What do wild and domestic rats eat, what food is dangerous for them?

Almost always, when the fight against rodents begins, the question arises of choosing an effective bait for rats (and mice as well). It can be either a special poisoned bait that the pest must eat, or just a certain food product that rats love very much and which is placed in a trap to effectively attract rodents.

And practice shows that the more attractive the bait for the rats, the sooner they can be poisoned or caught. The desire to feast on should be stronger in the animal than fear of an unusual design or suspicion of a new food product for him.

Accordingly, the question arises what rats love the most. At the same time, thanks to cartoons, there is a widespread misconception that rats and mice love cheese most of all, but in reality this is just a myth. - yes, they will eat it, but they may not get into the trap after it.

Minced meat? Milk? It's already warmer, but these products are not at all the most favorite delicacy of rodents.

The task is further complicated by the fact that populations of rodents living in different conditions (in a private house, in a sewer, in a garden plot or in a garbage dump) may have their own food preferences. Nevertheless, the practice and experience of many exterminators have found the best baits for rats, which work effectively almost always. We will talk about them in more detail ...

What do rats and mice love?

And professional exterminators who are engaged in the destruction of rodents almost every day, and biologists who study these animals know well that rats like mainly animal products, and mice prefer plant foods... Moreover, this is not a rigid rule, but rather a general characteristic of food preferences: for example, mice also often do not mind eating a piece of bacon or meat, and rats, with all their love for meat feed, will not give up grain, and being hungry - even a piece apples.

On a note

It is not for nothing that poisoned barley is used in many enterprises to fight rats - not the best bait, but more or less effective, especially when the rodents do not have any other food.

With that said, some good rat bait options include:

• Fat;
• Sausage;
• Minced meat;
• Egg;
• A fish;
• Cheese.

As for mice - for them the bait can be as follows:

• A piece of apple or pear;
• A piece of peach or apricot;
• A slice of plum;
• Fresh bread (preferably moistened with sunflower oil);
• Porridge (boiled).

It often happens that some baits literally hypnotize rats, but mice remain absolutely indifferent to them. Therefore, when deciding what to put in a trap, you need to clearly understand who exactly you are planning to lure into this trap: a rat or a mouse.

On a note

A common situation: the landlord finds gnawed bread or cereal sprinkled from a bag, but does not know for sure whether it is a rat or a mouse. And a trap with a piece of apple for a mouse can stand untouched for several days, disappointing the owner of the room, while a rat, indifferent to this bait, lives quietly in the house.

Conclusion: if you are not sure about whether rats or mice are in charge of the house, then it is advisable to test different types of baits, choosing products of both plant and animal origin (or put both types of bait in the trap at the same time).

This nuance is also important: not every bait is convenient to put in a trap, just as not every rat delicacy is advisable to mix with poison. Therefore, for one method of struggle, some baits are suitable, and for another, others.

Let's see what makes sense to apply and in what cases.

Features of feeding little rat pups

The first month after birth, little rat pups feed on mother's milk, which after a while is replaced by the usual food for these animals. The participation of the breeder in the process is practically not required, since the female rodent at the level of instincts knows how to raise babies.

If there are too many offspring, the rat does not have time to look after everyone. Then the weakest and most helpless are eliminated by natural selection. For those who know what little rat pups eat, it will not be difficult to raise them.

At first, the main food of baby rats is milk and its derivatives with a high content of vitamins, fats, and useful minerals. The best option is dog milk, which, if it is not available, is allowed to be replaced with goat milk. In addition, small rats can be fed with special mixtures.

Important: the transition to artificial nutrition must be carried out smoothly, strictly following the attached instructions, which will prevent oversaturation. Before using the mixture in babies, the water-alkaline balance is restored by taking appropriate drugs (for example, Rehydron).

• the first 14 days, feeding is carried out around the clock with a break of 2-3 hours. 10 gr. the weight of the crumb needs 0.5 ml of the mixture, which must be prepared before each meal.
• Grown up rat pups are fed less often - every 4 hours, adding low-fat cottage cheese, a little cereal flour to the mixture.
• From the 4th week, rodents can be transferred to adult food, but this should be done gradually, without overloading the body.

The scheme for introducing food habitual for rats into the diet of babies is as follows:

1. let the cub sniff, let the new food lick. You can use a slice of fruit, a boiled egg, or a steamed (boiled) vegetable.
2. Replace one meal completely with the indicated products, after cutting them into small pieces.
3. The next step is to include grains in your diet.
4. By the end of the first month of life, the mixture must be completely abandoned, replacing it with other products. Nevertheless, once a day, the crumb should be given fermented milk products.

