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.
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