Rats’ infestation has always been the most significant distress in my homes and even commercial places. Not only do they destroy things, but they bring dirt and germs that can cause diseases.

Many people are tired of hearing these squeaking creatures, and they will do everything to get rid of them, not just temporarily but gone for good.

I know you feel the same dilemma; that is why you are reading this post to learn the most potent rat poison that can kill them in one shot.

Top Four Rat Poisons

RAT POISONDETAILS
Tomcat Rat and Mouse Killer1. Each bait can kill up to 3 rats
2. Comes with a see-through window for easy monitoring
3. Easy to use and can be placed in small spaces where rodents tend to hide
EcoClear Products 620100-6D RatX All-Natural1. Non-toxic and 100% safe for people
2. Completely biodegradable and environmentally friendly
3. 100% naturally derived
Motomco Jaguar Mouse and Rat Bait1. Made with Brodifacoum, a single feed anticoagulant
2. Works on tough rat infestations
3. Comes with a variety of sizes
Neogen Ramik Fish-flavored Rodenticide Bars1. Made with the first-generation anticoagulant: diphacinone
2. Formulated with food quality fish-flavored grain mix
3. Fast results (within 4 to 5 days)

We are all aware of rat infestations’ effects, so my responsibility is to protect ourselves and families against these pests.

Just so you know, rats can bite and scratch you, making you sick and the so-called rat-bite fever. Besides, through their urine, they can spread leptospirosis, leading to kidney and liver failure.

Hence, the products listed below are reviewed carefully and highly recommended to terminate rodent infestation.

Tomcat Rat and Mouse Killer

The Tomcat Rodent Station provides you a safe and effective way of terminating rats in your home. This rat killer comes with a station that is perfect to be used around the house since it is pet and child-friendly.

Its full body is designed, allowing you to insert a trap or bait into the station. However, the station comes with a long entrance wherein only rats can enter.

Once the trap kills the rat, there is no way your pets or children can get into the body to remove the dead rat.

The product works well even though you are just a newbie rat hunter since it is easy to use. Just load one to two bait blocks into the refillable station, and that’s it!

As stated in the pack, each bait can kill up to three rats in just a single-use. It also comes with a see-through window for easy monitoring of bait. Well, this rat killer works well in both indoor and outdoor settings.

Just place the station where rodents usually roam around and places where you have seen signs of them. You can place it on corners, behind furniture, in your basement, garage, attics, or outside the house.

It’s your choice whether to put it horizontally or vertically; either way, the product will work well.

Features:

  • Available in 1 or 2 stations
  • It is reusable
  • Kid and dog resistant station
  • Can be used on both indoor and outdoor settings (weather and tamper-resistant)
  • The bait station is refillable.

What I Like:

  • User-friendly set up
  • Compact and compatible with snap traps
  • Fast-acting
  • Safe for children and pets

What I Don’t Like:

  • Not effective against Norway rats

EcoClear Products 620100-6D RatX All Natural

This EcoClear Product RatX All Natural Rat Poison is a rat poison explicitly made to kill rats and mice humanely, without risking the health of your pets, children, and other wildlife. It kills them quickly right after eating the product so that they do not suffer slowly.

The poison does not cause any secondary poisoning to predators or birds of prey that will consume the poisoned rats, thus reducing the poison’s ecological impact.

On the other hand, if the poison does not get eaten, no need to worry since it is completely biodegradable and has no adverse effect on the environment.

The product is manufactured from the USA that is made from natural vegetables and cereal grains. It only works on mice and rats and will not work on any other pests due to their complex digestive systems.

The product works by coating the rat’s stomach lining and eliminating all the brain’s messages to drink water.

In a span of two days or sometimes just within the day, dehydration leads to blood thickening and cardiovascular distress, which results in lethargy and eventually lapse into a coma and die.

Therefore, this product is a very humane method of killing the rats since the rat never feels pain or discomfort; instead, they just feel asleep.

To make this product more effective, use 60 grams of the product for rats and 10-15 grams for mice.

