Are you looking for the best mouse poison? Then you've come to the right place.
In this Pest Strategies product review you can expect to learn:
- What mouse poisons are
- The active ingredients in modern mouse poison
- The difference between single feed and multiple feed poison
- Dangers and safety concerns of mouse poison
Our Overall #1 Rated Pick
(updated as of 12/28/2018)
- Easy to use mouse poison
- Long lasting
- Proven effective
- Great for both indoor and outdoor use
Of all the mouse poisons we researched and reviewed, our top pick goes to Contrac Blox.
Why?
In large part because of personal experience we've had using it ourselves. Also, it has an industry proven track record of success. The active ingredient, bromadiolone at 0.005%, delivers a lethal dose in only a single feeding.
It can be used inside and outside, has a long lifespan, and has good weather resistance.
Want to skip all this research and just hire a decent exterminator for your mice problem?
Click here to check out our exterminator search tool where we instantly send you free quotes from trusted (and thoroughly vetted) exterminators in your local area.
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Top 5 Best Mouse Poisons
Short on time or just want a quick answer?
Check out our list below for a summary of our results. Keep on reading to learn more about mouse poisons.
What Are Mouse Poisons?
In simplest terms, mouse poisons (rodenticides) are poisons that kill rodents. Modern rodenticides are called anticoagulants, AKA, blood thinners.
They don't really make the blood thinner, of course, it's simply an expression. An anticoagulant is a compound that doesn't let blood clots form in the blood.
The animal starts bleeding internally and it won't stop. Eventually, the animal bleeds to death. There are four main active ingredients used as anticoagulants in mouse poison.
They are:
Warfarin
Warfarin was an early anticoagulant used to control mice.
It was introduced in the early 1940's and is now known as a first-generation anticoagulant. It was heavily overused, giving rise to warfarin-resistant rats.
Warfarin resistance created the need for a second-generation of anticoagulants to combat the growing numbers of warfarin resistant rodents.
Warfarin isn't used in rodenticides anymore. Occasionally it is still used as a medical treatment for some people, but mainly it has fallen out of general use.
Bromadiolone
A second-generation anticoagulant, Bromadiolone is used in rodenticides to kill rats, mice, and general rodents. It is an odorless powder, usually white to yellow in color.
It works by preventing the body from recycling vitamin K, which is needed to clot the blood. Once mice run out of vitamin K they will take several days to bleed to death internally.
The antidote for bromadiolone poisoning is large does of vitamin K1. If you suspect you've been exposed to Bromadiolone or any other anticoagulant, contact your doctor at once.
Brodifacoum
Brodifacoum is another anticoagulant used in mouse poison. Like Bromadiolone, it inhibits the body from being able to recycle vitamin K. It has a slightly different mode of action than Bromadiolone, but it's more a matter of degree rather than kind.
Diphacinone
This is also an anticoagulant that is a vitamin K antagonist. It was invented by Bell Labs in 1990. It is generally considered to be weaker than the others because it is a “multiple feeding” mouse poison.
The following video will tell you more about mouse poisons.
What Does Single Feed and Multiple Feed Mouse Poison Mean?
This refers to the number of times a mouse has to feed on the bait in order for it to take effect.
In pest control jargon a bait is considered “hot” if it will kill the mice in just one feeding, otherwise, it is just an ordinary bait, AKA, multiple feed, which means the animal has to feed off of it several times in order to ingest a lethal dose.
This is highly problematic when it comes to mice. Mice are so small they only need a 1/10-ounce of food per day.
One to two tiny nibbles usually isn't enough to kill them. All it does is make them sick, which teaches them to avoid the bait in the future.
Bromadiolone and brodifacoum are single feed anticoagulants, while diphacinone is a multi-feed anticoagulant. This multiple feeding action keeps diphacinone-based rodenticides out of the top spot.
Are Mouse Poisons Safe to Use Around Children and Pets?
Never. Rodenticides are poison.
Keep them out of reach of pets and children at all times. Baits should always be used in conjunction with bait boxes so pets and children can't get to it. Leaving rodenticides out in the open is A) dangerous and B) a lawsuit waiting to happen.
Because of the danger to children and pets, rodenticides should always be used in conjunction with tamper resistant bait boxes.
Read Also: What are the best mouse baits?
Any Legal Issues When Using Mouse Poison?
