Mouse Bait

Rodent Baits for Mice, Small Rodents

Mouse baits work the same as rat baits but baiting for these small rodents calls for different forms and different placements of the rodenticide.

Most rodenticides such as Talon, Maki, Generation or Fastrac are labeled for use when eliminating mice and rats.  All of the baits mentioned (except for Fastrac) are anticoagulant materials that simply thin a mammals blood to lethal levels.

There are two differences in baiting procedures that differ when dealing with mice, rather than rats: the form of the mouse bait and number of bait placements.

Mouse Bait Formulations 

Rodenticides are generally available in the following forms: solid block, mini block, pellets, seed, meal and liquid.  Most of the baits being used today are in the form of pellets, blocks or mini blocks.  Both block forms and pellets can be used to kill mice and both forms are attractive to mice.
Every form of rat and mouse bait has its own distinct advantages.  Blocks or mini blocks are desirable because they have hard surfaces on which rodents prefer to gnaw.  Contrac Blox are a great product to use when there are safety issues to consider.  This rat and mouse bait can easily be secured in a tamper resistant bait station, also know as a rodent baiter.  Among the group of baits that are in block or mini block form, Contrac Blox have the best shape which encourages mice to feed without as many hazards of broken pieces of bait being scattered outside of your baiter.
There are two mouse bait stations to choose from: the Protecta Mouse Bait Station and the Protecta RTU Mouse Bait Station.  Both are designed for use with Contrac Blox, a bait that is very attractive to mice.  The RTU type is shaped to fit into corners but does not hold as much bait as the standard Protecta Mouse Bait Station.
In many cases a smaller bait form is needed, due to high populations of mice in a given area.  Mice are known to nibble, that is they are often seen darting from their nest to their food source, take a few small bites or nibbles and then darting back to their hiding place.  When this behavior is observed, pellets or seed baits work best.
Pellets and seed can both be purchased in bulk containers or in pre-packaged place packs.  Rodent pellets can be purchased in the following forms: Talon-G Pellets, Talon Packs, Maki Packs and Fastrac Packs.  Quintox Mouse Seed is available in bulk containers and in small place packs.

Placement of Mouse Baits

A mouse can live out its entire life in a very small area.  Mice have even been known to nest, live and breed in the large sack of grain in which it was born.  This, however is not always the case but it does go to show that baiting for mice can involve the use of more bait placements.  The number of bait placements is higher than when dealing with rat populations but the amount of bait per placement can be greatly reduced.

During its daily activities, a mouse normally travels an area averaging 10 to 30 feet in diameter, seldom traveling further than this to obtain food or water. Mice constantly explore and learn about their environment, memorizing the locations of pathways, obstacles, food and water, shelter and other elements in their domain. They quickly detect new objects in their environment, but they do not fear novel objects as do rats.  This behavior should be remembered if faced with a large population of mice in a residential, industrial or agricultural setting.  Proper placements of mouse bait is a must if you are to have a successful baiting program.

Great care should be taken when baiting for mice.  A mouse will sometimes try to hoard food, including your rodent bait.  If, while transporting the bait from your placement to its nest, the mouse is alarmed or startled in any way the mouse can easily drop the bait it is carrying.  This dropped bait now becomes a hazard to children, pets and can also be dropped into food that is being prepared.  Any business that uses guard dogs on premises should take the animals' safety into consideration when choosing mouse baits, bait stations and location of bait placements.
This is one of the many reasons that most pest professionals involved in mouse control programs are now using smaller bait stations that have been baited with a mini block.  With the bait station or baiter filled with blocks of bait, the targeted rodent has a far less chance of transporting the bait or scattering the bait as it sometimes will with loose bait pellets of mouse seed.  Pellets and seeds are primarily used in larger, agricultural settings where mouse populations are extremely high but where untargeted animals are at far less risk.

mouse bait