Make sure you remove all other food sources in the area that is being treated. The total amount of time from when the rat ingests the poison until their death usually takes no longer than four days.

Features:

  • 100% naturally made and non-toxic
  • Comes in a variety of packs (1 lb, 3 lb, and 25 lb bag)
  • No negative environmental impact
  • Safe around pets and children

What I Like:

  • Humane way of killing mice and rats
  • Effective at killing rats population
  • No negative environmental impact
  • No risk of secondary poisoning

What I Don’t Like:

  • Can take a little longer to attract the rats

Motomco Jaguar Mouse and Rat Bait

The MOTOMCO Jaguar Mouse and Rat Bait is a highly effective pellet rat poison that contains food-grade ingredients.

Well, the bait is appealing to rodents, which comes in an easily consumable size to maximize the odds of eating it. This type of rat pellet effectively attracts rats (of any size) and kills them in just 4 to 6 days.

The product contains brodifacoum, the most robust single-feeding anticoagulant.

It bears the typical risk of contamination just like with any standard rat poison type, so make sure to find the dead rat’s body and then discard the corpse properly to avoid secondary contamination.

Since any predators that consume the poisoned rat could be potentially killed, causing a significant ecological impact.

Each pack contains pellets that act as a bait station setup. You can place them in your house or on your farm, and it will surely lure the rats in feeding the poison with just one bite. The rat will then stop eating and will die in less than five days.

It comes in a bulk size of 9 pounds, so make sure to keep placing the bait in rat runs because the poison can kill any animal that will eat it. In fact, it is highly recommended to be used only in agricultural buildings.

This rat killer might be your best bet in cleaning out severe rat infestations or where rat resistance is suspected.

Features:

  • Red bait color
  • Single -feeding
  • Each bait weighs 20 grams
  • Mold and moisture resistant

What I Like:

  • Efficient in killing all types of rats
  • It dehydrates the rat’s body and leaves no stinking smell
  • Acts as a perfect bait since it attracts them towards the poison
  • The quantity can last longer

What I Don’t Like:

  • It is harmful to pets and children
  • Can be potentially linked to secondary poisoning
  • Expensive than other rodenticides

Neogen Ramik Fish-flavored Rodenticide Bars

It is made with 1st generation anticoagulant, Diphacinone, Neogen Ramik Green Nuggets, or popularly known as Ramik Bars, which might be your choice if you are looking for weather-resistant rodenticide.

Therefore, it means that this rat killer can be used in wet and damp areas without losing its effectivity.

What I loved about this rodenticide is that it comes with fish flavor that can attract rats easily. Also, it is useful in almost types of rats, including the following:

  • House Mouse (Mus musculus)
  • Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus)
  • Cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus)
  • Roof rat (Rattus rattus)
  • Golden mouse (Ochrotomys nuttalli)
  • Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans)
  • Meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus)
  • other types of rats

The effectivity of results can take up to 4 to 5 days once the lethal dose is consumed. It can be used both in indoor and outdoor settings without causing harm to pets and children.

The Ramik Bars have been proven effective in controlling severe rodent infestations and is often a critical component of the overall biosecurity plan.

Features:

  • Available in nuggets, bars, and minibars configuration
  • Comes with fish flavor to enhance palatability
  • Especially suited in wet or damp areas
  • Can be used indoors and outdoors

What I Like:

  • Fast-acting results
  • Effective against a wide variety of rats
  • Attracts rats towards the poison
  • Safe for pets and kids

What I Don’t Like:

  • Not suitable for killing Norway rats

Health and Safety Precautions when using Rat poison

When handling rat poison, it is crucial to have respect for the product. Remember that rat poison can kill you or make you ill if you accidentally consume just a portion of it.

Handling rat poison and then eating food with your bare hands can end up in poisoning yourself.

