The rats and mice in your kitchen won’t turn into white horses for your carriage to the ball. Along with their furry hides, they bring with them tokens from the sewage that they belong in.
And while it may melt your heart to actually kill those small pests, it’s a necessary evil. And that is where poisons come in. The best rat poison , on the other hand, are cheaper, faster and a lot easier to implement. Moreover, they consume less space. Of course, you can use mouse traps as well. However, traps are more expensive and take more patience.
The best mouse poison or rat poison would, of course, ensure that the death is swift and as neat as possible. Sometimes a slower death is preferable, as it counters bait shyness that may develop as the rats begin to associate the baits with danger.
The Contrac Blox Rodenticide mouse control is my favorite in this list. It is, first and foremost curable on those who you don’t want to be poisoned. Secondly, it is built with a blend that rats are attracted to, making it mostly unavoidable to them. And it works with just one intake.
What Will I Learn?
#1. Contrac Blox Rodenticide Mouse Control
Rats and mice are intelligent creatures. They know when something isn’t good for them, and poison is certainly one of those things. Rated among the best rat poisons, the Contrac Block Rodenticide is built to counter this very problem.
Specifications
- Kills a few days after ingestion
- Safer than most anticoagulants
- Highly enticing to rodents
In-depth Review
- Bait shyness is one of the major obstacles when you plan to take down a rat infestation. However, with this rodenticide, the rats won’t know what hit them, literally. The rats that have consumed the product die a few days later.
- The poison requires just one intake for it to begin taking effect. There is no need to leave regular servings, hoping that the rats will come across them again and again.
- The composition of the poison is more than just toxic chemicals. It includes a blend of actual food and the poison itself. This draws the rats in far more than any regular bait could.
- However, the most significant feature of this product has to the increased level of safety that it offers. Compared to other anticoagulants, the effects are significantly less toxic when consumed by anyone but rats. There is a simple antidote for this poison as well. Just keep some Vitamin K1 on hand for emergencies.
- Can be hooked to any bait station
- Easily curable
- Versatile in all weathers
- Counters bait shyness
- No such con
Final Verdict
With a product that covers every single weakness when it comes to rat poisons, it is hard to find something to dislike. Except for very rare situations, you won’t even need to look at other rat poisons after this. It excels in all grounds quite easily.
#2. ]MOTOMCO Hawk Mouse and Rat Bait Pellet Pail, 12-Pound
When your household mice and rats get smarter and learn to avoid the traps you previously set for them, it is time to up the game. The Motomco Hawk Bait Pellet is meant for both rats and mice, and this could spell the end to your infestation problems.
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Specifications
- Anticoagulant based poison
- Slow acting
- Works on rats with resistance
In-depth Review
- Anticoagulant rat poisons are the most widely used poisons. They are the safest and easiest to cure when consumed by other animals or even humans.
- However, the consequence of using an anticoagulant based poison is always a delay in effectiveness. The poison takes four to five days to take effect on the rats. But you shouldn’t have to worry about feeding the rat the poison more than once.
- Often, we are well prepared with our poisons and baits, and it all goes to waste. The rats mutate to develop a resistance to the most commonly used poisons. However, this product solves that problem. It works even on those rats that have developed a warfarin resistance.
- Safe to use
- Effective
- Decent amount in one pack
- Come in the form of pellets
- Slow to take effect
Final Verdict
In my opinion, even though the primary objective is to get rid of the pests as soon as possible, it is better to be safe than sorry. And in this case, ‘sorry’ would mean the worst. This product is more potent than the average rat poison as it can kill what most poisons deem un-killable. What more could a rat poison require to be!
#3. First Strike Soft Bait Rodenticide Poison
Compared to the previous rat poison, this rodenticide goes a step further in ensuring the elimination of your household pests. Do you find it difficult to camouflage the bait to appear appetizing enough for your rats? If you are fighting a pest infestation in your kitchen or a granary, here is your solution.
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Specifications
- Enhanced palpability
- Usable in bait stations
- Contains Difethialone
In-depth Review
- You might dress up your bait as nicely as possible, and the rats will still ignore them in the face of actual edible food. And as this is the case most of the time when a source of food is nearby, it is essential that the bait exceeds the food regarding palpability and edibility, at least to the rats.
