One near me is having an issue with rats. I think really they just need better trash pickup mainly, and better shelters in general, but they've specifically asked for help getting rat poison. Would bait boxes with poison even make a dent in an outdoor environment like that? I can't singlehandedly improve the cleanliness of the camp or get everyone rat-proof shelter obviously, but I feel like just going straight for the poison could have adverse consequences and not be effective, potentially.
Keeping the sources of food and other things that rats seek out at a minimum is likely to go the furthest comrade. I’m not in pest control but going straight for the poison route makes me think it is just as likely to make someone there sick by accidental exposure.
Also, depending upon the type of rat (Norway rats for example), it can be resistant to warfarin and other types of poisons available for those without a pest control license. At that point you are likely wasting money, exposing humans to poisons unlikely to affects rats, etc. And supposing you get hold of the newer types of poison, and someone ingests it accidentally or otherwise, some of the newer poisons aren’t “fixable” like warfarin exposure in humans is.
Spot on. I think putting out bait boxes with blocks in them could work as part of a strategy focused on prevention first, if cleaning up and such doesn't work on its own, but apparently in the couple hours since making the ask for help, they've already just started putting out plates of pellet poison mixed with food, which makes me want to run away screaming. I've broached in the nicest possible terms the fact that they're just going to poison the local cats and other wildlife doing that shit and offered to help do it safer, we'll see where that gets me. If they insist on continuing to just put out loose poison I won't be a part of it, frankly.
I don't know what country you're in but pretty sure you can get some pretty strong non-coagulant poisons in the US without a loicense. Not to say its a good idea, you're right about the risk of human exposure, but I don't think that not having a license will be an issue.
That’s what I was envisioning in my head. Bait on plates, out in the open. Just waiting for some cross contamination. That’s potentially bad for animals and humans alike. Bait boxes are exactly what are needed. They’re rat sized, but not cat sized, etc. That’s leaving aside the whole problem with second generation poisoning or whatever they call it when a cat eats a poisoned rat and dies. I think some of the more modernized rodenticides are less prone to this type of poisoning but I think you need a pest control license. But then again I’m constantly amazed at the shit I can purchase from the local Tractor Supply so who knows.
Anyway, good luck. Be safe when you’re dealing with poisons.
Thanks. Bromethalin is what I was looking at and it looks like they have it at the hardware store. Supposedly the concentrations involved in killing a rat make secondary poisonings of predators unlikely, but I'm sure the industry has every incentive to say that whether its true or not so idk.
I was hoping to avoid this problem by being proactive in offering to help but I guess a couple hours was too long to wait :/
It's one of those things where I get it, having rats sucks, and I love to see people taking things into their own hands, but in this case its suuuuuuch a bad idea to just naively do