This may sound like an incredibly dumb question ( Well isn't that what most of you would expect from me? ) but, here goes: When you set a bait box out, full of Contrax or any other leading brand of rodent poison, what happens to all the rodents that have their last meal in your bait box and then expire?

The reason for my question is, that when customers ask this question, I don't have a clue! I have had a couple of bait boxes in front of my house for thirteen years. In all that time I have probably sent a lot of rodents to the happy hunting ground. And yet, I have never seen even one little body. And the same goes for the attic.

Now I'm telling you right now, that I'm not going to accept the "predator" got them. We have no cats, no raptors, and no pets, and this usually also pertains to the customers who ask me the same question. I'm really glad that all these little poisoned bodies disappear but my lack of any intelligence on this matter really sucks!

You need to ask yourself a different question. What happens to rodents that eat their last meal of cheese. They disappear just the same.

Did a mole job some time back ,This home owner had a company that set those bait stations for mice .In the time frame of trapping his moles I found 10 dead mice being consumed by maggots right in his front yard.Where his kids and dog play .

Ask yourself how long does a mouse live? And, how many does a dog need to eat for secondary poisioning?

I have customers with bait stations and I occasionally find dessicated mice and voles around the foundation.

Paul, I had this question from a lady today in fact, even though I don't do this work, she has an "exterminator" and was wondering.

I can tell you, we have bait boxes out the wazoo at most residences and businesses, especially with folks thinking all mice carry plague
and hantavirus as they've been told by the internet experts.

My only experience is observational and has been, the clients with heavy baiting programs have dead mice in their yards and landscaping.
People with a water source seem to have accumulations right near these water sources (of course I'm in the desert so figure that in to the thirsty
dying critter hypothesis).

Then we have the folks who call to get poison bait chucked into their attic and call me about 3-5 days later when they "smell something funny."

Guess what?

It is dead mice!!!



That usually ends that type of treatment for those clients and they look for mouse trapper folks, non toxicant style.

The secondary toxicant issue has been discussed, we all know the LD (lethal dose) is made for the critters like mice and rats, but of course that doesn't take into account the lab breed dog who eats everything he can and the owner who has a major mouse colony and has dozens dead quickly.

It seems after all the stories and speculation, the only folks who usually find dead pets due to bait is when they have direct access to the bat itself, which the bait stations as we know are meant to reduce or eliminate.

In summary, I believe they die either near water or shelter, but some likely die in between. I would also say it depends on the type of bait used and the mode or mechanism by which it causes death.

But......

I'm no rodent guy, so everything I've learned was through Purdue IPM course, PCT rodent manual and the WCT conference two years back in Vegas.

Justin

Mice are food for most predators. They reproduce rapidly and live about 1 year. If you set rodenticide, they perish. If you do not set rodenticide, they perish. Both cases result with mice dieing in the house...yard..by water...on dry land...in a boat...car...grassy knoll. Rodenticide will make it happen quicker...and if you maintain it, result in less mice dieing in the house. This will reduce the risk for odor. Lower population - less risk.

Trapping is great...assuming you can catch them quicker than they reproduce....and if it is an ongoing program to capture any that get inside the home. Exclusions are a great deterrant....but work even better if you can apply rodenticide.

Primary poisioning of dogs is a risk. However, you can mitigate the risk by choosing a rodenticide that is less toxic and limit the quantity in a bait station (follow the label).

Secondary poisioning in dogs is a much lesser risk. There are studies that a 20 pound dog would need to eat over 40 dead mice to have any effect. Don't quote my numbers....but it is that ballpark and is probably conservative.

"grassy knoll"

love it!

Wonderful answers but absolutely not the right ones. Sorry Rockin, no maggots and no bodies, and Mike, nothing dessicated around the foundation, never a dead smell in my attic and it's always baited, ( Mrs. W would kill me ) Dave had the answer but it's hard to explain to a customer that they "just disappear"! Not very scientific; in other words, it wouldn't get past Ducky on NCIS.

We do alot of bait station placements annually. Never had many calls regarding finding dead mice, voles or rats lying around.Some rodents will expire in their tunnels,under and in mulch bed areas, in their nesting areas and some can expire in more open areas at times in the lawn thatch.

If you would really look around well a week or two after placing your bait stations a trained eye would probably be able to find some fatalities knowing where to look.

Structurally familiar rodents migrating back and forth from interior areas to exterior areas can potentially expire within that structure if they are exposed to a bait station setup. However,first visitors running the perimeter of a building looking for an entry would most likely expire outdoors after consuming a lethal dose of rodenticide.

Most rodent size animals dont last long when exposed to open air areas, particularly warmer environmental conditions. Something can take them after they are found dead, plus adding to the fact rodents break down biologically, meaning decomposition wise very quickly.Blow flies find them and the maggots can work them over pretty quick until only some skin and skeletal remains are left.

We have a few customers asking the same question with regards to what happens to the rodents after consuming a lethal dose.

There are several variables and being as small as they are it doesnt take much for one to be concealed or carried off.

Most attics are vented very well and very hot in most cases in the summer months. Most gas off from decomposition of a rodent would not be very noticable due to the constant air flow draft draw. On the other hand if you had the right conditions and very little air movement the odor would be more detectable in a more enclosed area.The odor particulate would be quite noticeable in such an environment. Most air flow is eventually drawn upwards.

Paul - They "Just disappear just the same" as if they died without ingesting rodenticide. Have you ever seen dead mice in your home? Have you ever treated for mice? They only live 1 year or so.

That does bring back memories of my teenage years. I'd hear a noise, grab the flashight, and there would be a mouse running along the wall. I'll bet there are still .22 caliber holes in that baseboard. ( Needless to say, taking chicks up to my bedroom was an impossibilty )

So Paul, did the space alians take the mice?

I would guess the poison doesn't kill them immediately and once it starts doing its job the mice go to where they feel the safest, the nest.

On rare occasions a customer will say they found one laying on the floor in the basement.

What Nate and Bob said.
Secondary poisoning is pretty hard to do; the predator/scavenger of a mouse has to ingest enough unmetabolized toxin (i.e., what's left in the stomach) to effect. That's a lot of mice! Not likely to happen with most dogs/cats.
Primary poisoning is still fairly unlikely, unless you are up against the "idiot dog" that eats everything in sight and is able to get to several pieces of bait.

Paul, with the bait that you mentioned there is no secondary poisoning possibility but, there is no antidote for primary poisoning so you would need to be very careful with placement. I have no ideal where the mice all go, if I find dead rodents on a bait job they are normally rats. This makes me believe that mice simply break down too quickly to be noticed in most cases. The bait that I use now (Fastrac) kills very quickly and I have found more kills since I made that switch.

Contrac....antidote Vitamin K.

We had one staggering across Mom's floor one evening presumably from D-con. Had to euthanize it!

They die "wherever", in yards, walls, crawl spaces, basements.

My Mom said they go away, to live on a farm, where they can live and play with other happy mice!

Tsar, why is it that your answer is not only the best, but the one I will use? ( Well, Tsar's mother said.... and I'm going with that )