Be sure you read the label on any rodenticide before using it. In the pest control industry, the label is the law.
This is because the contents of the label are mandated by the EPA as well as various state agencies. Using rodenticides “off-label” is a criminal offense.
Because rodenticides can cause serious harm to people, the EPA is especially vigilant about enforcing the criminal aspects of the law regarding these products.
Want to skip all this research and just hire a decent exterminator for your mice problem?
Click here to check out our exterminator search tool where we instantly send you free quotes from trusted (and thoroughly vetted) exterminators in your local area.
(Process takes about 30 seconds)
Top 5 Best Mouse Poisons Reviewed
As a quick recap, here are the 5 mouse poisons we looked at. Our #1 pick goes to the Contrac Blox. Be sure to take a look at the JT Eaton Bait Block because blah blah blah.
- Less toxic to non-target animals/pets
- Can last for up to a year
The active ingredient in Contrac, from Bell Labs, is bromadiolone at 0.005%, making it a single feed rodenticide. It kills Warfarin resistant mice and rats. It is weather resistant so it can be used inside and out.
The blocks are created with a hold in the middle so they can be mounted on slender rods inside bait boxes. This will keep rats and mice from trying to drag the bait back to their lair.
Change the bait every 40-60 days in the winter if it hasn't been eaten. During the hot summer months, you'll need to change it more often. It comes in an 18-lb bucket, so don't be hesitate to use it.
Pros
Cons
- Targets multiple types of pests
- Fast acting anticoagulant poison
Also from Bell Labs, the active ingredient in Final Blox is brodifacoum at 0.005% so it's a single feeding rodenticide that will kill mice after only one little nibble. It's slightly less expensive than our top pick, but a little bit slower too.
Always use it in conjunction with bait boxes to keep children and pets from eating it. It can be used inside or outside.
This bait is weather resistant. You only need to change it every 40-60 days or so. During hot weather, or in the summer, you will need to change it more often.
Pros
Cons
- Convenient packaging for ease of use
- Great bait acceptance
Bell Labs created this pelletized version of our number 1 pick with an active ingredient of bromadiolone at 0.005%. It comes in a bucket with 175 1½-ounce packets of pellets. These packets are called place packs.
Mice love to tear into paper like the kind these packets are made of, and they will. The paper lets some of the attractive odor seep out, and throwing these packs into an attic or under a house is like ringing the dinner bell. The mice come-a-running, then they go-a-dying.
These packs are extremely easy to use; just toss them into an attic, closet, tool shed, or any other enclosed area where children and pets can't get to them and your job is done. They're very weather resistant as well.
Pros
Cons
- Kills multiple types of rats and house mice
- Chewable packs for ease of use
- Lethal dose in single feeding
These paper encased place packs, from Farnan, come 5 to a package for those times when you only need a small amount of rodenticide and don't want to spend $80-$90 on a bucket of bait.
The active ingredient is bromadiolone at 0.005%, so it's a strong, single feeding bait. It can easily be used in attics, basements, crawl spaces, tool sheds, well houses, and other enclosed areas where children and pets can reach the packets.
It has good weather resistance and will last for a good couple of months before you need to replace it.
Pros
Cons
- First generation anticoagulant bait
- Peanut butter flavoring
These peanut butter flavored bait blocks, from J.T. Eaton, use diphacinone at 5% as the active ingredient. This is a multiple feed bait so it will take longer to eliminate mice and rats, but it is significantly less expensive, so it's a good trade-off.
The peanut butter flavor is a nice touch since that's a food mice and rats have a known fondness for.
It has good weather resistance, and like all bait blocks, should be used with a bait box to prevent children and pets from gaining access to it.
(If we sound like a broken record on the pets and children issue, it's because it's so important.)
In cool dry weather, the bait will last for up to 60 days. In hot or wet weather, it will have to be changed more often.
Pros
Cons
Our Top Pick: Contrac Blox
There are a lot of mouse poisons on the market.
All of them will get the job done to one degree or another.
Overall, our pick goes to Contrac Blox.
We've used it in the field ourselves and had good success with it over many years.
It has a proven track record of effectiveness and ease of use.
A close second is Final Blox which uses a slightly different active ingredient but is otherwise a proven competitor.
Other Rat and Mouse Product Reviews
Curious about other rat and mouse related products? Check out our other detailed guides to help you deal with your pest problems.
