When the signs of large rodents show up in your home, setting traps and putting out rat poison as fast as possible is probably your first thought.
However, selecting the best rat poison is crucial to tackle your rodent problem fast and efficiently.
That’s why we decided to research and review all of the best rat poisons, to make your purchasing decision the most well-informed as possible.
Top Pick – Tomcat Bait Chunx Pail
After reviewing the top choices, the best rat poison is Tomcat Bait Chunx Pail
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7 Best Rat Poison Reviewed
We looked at dozens of rat poisons and compared several crucial factors such as their effectiveness, poison-type, customer reviews, and ratings and then followed up by researching and reviewing them for ourselves.
Here they are:
1. Tomcat Bait Chunx Pail (Top Pick)
Tomcat’s Bait Chunx Pail is another great option similar to the Just One Bite II Chunks. However, in place of bromadiolone, bromethalin is the main active ingredient and the package includes four pounds. One difference in Tomcat’s rat poison and other brands is that it’s designed for use in agricultural and rural settings as well as indoors. Furthermore, Tomcat kills rodents in as little as 48-hours – even rats that are resistant to potent anticoagulants.
Pros
- More potent than powerful anticoagulants
- Stops rats from feeder after one ingestion
- Controls larger rat populations
- Designed for rural use as well as in the home
Cons
- Kills quickly, causing an accumulation of dead rodents rather quickly
- Comes in bars/chunks that need to be broken up
- Not as much quantity as other products on our list
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2. Farnam Just One Bite II Bait Chunks
The Just One Bite II Bait Chunks are a popular option due to their convenient design and form. Made with bromadiolone, rodents who feed off of it (a single time) start to die around four or five days after ingestion.
The package contains 64 2oz chunks, for a total of 8 pounds of nuggets with nibble ridges (to promote chewing by rodents). They also come with center mounting holes so they work with bait stations as well.
Pros
- Well-known manufacturer
- Convenient design
- Works well with or without bait stations
- Includes plenty of poison
Cons
- Chunks are pretty small
- Takes longer to kill rodents than other brands
- May allow rats to die in hard to reach places
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3. NEOGEN RODENTICIDE Ramik Mouse and Rat Bars
The Ramik Mouse and Rat Bars are yet another excellent rat-poison product. The poison comes in large one-pound bait bars (containing diphacinone) that can be broken down to any size you need. The poison is made to taste great and smell like fish, it attracts rodents easier than less pungent baits. That said, It’s powerful enough to be used outdoors and suitable for indoors and vehicles too, making it an even more diverse DIY pest-control option.
Pros
- Easy to store
- Kills all sorts of rats and other rodents
- Mold and moisture resistant design
- Can be used inside and outside of buildings as well as in vehicles
Cons
- Large bulky one-pound blocks need to be broken down
- Smells like fish
- Could come with a bit more poison per package
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4. JT Eaton Bait Blocks
JT Eaton’s Bait Blocks contain strong anticoagulant rat poison that’s peanut butter scented and flavor. The active ingredient in the rodenticide blocks is diphacinone, which affects rodents after ingestion and kills them as quickly as three or four days later. The package is designed with a tamper resistant lid for safe and easy storing. It comes with 144 1oz packs of fo rat poison.
Pros
- Peanut butter flavored
- Safe and easy storage pail included
- 144 packs of rat poison
- 1-year limited warranty included
Cons
- Takes three days or more to kill rodents
- Bait could be in larger blocks/chunks
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5. Neogen Havoc Rodenticide Bait Packs
One of the strongest rat poison products on our entire list are these rodenticide bait packs. Containing brodifacoum, one of the most potent anticoagulant rodenticides on the market, along with a handful of special ingredients and patented processing techniques, the Neogen Havoc Rodenticide Bait Packs are a superior rat poison product. Rats begin dying in 24-hours or less, after ingestion.
Pros
- Easy to use and ready to go right out of the pack
- Contains extremely strong rodenticide; brodifacoum
- Also contains highly enticing ingredients to rodents
- Kills rodents in one day
Cons
- May leave rodents dead where pets and young children can reach them
- Some customers claim that some rats are unaffected by the product
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6. Contrac Blox Rodent Control
A great solution for those who have rat issues inside and outside on their properties is Contrac Blox. A popular form of rodent control, Contrac Blox contains food-grade ingredients, tasty paraffin, and of course, rodenticide. A single-feed anticoagulant, rats need only eat the poison once and their card’s been drawn for good. Not only does it work quickly, inside or outside, but it’s also pet and child-safe as well as having an antidote (Vitamin K1) readily available.