Note: after taking the mixture, the baby must be given specialized drugs, which will avoid intestinal disorders.

Attracting rats to traps

Often one of the main requirements for baits used in rat traps is a dense consistency. The fact is that in many traps, the delicacy needs to be planted on a hook - the animal will pull on it and lower the corresponding mechanism. It is clear that minced meat or egg yolk will not work for such cases.

The second requirement is a strong smell. The rat, even when far from the trap, must inevitably want to taste the treat and be ready to overcome its caution and fear.

In this regard, the following rat baits have worked well:

1. Smoked sausage;
2. Cold smoked fish;
3. Lard (ideally - with the edge singed over the fire);
4. Cheese (smoked is better);
5. A crust of bread, sprinkled with vegetable oil (preferably unrefined, with a strong smell).

The photo below shows an example of a mousetrap in which a rat fell on a piece of sausage:

However, there are also traps that are triggered under the weight of the animal.They do not need the rat to pull the bait, it is only important to attract the pest and force it to get inside the trap. In these cases, you can use not only the above-listed baits, but also, for example, the following:

1. Raw minced meat (preferably with onions);
2. Roasted seeds or nuts;
3. Chocolate.

It is also useful to read: Methods of dealing with rats in a private house

If some bait does not attract rats or mice for more than three to four days (especially when the trap itself is set every night in a new place), then such a bait must be replaced. In addition, even a well-working bait is useful to replace with a fresher one every day or two - its smell gradually weakens and it attracts rats less well.

For tunnel traps (and other partially closed structures), this is especially important - the aroma of the treat must be strong enough to exit the trap and spread throughout the room, which happens more slowly than, for example, from open mousetraps.

Another important point that many rodent fighters do not take into account: at any stage of working with the bait, it is highly discouraged to touch it with bare hands, otherwise the human smell will scare off rodents.

Vegetable oils

Any vegetable oil should be put in second place, it is best, of course, to choose unrefined sunflower oil. It is clear that using it in its pure form is problematic - it can hardly be attached to the trigger mechanism of a mousetrap - but it will never be superfluous to spice it up with a piece of bread.

Instead of bread, you can use cotton wool soaked in this product.

Unexpectedly, mice react strongly to the aromatic sesame oil, which is used as a salad dressing. Its scent is so powerful and attractive that it has a hypnotic effect on rodents.

If there are an equal number of sesame oil and other vegetable oil traps nearby, then more mice will be caught with the first trap.

Poison bait for rats

In order to prepare an effective poison for rats at home (for example, based on Zoocoumarin or Krysid), it is advisable to use baits in which the poison can be easily homogenized with a food base.

For example, the following bait basics are good for both rats and mice in this regard:

• Beer - oddly enough, but it is in front of him that rats and mice are often unable to resist;
• Milk;
• Beef broth soup;
• Again, raw minced meat, preferably with bacon and onions;
• Finely chopped boiled egg;
• Dough with herbs and spices;
• Boiled porridge, especially with vegetable oil.

The poison is simply added to the food base in such proportions that are indicated for each drug in the instructions, and the whole mixture is thoroughly mixed. After that, the finished poisoned bait is laid out on a cardboard or saucer (in the case of liquid products, it is poured into a plate) and placed where the rats are most likely to find it quickly. All work is carried out in rubber gloves.

At the same time, it is important to take measures so that pets and children cannot get to such a bait. A little later, this will be discussed in more detail.

On a note

It is from the dough that the vast majority of industrial rat poisons are prepared. Its beauty lies in the fact that the bait turns out to be quite dense, but at the same time not rigid, does not fall apart and does not leave traces. In addition, dough briquettes can be easily placed almost anywhere, they are much more convenient than plates of soup or milk.

Take, for example, such agents as Mortorat, Rat Death No. 1 and No. 2, Absolon, Ratobor, etc. - these are exactly flavored briquettes of dough with blood anticoagulants as an active substance (anticoagulants are currently one of the most effective rat poisons).Such a briquette can be placed even in the most inaccessible places, where a saucer with liquid bait will definitely not fit.

Nevertheless, at home, instead of dough, it is often preferable to use minced meat, which rats love more and which, due to its own strong smell, does not require the addition of flavors.

A strong smell is also needed in order to mask the aroma of the poison in the bait. Rats are highly suspicious and have a very keen sense of smell. If they suspect the presence of a dangerous impurity in the delicacy (or a human smell), then they will never touch it. Therefore, the stronger the food base smells, the more likely it is that the rat will be poisoned.