- This poison is designed with that exact purpose in mind. The aroma of the poison draws the rats and mice in, ultimately to their deaths.
- Apart from its scent, the poison has enhanced effectiveness due to the presence of extra active ingredients in its composition. It is made with a portion of Deifethialone, a product that is patented by Liphatech.
- You can fix the baits on your old bait blocks. Or if you have invested in a bait station, you can just stick the blocks on the bars. This way, the poison will be safe from unwanted consumption risks and yet, readily accessible and enticing to the rats and mice.
- More enticing to the pests
- Can be used safely
- Advanced technology
- Less ingredients when compared to other anticoagulant products
- The product can appear a bit dried out
Final Verdict
This stuff is a bit fancier when compared to most rodenticides, and the cause is in its composition. There is little I have to say against this product. While there have been some incidents of inconsistencies in its effectiveness, for the majority of the time, the rats couldn’t stay away from this product.
#4. Motomco Tomcat All Weather Bait Chunks
If you are still waiting for your cat to save the day, maybe it is time to find a new hero. That is where the Motomco Tomcat figures into. It is a versatile, potent poison that is sold in the form of chunks and is fixable to a bait station.
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Specifications
- 1st generation Anticoagulant
- Contains Diaphacinone
- Mixed with food materials
In-depth Review
- As its name suggests, it is an ‘all-weather’ product that works just as well in moisture laden climates as it does in drier ones. This is effective because you don’t have to pick and choose according to the weather in your area. And that’s an advantage because this is probably one of the most potent poisons on this list.
- In its list of ingredients, there is a particular mention of the active component Diaphacinone, which suggests that it is a 1st generation Anticoagulant.
- However, while being a 1st generation anticoagulant is what bestows upon it the famed potency, it is a drawback as well. This enables that the way to make the most out of this is by encouraging several successive feedings. It is not that workable on just one intake.
- Very effective poison
- Works in all weather conditions
- Safer in comparison
- Requires successive feedings
Final Verdict
This is one of the best mouse poisons, purely for this potency. If you have the tenacity and patience to regularly feed the rats a dose of poison till it begins to take effect, you will have one of the best products in the market in this one. That said, it is not a very practical option. So the choice here is yours: potency or haste.
#5. Old Cobbler’s Farnam Just One Bite Bait Bar
If house mice and rats were not enough, these pests would come in a variety of species from different areas. However, the Old Cobbler’s Farnam Bait Bar might be just what you are looking for, in this case.
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Specifications
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- Kills a variety of rodents
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Usable only in agricultural buildings
- Takes 4 to 5 days to show effects
In-depth Review
- For those who live in agricultural areas or on a farm itself, you will know the true pain of a rat infestation. There are rats everywhere, outside in the fields and inside your granary. You will even find some skittering around on the roof making their way inside.
- This poison is built to counter several species of rodents, more particularly, roof rats, house mice and Norway rats. You can use to kill off the pests both outside and inside your home
- The rats will begin dying within a week of consuming the product. While this might seem like a downside, it works to counter any bait shyness that might begin to develop.
- However, I would not recommend city dwellers to buy this poison. It is particularly meant for to kill rats around agricultural buildings.
- Versatile in its effects
- Complete solution for agricultural pest infestation
- Can be fitted to bait stations
- Limited in its use. Not to be used anywhere but agricultural buildings.
Final Verdict
It is rare to find a product so completely suited for one particular purpose, i.e. to keep your farm safe. However, it is both versatile and limited in its application. Only for those with a farm, it is one of the best mouse poisons that you can find.
#6. D-Con Ready Mix Bait Bits
Rats nowadays manage to digest even poisons. This product can rid your household of even the most persistent of pests which, after all, is what we search for in rodenticides. The poison causes the rats to bleed out inside their body which ultimately results in their death.
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Specifications
- Works on warfarin resistant mice and rats
- Dead rats show up in a week
- Consists of Brodifacoum
In-depth Review
- It is futile to keep poisoning mice and rats that can’t be poisoned anymore. For that, we need potent poisons that can work through the defense mechanisms that the little pests have built up over the ages. This poison can nullify any warfarin resistance that your mice and rats may have developed, very easily.
