There's a rodent plague coming, and it's gonna be a doozy, according to the CSIRO. My field of expertise is pest control, so this has been on my sights for the past few months that I've known about it. Many people have no clue about what to do regarding mice and rats in and around their home, so therefore go straight to Bunnings to buy what ever is on sale there.
Please.. don't.. do.. that.
IF you have rats and/or mice, do NOT go straight for the Ratsack.. especially the stuff that has Warfarin as the active ingredient. Warfarin has been used for more than 50 years as an anticoagulant in rodents, and they have since built up such a resistance to it, you may as well feed them a loaf of bread for all the good it does. In fact, Warfarin is now used as a blood thinner in older people to maintain healthier blood pressure and reduce heart attack risks.
If you MUST buy Ratsack, make sure the active ingredient is Brodifacoum or Bromadialone, and NOT Warfarin. But, rather than waste your money on that, perhaps look for Talon pellets. Talon uses a stronger mix of Brodifacoum than Ratsack does, and has a far better knockdown effect.
Brodifacoum is a blood thinning product that causes internal bleeding, thereby creating a dehydrating effect in the rodent, which forces it out of it's hiding hole to search for water, usually outside, where it is picked off by predatory animals, such as cats or birds. And before you ask, secondary poisoning is never an issue.. your average cat would have to eat 30-40 large rats a day for it to become an issue.
There are other products on the market that will do the same thing that Talon pellets will do, but not for the same cost or effectiveness.
In the past 4 weeks, I've been inundated with calls to fix rodent problems, and for a price starting at $150 + GST, it's a far cheaper alternative to buy the bait yourself, throw a few boxes in the roof, or if the mice are in the house itself, buy some plastic lockable boxes from Bunnings (I think they charge like $5 per box) and throw one behind your fridge, one in a cupboard under the sink, and one at the bottom of your pantry.
99% of the time, you won't see/hear/smell them afterwards, but should you notice an odour emanating, and it's a mouse problem, check behind either the fridge or the dishwasher.. they love falling asleep near the motor for warmth and moisture, then don't wake up. If it's rats, you can either check the roof cavity yourself (lifting the insulation batts in the area the smell is) and remove it, or call a pest control tech to come remove the carcass, who will charge you like Dexter at a Fleshlight.
Again, my money is always on the pellets for rats in the roof.. but sometimes for mice, you have to go the rodent blocks, in which case, stay with the Talon blocks in lockable boxes, ESPECIALLY if you have kids or dogs.
Failing all of the above, and if you're in Melbourne, feel free to let me know.. I'd love to come remove your cash for the sake of a 10 minute job
Hope that helps some of you, and remember, this is not an isolated incidence to Melbourne area alone. All the Eastern states are suffering, and it's about to get a shit load worse. If you need any info, feel free to drop me a message, or just post. Be glad to help.
Good luck
Cheers