Baking, cereals

Bakery products occupy an honorable third place in our TOP. To enhance the alluring effect and arouse the rodent's appetite, a piece of bread is abundantly moistened with sunflower oil.

The pastry should be fresh, fragrant, and extremely smelly with a touch of bran or whole grains.

An excellent bait for mice in a mousetrap will be obtained from seeds or seeds of grain crops: sunflower, wheat, buckwheat, rice, etc. Even better, if the grain is treated with some kind of rat poison: if the trigger does not work, the animal will die from poisoning anyway.

Recipes for cooking poison for rats with different baits and poisons

Generally speaking, recipes for poisoned baits for the destruction of rats and mice can be very diverse, it is only important to adhere to the above rules when choosing a food base and observe the proportions indicated in the instructions for use of the corresponding poison (so that the rat does not notice the danger).

Here are some ready-made recipes that have been tested many times in practice and in most cases give a good result when fighting rats:

• 100 grams of minced meat (it does not matter, meat or fish), 850 grams of chopped bread and 50 grams of Zoocoumarin;
• 870 grams of chopped bread, 100 grams of fried onions in vegetable oil, and 30 grams of Ratindan;
• 890 grams of chopped bread, 100 grams of vegetable oil and 100 grams of the Rat;
• 700 grams of chopped bread, 150 grams of mashed potatoes, 50 grams of vegetable oil and 30 grams of Ratindan;
• 990 grams of steep wheat or oatmeal porridge and 10 grams of Rat.

For these recipes, poisons are taken in the form of powders (dusts) - they are sold in hardware stores.

The ingredients of all recipes are simply mixed thoroughly and in portions, about a teaspoon each, are laid out in those places where rats can easily find them.

On a note

There are also known folk recipes for poison for rats based on milk and alabaster, as well as containing an infusion of chilibuhi - emetic as an active ingredient. However, they are much less effective in comparison with poisons based on blood anticoagulants (which include Zoocoumarin) and Krysida.

In addition, it should be borne in mind that today on sale there are many ready-to-use poisonous baits for rodents: in the form of dough briquettes, hard granules, poisoned grain, etc. It is often easier (and safer) to buy ready-made preparations than to make poisoned baits yourself.

It is also useful to read: How can you get rid of rats in a chicken coop if they are in the habit of stealing eggs

Prevention of the appearance

Different types of rodents, just like insects, can settle in the neighborhood of a person, and give him a whole lot of inconvenience.
Often it is not so easy to remove them, since these pests try to avoid direct contact with people, adapt to virtually any conditions of existence, and also constantly learn not to fall into traps and recognize poisoned food.

Before proceeding with the destruction of such unwanted neighbors, it is first necessary to find out the possible reasons for their appearance in order to avoid relapses in the future.

To prevent uninvited guests from appearing in your home, you must follow simple rules:

1. Garbage is put into a bucket with a lid.
2. Waste is taken out in a timely manner.
3. All products are stored in places where gray rodents cannot penetrate.
4. Crumbs and leftovers must be removed after each meal.

The trouble in the form of the appearance of mice is better to prevent than to eliminate them later.

How to protect yourself from contact with a rodent:

1. Animals and their waste products must be handled with rubber gloves.
2. After taking steps to remove intruders from your home, you should thoroughly wash your hands with disinfectant soap.
3. If wounds appear on the palms, then treat them with chlorhexidine.

It is better if these are humane measures, after which the mouse remains alive. After she is caught, the animal is carried away from the house in a fishing device and released.

Mouse specificity

Generally speaking, mice, unlike rats, love cereals, cereals, fruits and vegetables more than animal products. Nevertheless, one of the most reliable baits in a mousetrap is considered to be a piece of bacon, slightly fried with a match on one side.

In addition to bacon, the mouse trap can be charged:

• A crust of bread dipped in vegetable oil;
• A slice of apple or pear;
• Walnut kernel;
• A piece of smoked sausage (which also attracts rats quite well).

As a rule, mice are less suspicious of baits than rats.

On a note

As for the cheeses, of which there is a great variety on sale, here the opinions of the fighters against rodents differ. Some consider the use of cheese to catch mice completely ineffective, while others, on the contrary, say that for certain brands of odorous cheese, mice fall into mouse traps quite well.

Be that as it may, cheese can hardly be called the product that mice or rats love the most.

