If you are dealing with rats in your home, your first reaction may be to try poisoning the critters. After all, you likely assume that a dead rat is better than a living one. If you plan to use poison, then you will need to know how long it takes for a rat to die from poison.
There is no single answer to this question as it will depend on the poison you use and some other factors. Some will take as little as 12 hours to kill the rat while others can take up to a week.
It Depends on the Way the Rat Poison Works
The biggest factor that affects how long it takes for a rat to die from poison is the way that it kills the rodent.
Lung Failure – Between 12 Hours and 2 Days
Several types of rat poisons cause lung failure, but most experts agree you should avoid every one except zinc phosphide. When it goes into the rat’s stomach and comes into contact with the stomach acid there, it produces phosphine, a highly toxic gas. This gas breaks down cells within the rat’s body. It usually leads to the lungs breaking down. Death is usually within 12 or 24 hours, but it depends on what else the rat ate recently.
Central Nervous System Failure – Between 14 Hours and 4 Days
Bromethalin is the only poison that kills rats via failure of the central nervous system. It interrupts the rodent’s ATP cycle, so it cannot provide enough energy. Only one lethal dose is necessary to kill the rat.
Heart Attack – Between 3 and 4 Days
There are not many rat poisons that use this method, just cholecalciferol. This is a type of vitamin D3 that increases the rat’s calcium levels enough to cause a heart attack. Rats consume a lethal dose in just one feeding, dying three to four days after.
Dehydration – Between 3 and 5 Days
Dehydrating rat poisons are newer and some do not consider them poison. This comes from the fact that they use corn gluten or similar items instead of chemicals. The corn gluten will swell inside the rat’s stomach while also preventing water absorption. In a few days, the rat dies from dehydration.
Lung Failure – Between 12 Hours and 2 Days
Several types of rat poisons cause lung failure, but most experts agree you should avoid every one except zinc phosphide. When it goes into the rat’s stomach and comes into contact with the stomach acid there, it produces phosphine, a highly toxic gas. This gas breaks down cells within the rat’s body. It usually leads to the lungs breaking down. Death is usually within 12 or 24 hours, but it depends on what else the rat ate recently.
Other Factors Affecting How Long It Takes to Work
In addition to the actual chemical makeup of the poison and how it works, there are a few other factors that will influence how long it takes to kill the rats. For the quickest results, you need to eliminate all other food sources so the rat only eats the poison. It will also depend on the size of the rat and how well you place the poison. Remember that the rat needs to be able to find the poison for it to work.
The Rat Usually Suffers While Waiting to Die
If you are interested in humane rat control methods, then you will want to avoid using poison. That is because the way that they cause death to the rodents is extremely painful and filled with suffering. There are other alternatives, like snap traps, that minimize suffering with instant death.
Other Important Considerations Regarding Poison
In addition to the issue of being inhumane, there are some other reasons you may want to reconsider using poison to take care of your rat problem.
Risk to People and Pets
Most poisons will also carry a potential risk to people and animals. Your small child may grab the poison and consume it, or your pet may do the same. Your pet may eat a poisoned rat and get secondary poisoning.
Some poisons can even pose a danger just by being in your home, causing negative reactions if you inhale them or accidentally touch them.
They Will Not Be 100% Effective
You should also keep in mind that no rat poison will be completely effective. Even if the poison works 100% of the time, the rat would have to eat it first. Unfortunately, rats are smart enough to recognize poison in many cases. You can mask it somewhat, but there is still no guarantee that the rat will eat enough poison to die.
This is especially a problem if there are an abundance of other food sources available. If the rat has other food options, there is no guarantee it will eat the poison you set out, no matter how appealing you make it.
You Have to Find the Dead Rats
Assuming everything goes according to plan and you successfully kill the rats with poison, you will have another problem on your hands – finding the dead rats. Rats tend to go to their nests or other secluded areas that feel safe when they are going to die. This means that you will have to figure out where the dead rats are as they will not be in plain sight. This will be a race against time as you want to find and dispose of the rats before they begin to decompose and smell.
Other Options
If you are unsure about using poison to kill rats, then consult a rat removal expert. They will likely have other, more humane methods available to help you, such as snap traps or electronic traps that kill the rodents with shocks.
You will also want to work to make your home unappealing to rats. Otherwise, new rats will just take the place of those you kill, leaving you with a perpetual problem.