How To Use Mouse Poison Responsibly – 5 Rules

Rodent Guide
Written By Rodent Guide

I believe in treating all creatures with respect. My mission is to ensure everyone understands how to protect their home from rodents without using cruel methods.

If you choose to use mouse poison instead of a trap, you need to be responsible for the damage it could cause to other living things and the local environment.

In this post, we will look at the 5 stage process of using mouse poison responsibly.

Before we start, there is one common theme that I like to impress upon folks who choose mouse poison over a trap. That is to use a trap too. I prefer a humane mouse trap to keep the mouse contained after ingesting poison.

Mouse poison can harm other animals, humans, and the local environment. It is up to you to be responsible.


How To Use Mouse Poison And Remain Responsible

If you want to know how to use mouse poison, you should learn how to use it responsibly! Use the guide below.

How To Use Mouse Poison Responsibly

1. Pick your poison

Mouse poison has many different active ingredients that work to kill mice. Not all of them are humane and good for the local environment and other living things.

I urge you to be as humane as possible when picking the mouse poison you will use. Mice may not be your favorite animal, but you are responsible for removing that without too much suffering.


2. Find where they are nesting

Place the mouse poison down as close to the nest as possible to ensure it is as successful as possible.

The mice will frequently move around their nest area, reducing the chances of the poison being missed.

The closer the poison is to the next, the more mice will venture out and take it. If you follow the instructions on this page, they will not return to the nest.


3. Pick a humane trap

This is the biggest decision you can make regarding being responsible when using poison to kill mice.

It would be best to use a humane mouse trap to contain the mouse once it has ingested the poison. You can bait humane mice traps with poison. When the mouse is trapped, it will stay there until it dies of the poison.

That way, you do not have to worry about other animals eating a poisoned mouse!


4. Add poison to the trap

Once the mouse trap is ready, it is time to apply the bait. 

Setting up a mouse trap is easy, and so is adding the bait. There are some differences in the process depending on which mouse trap you opt for, but as long as you follow the instructions with the humane trap, you can’t go wrong.


5. Dispose of the dead mouse correctly

When the mouse has fallen into your trap and has taken the bait, it is only a matter of time before the mouse dies. When it has died, your next job is to dispose of the dead mouse correctly.

Before you proceed, you should check with your local environmental teams to see if there is a different process that you should be following.

  1. Double bag the dead mouse
  2. Add it to your trash to be collected.

That is pretty much it for disposal! As I said, it is best to check with the local authorities.


Using Mouse Poison – What Not To Do

I see it all too often, but the one thing you cannot do (and remain responsible for) is throw poison into a void and leave it there to attract mice.

There are many different reasons why I’m not too fond of this approach. Using mouse poison can be dangerous. When using poison, you must consider any children contacting the poison or other wildlife that could be killed if they ingested it.

You must do all you can to ensure the mouse is contained once it has taken the poison. That way, you are mitigating the risk of the poison affecting anything else.

You learn how to use mouse poison and what you can and cannot do!


Frequently Asked Questions

frequently asked questions

Where do you put mouse poison?

I put mouse poison inside traps that keep the mouse contained until the poison works. Many folks throw poison packets inside an attic and leave them. That has the potential to kill mice in your cavity walls and increase the chances of secondary poison. You should always aim to capture the mouse until the poison finishes them.

Is it safe to use mouse poison in a house?

It depends on your situation. If you have kids or a pet, you must consider whether poison is the best option. Either way, you should always place poison in traps that keep the mouse captured until the poison kills them. That way, there is no risk to other animals. Always use childproof traps too. You need to know how to use mouse poison responsibly!

How long does it take to kill a mouse with poison?

It depends on the active ingredient of the mouse poison. Most poisons will kill a mouse within 72 hours. Some are much shorter, some take longer and need a constant dose to finish the job.


Conclusion

In this post, we have discussed a 5 stage process for how to use mouse poison responsibly.

Some folks throw bags of poison in areas where they have seen mice. While that will undoubtedly kill the mice, it is a very irresponsible way of dealing with a problem. 

Using poison incorrectly has terrible implications for the local environment, and the local wildlife.

When I think about the people or animals interacting with the poison bags, I dread to think about what could happen.

If you choose to use poison, you should become familiar with the symptoms of ingesting mouse poison. Also, you should learn what to do if someone has ingested a rodenticide. If in doubt, ensure that you contact the emergency services ASAP.

Use it wisely, and learn how to use mouse poison responsibly!

Good luck

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About the Rodent Guide

I’m an expert in do-it-yourself rodent control. For more than 20 years, I’ve dedicated my life to helping people live harmoniously alongside these critters by sharing rodent control solutions that are effective and kind.

I believe in treating all creatures with respect. My mission is to ensure everyone understands how to protect their home from rodents without using cruel methods.