- You can find dead mice tucked into corners within three to six days of feeding them the poison. This works as a counter to any bait shyness that the furry pests build up when all their defenses end in a failure. It may seem inconvenient to wait for so long but have patience. Victory shall be yours as the rats need to consume but one dose to be effectively poisoned.
- However, this is not the safest poison in the market. It went through a ban by the environmentalists awhile ago. It is probably not prudent to use it in a house where it can be ingested by any one, other than just rats. In case you are desperate and do use it, at least place it in proper secluded areas.
- Works in just one dose
- Resists bait shyness
- Causes internal hemorrhages in the rodents
- Not the safest product out there
Final Verdict
It is always a choice between potency and safety of a poison and so is the case here. The process of death is a slow one but is effective none the less. However, it is sure to take effect if used, which is not always the case in most poisons.
Different Types of Rat Poison
The variations in rat poison are based on how they actually kill the rats. When it comes to poisons, though, there are three primary types.
The Bromethalin is a poison that damages the liver and the brain. It is a neurotoxin, which when consumed, results in a buildup of sodium in the liver. The brain is filled up with fluids as well, which ends up in killing the rat a couple of hours after it is consumed.
Anti-coagulants, as the name suggests, mess up the natural clotting of the blood. These are more common, and some like fumarin and warfarin are very easily available. It is a slow poison and works on the pests over a longer period.
Lastly, there are rat poisons based on vitamins. They are slow-acting as well and take about a day to begin showing their effects. Essentially, they overdose the rat’s system with vitamins such as vitamin D.
How To Choose Best Rat Poison ?
When mouse traps prove to be futile after a couple of uses, you have to revert to poisons. However, as you can see, it’s not as simple as merely picking a poison. You have to go through the chemicals that the poison is comprised of and their effects. Availability and effectiveness are important factors as well.
Safety: You have to keep in mind the safety hazards above all, as these poisons can be harmful not just to rats but to anyone else who might accidentally consume them.
Bromethalin has no known cure and could be fatal if mistakenly consumed. Anticoagulants, on the other hand, could be your best bet. If rushed to the doctor immediately, the effects can be cured in this case. Vitamins as well are curable if consumed.
Effectiveness: As safe as anticoagulants are, they are not the most effective of the lot. It takes around a day for the poison to take effect. In effectiveness, Bromethalin wins the deal. They show effects in just a few hours and do not need more than one dose. Vitamins are decent in this aspect as well.
Availability: From time immemorial, the most commonly used rat poison has been anticoagulants. Even though with recent discoveries, other methods are used just as frequently, most rat poisons use the former method for getting rid of the pests. However, due to this, most rats nowadays have developed a resistance to this method.
While it is tempting to use a poison that works fast, nothing is more important than the safety of our pets and kids. So if you are buying for your home, it is better to veer on the side of safety in this scenario.
How to Use Rat Poisons?
To make the most out of the rat poison, you have to choose a spot that the rats frequent the most and yet, out of reach for pets or kids. It is imperative that the poison is kept as far away from them as possible. Even though some of the poisons are treatable with prompt action, it is better to avoid such a scenario altogether.
This could be a covered area under your sink or your attic. If you are buying for commercial purposes, you can be a bit more liberal. You can mix the poison with some kind of food like cheese or bread as bait for the rats. Some poisons come in liquid form. It is easier to mix them up.
After you finish working on the baits, wash your hands. Do not forget this step even by mistake or you will end up poisoning yourself.
Poisons are dangerous to handle and should be treated with extreme caution. Just because they are called rat poisons does not make them any less effective on other living beings. You have to take care that other innocent animals like birds do not fall prey to the poison either.
A Final Note
Every poison is not suited to all situations. Poisons that can counter the resistance that rats develop over time are the most effective. It is futile to use poison, however potent they may be, only to have no effect on the prey. That said, it is inhumane to kill rats through poison after all. If you can, I would recommend sticking to traps. However, sometimes such drastic measure is inevitable, and for that, you should make your choice, only after a thorough research.
