Rat Poisons

In order to understand how rat poisons work in order to control wild rats, it is important to understand this mysterious and overly intelligent rodent. Their usual diet consists of high protein or carbohydrates, but in truth will eat almost anything in order to survive. And unlike the mouse, the rat needs water to survive which is why so many stories portray it around the harbors or water areas. Part of this survival is the fact a rat will reach sexual maturity in as little as two to three months, with an average of 7 litters a year with each litter consisting of 8 to 12 pups per litter.

The life span of a rat is one year. And with numbers like this, a home is overrun in a short time if rat poisons are not used for control. Farms are full of rats because of the continuous food source: livestock buildings, granaries, and barns. Needing a water source, they get it from sinks, rain puddles, toilets, or utility pipe condensation. To poison rats, a rodenticide is used in areas where children and domestic animals cannot reach it. If this cannot be done, use a "resistant-tamper bait station" that holds the bait in place, while keeping pets and children out—which is a national law and guideline anymore.

Most people get mice and rat confused, and usually refer to the rat as having the same characteristics of the mouse. To remove rats from the premises, then knowing the difference is important. Rats will reproduce more rapidly than mice, with their major activity at night. If rat poisons are put out in the morning, it will not have the results as if it were put out in the evening. In addition, mice are nibblers while rats eat all at once keeping in mind that blocks, pellets, seeds are the bait types. Professionals prefer a little bit of each type for a feeding source while trying not to disturb the original rat habitat or the rat will move to another location.

Regardless how the process of applying rat poison works, the intelligence of the rat will usually out-think you. After loosing so many babies after dragging the food source (poison) to the nest, they will move quickly, or quit moving the poison to their nest. The intelligence of the rat has been greatly underestimated, with their only focus how dirty they are and spreading disease.