How To Determine the Best Rodent Control Methods in Your Home

Do you have kids and pets? Are you looking for an indoor or an outdoor solution? Choosing the right products to control rodents is more than guesswork, and that's why we built The Tomcat Prowler, a step-by-step tool to help find the right products for you. Just answer a few questions about your household and preferences and we'll recommend the right set of products. It's that simple.

Or, if you're looking for more detail on choosing the right product, keep reading below.

• Choosing the best rodent control is dependent on your preference and living situation. If you need to keep the control device away from small children, for instance, bait stations may be the better option.
• Mechanical traps, while not necessarily child- or pet-proof, have an excellent reputation for effectively controlling mice and rats.
• Glue traps also work well by holding the rodent in place when it scurries across its surface.
   

When you spot telltale rodent droppings in your pantry (gasp!) on your kitchen counter or table, you naturally want to employ the very best method for efficiently and quickly controlling the mice or rats in your home.

Two of the most popular rodent killing solutions, traps and baits, can help you battle the pests in your house, but which is best? According to experts, both traps and bait are effective for killing rats and mice. It's simply a matter of preference.

When using traps, you'll need to dispose of the rodent once the trap does its work. In the case of the bait, the rodent typically disappears to die. Both of these types of rodent control should be placed out of reach of children and pets.

No matter type of pest control solution you choose, be sure to use the products as directed and use enough of them to control your home's infestation. If you find that your rodent control solution isn't killing rats or mice, try moving them to a different location in your home.

The key is to place your rodent controls at the first sign of rodent activity. Because both mice and rats breed quickly, you'll need to control them both indoor and outdoors as soon as possible.

Bait stations are a very effective form of mice and rat control. Bait contains a type of poison. After a rodent nibbles some of it, it will die within a couple of days. Mice are more curious eaters and will not hesitate to try the bait. Rats, on the other hand, are more cautious, and it may take them slightly longer to make a meal of the bait. In both cases, however, the result is the same – the rodent will invariably succumb to the effects of the poison once it has eaten it.

Bait stations should be placed along walls, in corners, and anywhere you see signs of rats or mice activity. For an easy-to-use, no-mess solution to eliminate rats, try the pre-filled Tomcat® Rat & Mouse Killer Child & Dog Resistant, Disposable Station. A single 4-oz. bait block can kill up to 10 rats*. For mice, use the pre-filled Tomcat® Mouse Killer Child & Dog Resistant, Disposable Station. Each 1-oz. bait block will kill up to 12 mice*. (Now, that’s a lot of mice!). For rodent infestations, Tomcat also offers refillable bait stations for rats and mice.

For more information on using baits to get rid of mice and rats, read How to Use Bait Stations.

When it comes to choosing the best rodent control, traps have an excellent reputation for effectively controlling the problem. From old-fashioned snap traps to glue boards, there are many traps on the market today that excel at pest control.

The Tomcat® Mouse Snap Trap and the Tomcat® Secure-Kill® Rat Trap, for instance, are designed to quickly control rodents. Snap traps are inexpensive and easy to use. These traps can be placed along base boards of walls or near rodent nests and baited with peanut butter or special bait gels like Tomcat® Mouse Attractant Gel.

Glue traps provide an option for trapping rodents without having to deal with the risk of snapping fingers or paws. They work by holding the rodent in place when it scurries across its surface; afterward, it will usually die of dehydration or suffocation. Once caught in the glue, both the rodent and the trap must be disposed of.

Whichever type you choose, it's important to set up several traps in your home if you suspect a rodent problem.

Members of your family also come into play when choosing the right method of control. While all rodent control products should be placed in low traffic areas for kids and pets, Tomcat offers many different kinds of traps and baits to fit your family's considerations.

Bait stations are available in "Child & Dog Resistant" and "Child Resistant" levels of security to help ensure they do not come into contact with the bait. The stations have been tested to ensure that they are resistant to the puncture of dogs' teeth and a child's fingers can't reach in to touch the bait. Placing bait outside the station is not recommended.

Tomcat also offers covered traps, like the Tomcat® Kill & Contain® Mouse Trap, to ensure that fingers and paws don't get snapped. Plus, they offer pesticide- and snap-free glue trap options. 

No matter which method you choose, Tomcat has the right product for you.

*Based on no-choice laboratory testing