How to lay rat poison where kids play?

T

Toby

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We have ongoing evidence of rats in our back garden and we want to lay poison.

We've already put poison in a "live trap" under the deck - this is a cage thing they're supposed to go into but can't get out of - they don't seem to be going into it though so we'd like to put poison somewhere thats easier for them to get at.

We have small kids though so I'm just wondering, if we just put the poison in a bowl under the deck, is there a chance the ratties could take it out from under there and leave some lying around the garden for our kids to find? Any other suggestions?

BTW I know theres a good chance they will die under the deck and stink the place out but I don't really care, just want to be rid of them.
 
I doubt that it's a good idea to lay poison in the vicinity of where kids may be playing. Either get professional advice or lay the poison and keep the kids out of the area for a suitable period of time (whatever that might be).
 
Agree with Club Man. Too dangerous to have poison around where children play. You should ensure that there is no bits of food and such like around which may be attracting the rats. Without being alarmist i would wear rubber gloves if gardening and wash hands if handling items outside.
 
I put the poison in a drainpipe about three or four feet in length . The rat will usually take the cube which should left in tact, safer that way. Keep an eye on the pipe and warn the kids of course. Rat poison is not as dangerous to humans as it once was.
 
get a cat or 2 there are plenty of animal homes that you can get them from.
 
I agree with Slater. My mother used to put the poison into a drainpipe and warned us to keep away from it, which we did out of fear of rats. It always worked.
 
would repeat i would never put rat poison out where children play no matter how secure you may think it is...rats could drag out the poison..it is not worth the risk.
 
thanks everyone, only saw replies now. Verdict is still out on whether or not we still have this problem.
 
We have also placed rat poison in a longish pipe.

However, there are also other ways to catch a rat - for example a rat trap/box, which can either catch the rat, or can contain poison within it, depending on model.

I've just shown one example here but there are different types: http://www.rapidpest.com/productinfoTB2001.htm
 
Dont use rat poison at all is my advice
Other animals eat it e.g. birds
Also the rats find somewhere warm and cosy to die and rot and stink i.e. indoors
Best prevention is to remove all food sources. Can be a problem if the neighbours have the food source though. Otherwise use rat traps.
 
Rather than a cube is it not better to push pellets well into a pipe where birds etc can't get them. The rat has to eat the pellets there rather than carrying away the cube and maybe dropping it en route.
 
Just wondering, what was the evidence that you had rats in the first place? If it was me, I would never have poison near kids, a rat trap is the next best thing.
 
Not sure about Toby but I know we have rats also. You know as you can see little burrows that they make. We put down piping in those burrows and pellets inside and hope for the best. Birds cannot get into the piping. We have terriers which are fantastic to kill them but saying that they don't get them all. Last winter I saw a rat up a tree near our house eating the haws couple of times. Hate the horrible things.
 
You should never put rat poison down, its not safe for kids..it will kill them if ingested because by the time you see the symptoms its too late there systems will start to shut down.
It doesn't matter where you place the rat poison, down a long pipe etc, a rat will always take food back to its nest, this is a know fact, so if he drops it along the way, then your leaving yourself very exposed to a potiental death.

If you have a problem, get a pest company in to assess the situation and to give you solutions especially when you have kids. There must be a reason for having rats in your garden..and they will assess this..

I personally think this thread should be closed as any advice except from a professional should be disregarded especially when you have young kids..
 
Agree with you johnnyg. Very dangerous with children. I don't have any children around my garden.
 
I suspected that putting poison out when we had kids was a big no no so I will not be doing it.

Basically we caught two rats about 6 weeks ago, one under deck another on the lawn (already posioned from somewhere else we think cos he was dazed) and are still seeing what looks like burrowing holes in flowerbeds around deck area but no other evidence. Have traps under deck to no avail. Maybe they're gone and holes are being caused by something else ....
 
As far as i know poisons that are generally available work as follows. the rats eat the bait and it makes them dehydrated (not sure of the chemical content that makes it work like this) they then go straight to their water source and take water on until they are bloated and die. Maybe someone who is familiar with the poisons on the market could confirm this?
 
There is also a blood thinner (warfarin) in some of them.
I saw a dog die a horrible painful death with internal bleeding as a result.
His paws were even bleeding.
Definitely a no no.
 
An alternative to poison may be a rat zapper. It is a plastic box with batteries which you bait - the rat gets electrocuted when he goes for the bait. I have used it indoors for mice with excellent results. Google it and you will find it for sale online.
I have no affiliation with the makers of rat zapper - just found it a great way of eliminating mice quickly and cleanly.
 
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