In mousetraps, in which the bait is not attached to the gatehouse, in addition to all the above products, you can also put fried seeds, fried peanuts, rye croutons and oatmeal cookies.

Porridge, mashed potatoes and dough are good as a food base for mouse poisons - all with the addition of vegetable oil. These mouse baits are the most versatile and easy to prepare. The same Zoocoumarin, Krysid and Ratindan can be used as a poison.

Fat

Let's put lard at the top of the list. It has been noticed that a fragrant piece of freshly smoked or salted bacon literally attracts starving rodents with a magnet. It is not surprising that such a bait for mice has been successfully used for more than one hundred years.

Helpful hints for use:

• you should not put old, rancid bacon in the mousetrap - it is unlikely that such a piece will be a joy to the pest;
• you can increase the effectiveness of the delicacy with the help of a clever trick: fresh bacon, “fried” on a match, attracts voles dozens of times stronger.

Oddly enough, but catching mice with bacon is not only possible, but also necessary. Small parasites are very fond of the smell of smoked bacon, so to catch them, it is enough to put just a small piece in a mousetrap. This product is guaranteed to help catch not a few mice, but an entire population.

To increase the taste of bacon for mice, simply fry a piece over a fire or on a match. The smell will attract mice.

Mice are especially fond of lard, where there is more meat. Regular white fat does not emit much of a smell or taste like plasticine, so if you want to harass mice in an apartment or in a house, it is best to put a piece of bacon with meat.

If you doubt that the mousetrap will work or that it will not be enough to kill the mouse, then the bacon can be treated with poison. Then the mouse will definitely die from poisoning.

What to do to prevent pets from finding the bait

With all the hassle associated with the preparation of effective baits for rats, we must not forget about the safety of their use. The same minced meat, sausage, milk and even dough are loved not only by rats, but also by cats and dogs. In addition, a small child may well find such a bait. Pets and children can be injured by trying to get a treat from a spring trap (the simplest example of which is a common mousetrap), or they can get poisoned by eating poisoned bait.

To prevent this from happening, the baits must be placed where no one can find them (or they cannot be reached), except for the rodents themselves. Such inaccessible places in the house are, in particular, the spaces under the nightstands and the refrigerator in the kitchen, the inner cavities of the nightstands and cupboards, and the shelves in the pantry. Of course, when placing bait here, you need to be sure that there are rats in these places.

A much more efficient and safer approach is to place bait or traps with it in special container houses (they are also called bait stations).

They are boxes with several entrances through which only a rat or mouse can get inside. Neither a cat, nor a dog, nor, moreover, a child will be able to get the bait from there, but the box itself, fragrant with minced meat or vegetable oil, can be placed exactly where rats are most often - even in the center of the kitchen.

Some industrial poisons are already sold with such a house, but more often houses need to be bought separately. Such containers cost an average of 300 to 2000 rubles. For example, a rat bait container (manufactured by NKF "Rat") in St. Petersburg will cost 300 rubles, and the Bora bait station - about 1,300 rubles.

Such a container can be made with your own hands from an ordinary cardboard box. In the lower part of the two opposite walls of the box, you need to cut holes with a diameter of 5-6 cm, then put the bait inside and glue the lid with tape. When checking, the tape comes off and the box opens.

And remember, sometimes rats are especially suspicious of baits. Perhaps the standard delicacies will never seduce them, and you will need to catch pests with such a bait, which will have to be calculated by trial and error - be prepared for this. In any case, remember that rats, like any other living thing, need to eat regularly, and they are hungry several times a day. So, bringing them into a trap (or poisoning) is just a matter of time and perseverance.

Interesting video: a cautious rat still fell into a trap with a bait

Sausages

Smoked sausage can also be included in our TOP, answering the question: which bait is best for mice. True, they put it when there is nothing better at hand. Why? Rodents are not fools, they are unlikely to be happy to eat smoked meats stuffed with chemistry, in the literal sense of the word, harmful additives or flavors.

So if there is a desire to use this particular product, then you need to purchase high-quality and as natural as possible, and even better, give preference to fresh or boiled meat.

Where to install the mousetrap?

It is advisable to put a device for catching pests in the evening. They do not like daylight, so they move in the dark. It is necessary to inspect baseboards, corners, clutter, pantry and cellar.

The mousetrap should be placed near the holes. You can install fixtures near walls, under the oven, behind appliances, between the wall and the cabinet. If there are holes on the floor, then it is important to install a mousetrap there as well. It is also suitable for the space between the pipes and the wall.