Rodent Control
If you poison rodents, there’s a chance you will poison a Raptor
Rodent Control
If you poison rodents, there’s a chance you will poison a Raptor
As Part of Our Mission at All About Owls to protect these magnificent creatures, we are offering you resources on alternatives to using rodenticides.
The first in a series of PDFs is available to download now (below) and there will be more available in the coming months.
In general, though here are a few things you should know about Rodenticides (Rat Poison).
Once a rodent consumes poison, it can take them up to 5 days to die.
The poison causes them to be extremely dehydrated, so the rodents will go outside to search for water.
As they are in a slow-moving and weakened state, they become easy prey for any predator.
Even if the poisoned rodent doesn’t make it outside, they can die in the walls or under the floor of your home, which can smell and be unsanitary.
In general, though here are a few things you should know about Rodenticides (Rat Poison).
Once a rodent consumes poison, it can take them up to 5 days to die.
The poison causes them to be extremely dehydrated, so the rodents will go outside to search for water.
As they are in a slow-moving and weakened state, they become easy prey for any predator.
Even if the poisoned rodent doesn’t make it outside, they can die in the walls or under the floor of your home, which can smell and be unsanitary.
Even if you contact a pest control company, they can give out misleading information about the safety of the products they use for rodent control. We recommend asking questions and researching products as many “safer” rodenticides are not actually safe.
Not only do rodenticides wreak havoc on our native predators, but they can also be a danger for pets and small children who can get into bait boxes.
We are fortunate to live in an area where much of our wildlife preys upon rodents as the main staple of their diet.
The use of rodenticides is counterproductive: as the poisoned rodents are consumed by predators it causes secondary poisoning in the predators and we lose natural pest control.
Many native predators are at risk for secondary poisoning, including owls, hawks, bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, foxes, and more.
Can you imagine a world without our native California animals? Without these predators, rodent populations would explode out of control.
You might want to consider adding an Owl Nesting Box to your property as a natural enhancement to rodent control.
One of the most common reasons to add a Barn Owl nesting box to a property is for the benefit of controlling the rodent population.
A family of Barn Owls roosting in a single nesting box can consume 3,000- 5,000 rodents in a 4-month breeding cycle. This can cause a huge decrease in the number of rodents near a property.
Owls alone are not the solution to rodent control, but they are the last step as part of an integrated pest management approach that includes prevention, exclusion from your property, and trapping.
Rodent poisons should never be used and must be removed before inviting owls to nest at your property.
Download our helpful PDF guides here
(more coming soon)
Please reach out to All About Owls if you need any tips for non-toxic rodent control!