Pros
- Works well with tamper resistant bait stations
- Takes effect and kills within a day or so
- Designed for inside and outside use
- Contains bromadiolone and comes with an antidote
Cons
- Can not ship to CA
- Needs to be replaced every 6 to 8 weeks
- Doesn’t come with bait stations
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7. Ramik Diphacinone Rodenticide Bait
These half-inch nuggets contain powerful diphacinone-based rat poison. Rodents will begin to drop off within four or five days of ingesting the rodenticide. However, more than one feeding may be necessary as it is a first-generation anticoagulant. Remains fresh smelling and sweet tasting to rodents due to high-grade ingredients and the lack of wax in the nuggets.
Pros
- Highly-attractive to rodents
- Does not contain wax
- Contains diphacinone
- Long-lasting and powerful half-inch nuggets
Cons
- Takes longer than many rat poison products
- May take multiple feedings to work properly
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Which Is Best?
The Tomcat Bait Chunx Pail is our top pick for the best rat poison.
It’s more potent than many rat poison products, stops rats from additional feeding (allowing more rats to be affected quicker), and works inside, outside, and in damp environments. You really can’t ask for more out of rat poison, generally speaking
All things considered, please keep in mind that rat poisons are not intended to be stand-alone solutions for full-on rodent infestations. That’s why you should always employ traps as well as eliminating all available sources of water, food, and shelter from rodents before turning to poison.
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Understanding Rat Plosion
Rat poisons are often referred to as rodenticides; various chemicals designed and manufactured for the sole purpose of killing rats. Many rodenticides are lethal enough that only one exposure is enough to kill rodents while others require multiple exposures over the course of a period ranging anywhere from two to three days on up to approximately a week.
Rat poison is designed to cause death, period. That said, the effects of various rodenticides are quite diverse. The most popular rat poisons tend to work by causing internal bleeding or organ failure after ingestion. Others literally turn the insides of rodents to stone.
All things considered, rat poison is very dangerous. It is not only toxic to pets and humans in your household but to the surrounding wildlife as well due to scavenger-type animals that feed off of dead rodents and become poisoned.
What to Consider Before Buying Rat Poison?
Before making a purchasing decision with any one particular rat poison product, take a few moments to consider the following:
How Fast Does Mouse Poison Work?
The amount of time it takes for each rat poison product to take full effect (and kill rodents) ranges from as little as two days to over a week. When shopping for rat poison, make sure to take into consideration how fast you desire results and buy a rodenticide product accordingly. You will find this information on the product label.
How Many Types of Poison Are There?
The following three types of poison make up the majority of rat poisons available on today’s market:
1. Bromethalin
This particular neurotoxin rodenticide targets the brains and livers of rodents of all sizes. Bromethalin acts very quickly, killing rats and mice in as little as three hours. Once ingested, sodium begins accumulating in the rodent’s liver, as well as fluid build-up in their brain immediately. Many people use bromethalin for larger rodents as well, such as moles and squirrels.
2. Anticoagulants
Another of the most popular types of rat poison on the market are Anticoagulants. They affect the rodent’s blood-clotting abilities, resulting in fatal internal bleeding. Anticoagulants are the slowest acting form of rodenticide as well, taking three days or longer to kill rodents after ingestion of the poison.
3. Vitamin-based
Vitamin-based rodenticide affect rodents in a similar fashion as bromethalin does. After ingestion, the rodent’s system is overloaded with fatal amounts of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin D. They usually take around 24 hours to kill rodents after ingestion.
Is Mouse Poison Dangerous?
Safety should be one of your highest priorities while shopping for a product to treat your rat problem. Rat poison, in almost any form, can be harmful to domestic pets, children, and non-target animals as well if ingested.
To prevent the accidental ingestion of rat poison, following these simple precautions:
- Store your rat poison product where pets and children can’t access it
- Try to set traps and bait stations in hard to reach places for pets and children
- Dispose of dead rodents and nests as soon as you discover them
- Call a regional poison control center right away if a pet or child ingests rat poison (this number will be located on your rat poison package)
The Cost
Depending on the brand name, quality of ingredients, and other factors such as quantity, the cost of rat poison varies wildly. Many products range from $20 to over $50 in price. That said, no matter what your budget is, there’s definitely a rat poison product available in your price range.