Therefore, here are some safety tips when using rat poison:

  1. Please read and follow the label instructions on how to use the rodenticides before using it.
  2. Always wear gloves or personal protective gear/equipment (PPE) when handling rat poison.
  3. Make a habit of handwashing after setting up the poison bait to remove any possible poison traces from your hands.
  4. Follow strict safety procedures when clearing areas with dead rats. Spray and wipe up the areas surrounding the dead rodents with a disinfectant and allow it to soak for 5 minutes.
  5. Discard bodies of dead rats properly to avoid secondary poisoning. Please place them in a plastic garbage bag and then seal it before dumping it into your trash can.
  6. Place rodenticides in areas that are inaccessible to children and pets
  7. Store rodenticides away from food and out of reach of children and pets.
  8. Dispose any unused at municipal hazardous waste sites or read the label as directed
  9. Once all signs of rodents infestation are gone, remove bait stations properly by placing them in a secured plastic bag.

FAQ Section

What is in Rat Poison?

To kill rodents completely, manufacturers of these rat poisons use particular pesticides, particularly anticoagulants on rodenticides such as warfarin, naphthylthiourea, brodifacoum, and diphenadione.

On the other hand, arsenic, zin phosphide, lead, phosphorus, strychnine, and thallium compounds were previously used as rodenticides.

However, they are now of obsolete use since these substances/chemicals can harm rodents and humans, and pets.

How Does A Rat Poison Work?

The mechanism of how rat poison works are the same as those poison for humans. The only difference is that the poison that can kill them also contains substances that can attract them to have a bite of the bait poison.

Once the toxin enters their body, it has deleterious effects on the animal’s body, especially their vital organs, killing them in just 5 minutes.

However, the mechanism of the poison depends on its ingredients. There are three powerful toxins found in a rat poison formulation: zinc phosphide, anticoagulants, and calcium releasers. Let us know how these three toxins work in the rat’s system.

Zinc phosphide is a common toxin usually found in agricultural rodent killers. Its effects can cause changes in the rat’s digestive system that can result in swelling of the internal organs, and eventually, the rat will die because of continuous gas build-up.

Anticoagulants can cause internal bleeding in the rat right after they eat the poison, resulting in a slow and excruciating death. It would be best if you also be cautious when using anticoagulants as rodenticides. It is because this toxin has a broad spectrum of activity and can kill various animals.

Calcium releasers work by increasing the calcium level steadily into the rat’s bloodstream, calcifying the rodents’ whole cardiovascular system, causing the rat to die.

However, anticoagulants are the most commonly used when it comes to killing Norway rat species. These rats have built some resistance against non-toxic ingredients and require potent poison to kill these rats.

How Long Does It Take To Kill Rats Using Rat Poison?

The killing time varies depending on two factors: the rat’s species and the type of poison you are using.

If you buy rat poison and leave the poison in your garage, let’s say for a year, the poison will become less active, and thus might take longer to kill rats, or the rat might not respond to the poison.

In most cases, rat poison takes a minimum of two to three days to kill the rodent, mostly if the rodent consumed enough of the poison. Usually, rat poison requires repeated feeding so that the toxin will reach the lethal dose in the rats’ arteries and gut.

However, if the rat is feeding on multiple sources that don’t include the rat poison, it may take longer to die. There are a few strategies that you can apply to ensure that the rats will consume much of the poison bait as possible.

  • Check around and look for any possible rat runs. Let’s say in your trash cans, place the poison on the way to the food source. The rat will encounter the toxin first before the food source.
  • Always put the poison bait in the same place since rats are habitual feeders, and return to the same spot day after day. If you spread the poison in different areas of your house, the rat may avoid it and look for another food source in your yard/garden instead of your home.

What If Your Pets Eat The Rat Poison?

Since rat poisons have different mechanisms and some are safe to use around humans and pets while some can be dangerous.

If you are looking for safe rat poison, then look for less powerful options. Always use bait stations to prevent scenarios wherein your pet is exposed to the poison.

Wrap Up

By now, you should have known about rat poison and how they work. Choose any one of the products in this review post and start baiting your rats.

If you have pets around your house or live in an area with local wildlife such as eagles and deers; therefore, buy a product that does not cause secondary poisoning in animals that are already consumed by rats.

And if you want my honest opinion, I believe that Tomcat Bait is the best you can find. It’s the most efficient and pet-proof.

Photo credit: ©canva.com/difydave