Rat Poisons

With worldwide estimates showing that rats account for the consumption and defilement of one fifth of the food produced on the planet, that is a good enough reason to want to poison them enmasse. That rats can carry as many as thirty different diseases fatal to humans just makes the battle more worthwhile. Rats do have a cunning intelligence that will help them avoid known traps if they see their companions die in them. Therefore, it takes a bit of subterfuge to create rat poisons that will not have the rodents detect a connection between eating a poisonous substance and subsequent death.

Of the various poisons developed, the anti coagulants seem to be the most effective in keeping the rats from figuring out its deadly properties. These types of chemicals destroy the rat's ability to maintain vitamin K, which is used in blood clotting. The chemical anti coagulants will rupture internal blood vessels slowly over several days before the vermin dies of internal bleeding and liver failure. The antidote to these types of rat poisons in the case of accidental human consumption is large doses of vitamin K or total blood transfusions with the vitamin K agents included.

Other chemicals used in rat poisons will cause massive calcium absorption from the rat's food, thus causing heart failure after a week or so. Metal Phosphides can be used which will, when interacting with the stomach digestive juices, release lethal quantities of phosphine gas into the animal. This type of rat poison works best where the local rat population has grown immune to the anticoagulant poisons. Any serious attempt at clearing out a rat population is a multistage program. From first feeding the rats a harmless food to get them in the habit of eating from one location, you then add the poison and after a few weeks follow up with a different type of poison to catch any rats that survived the initial poisoning.

Care must be used, as these poisons are effective for killing all mammalian forms and should be kept far from pet food or areas where humans prepare their own food. Read the labels carefully to avoid untimely accidents and familiarize your self with the distinctive colors some of the name brand poisons like DeCon are made in. A quick online search will reveal many of the ingredients and effects the different styles of rat poison have on the animals and effective ways to launch a successful er"rat"ication of your most dangerous rodent infestations.