Rat Poison!

[Ian1485]

Hi all
I had a pest control man around who put rat bait (blue pellets which he said are an anticoagulant) down rat holes in an overgrown area of my garden. I'm now clearing the overgrown area and digging it up to remodel the garden. My question is, are the poison pellets water soluble and so will be safely washed away by rain? I'm concerned that the digging may reveal traces of poison or even whole pellets and I have small children.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[JohnD]

They rot away when damp.

 

[Ian1485]

Thanks, that's a relief!

 

[WalksWithTurkeys]

I think they are rice, stained blue, and soaked in warfarin.

 

[Wand33]

Rather use cotton wool balls soaked in peppermint oil, placed around the areas they like to nest (inside roof, under decks/stairs, in compost heaps etc).

It takes a few weeks but they (mice/rats) can't handle the smell and will move off, taking their babies with them (so it's humane).

Poisons are inhumane as they
a) can poison other animals like owls and cats when they eat the poisoned rodent
b) can potentially kill the mom, leaving the babies to starve to death which is terrible

Replace peppermint balls as necessary when they no longer smell strongly.

I run a pet rat club forum and have over 18 years of rat experience