a wet or damp area, make sure that you choose an all-weather or weather-resistant bait.
What if your rats are bait shy? This is a common problem among homeowners, and there are a few ways to get rats to take the poison. One simple thing you can do is place a small amount of bird seed or dog food in and/or around the bait station.
Once a rat enters the bait station, it will leave its scent behind. Other rats will pick up on the scent and enter the bait station willingly.
It’s important to check your local laws before using rat poison. California has outlawed all single-feed baits except for those with Bromethalin as the active ingredient. Rats don’t usually respond well to Bromethalin, so you may need to find an alternative bait solution.
If an animal or child eats some of the poison, you should use an antidote immediately if the poison comes with one, and you should also consult a medical professional immediately
If an animal consumes a dead rat or mouse, which has been poisoned, then you should consult a vet immediately
If you are hesitant about using poison, then there are other alternatives out there.
Conclusion
There are many ways to take care of rats. Traps will work but are time consuming, and you have to check them regularly to empty them and reset them. They also have the downside of only being able to hold so many rats. They also take care of rats as they enter and do nothing about the source.
Natural remedies work but are just not as potent as rat poison. Poison is the most effective method of ridding a lot of rats in a short period of time, and if you handle the poison correctly, then you will also be able to dispose of rats safely.