Please Read! Bromethrin Rat Poison Warning!

[Ducklover2]

Will this work for rats as well ? Thanks for the info!

i assume it would if the bowl was big enough.

 

[Ducklover2]

View attachment 1372519 This is Smudge, he's an amazing cat I adopted from Pet smart, he lived the first 6 months of his life as a stray. He has lived the last many years as a pampered indoor/outdoor cat. He is claustrophobic, so his indoor time is very limited. Cuddle time is his favorite.
View attachment 1372521 This is Ed, AKA Big Orange. He is a beautiful pale Orange color I'd never seen before. He was born on the farm when somebody dumped a pregnant stray on the property (it's sadly common). Ed loves to be held upside down like a baby, he LOVES my chickens. He spends nights in the coops sometimes, he always sleeps in the nesting boxes. His favorite food is fresh eggs.
View attachment 1372524This is Abby. She was pregnant and dumped on us back around 2010 or 2012, I honestly don't remember exact. She is not approachable and is always grouchy and irritable. We tried to spay her, but she vanished for about 8 days and we had to cancel the appointment as we presumed her dead. She magically appeared, PREGNANT AGAIN. One thing about her, is she always has the sweetest kittens. We let her live here and we feed her, she is probably older than we think since she was dumped here as an adult.
View attachment 1372525 This is Fluffy. I apologize for the sad picture, as this is him fading away.
Fluffy and Ed are brothers. As a kitten, Fluffy was the FLUFFIEST and CHUBBIEST kitten, but when he grew up he lost it all. So the name never fit, but it stuck. Fluffy was always a bit shy, but he did like to be petted. When I found him paralyzed, he reached out for my hand and wanted me to pet his head. Fluffy loves to travel, and we'd always catch him miles from the house, but he always came back.

Poor Fluffy

 

[HuskerHens18]

This was Aela, she was a sweetheart. Her mother is Abby. She was the cat I rushed to the vet with seizures, she died purring, cuddling her brother Clark, whom I have no picture of.

This was Lewis, a spitting image of Ed. Lewis adored being cuddled and play fighting with Smudge. He went missing, and I discovered him late Tuesday night under the chicken house. He wasn't conscious and passed somewhat peacefully a few hours later.

Clark was like Fluffy, he was pretty shy. He did like to be petted. He just hated being held.

Cuddles was just a nickname, we never agreed on a name for her. Cuddles was found in one of our window wells after a nasty storm last year. Her two siblings died of hypothermia. She fought hard and I brought her out of it, I couldn't find any parent cat so I had her raised in the garage. Cuddles was ALWAYS wanting to be cuddled, she acted attention deprived 24/7, hence the nickname. She climbed your pant leg just to lick your nose, she wanted hugged and squeezed. She was pretty sweet. I found Cuddles dead in her favorite spot Tuesday morning. She was the first of too many casualties.

I hope they are finally at peace in the paradise of cat Heaven. They were amazing animals, and I'd give anything to have more time with them.

 

[Ducklover2]

R.I.P.

 

[HuskerHens18]

So I decided to do some research on this stuff myself.
It turns out this vet wasn't entirely accurate.
https://m.petmd.com/cat/conditions/toxicity/c_ct_bromethalin_rodenticide_toxicity?page=2
I read this and now my worries are back, I might call my actual vet and see what he suggests. I wish I could've gotten to see him first, he knows what he's doing. I'm so frustrated, I should've done research sooner. I just assumed this other vet knew what she was talking about.
And it's called Bromethalin, NOT Bromethrin like she called it

 

[Jamie Molihan]

View attachment 1372519 This is Smudge, he's an amazing cat I adopted from Pet smart, he lived the first 6 months of his life as a stray. He has lived the last many years as a pampered indoor/outdoor cat. He is claustrophobic, so his indoor time is very limited. Cuddle time is his favorite.
View attachment 1372521 This is Ed, AKA Big Orange. He is a beautiful pale Orange color I'd never seen before. He was born on the farm when somebody dumped a pregnant stray on the property (it's sadly common). Ed loves to be held upside down like a baby, he LOVES my chickens. He spends nights in the coops sometimes, he always sleeps in the nesting boxes. His favorite food is fresh eggs.
View attachment 1372524This is Abby. She was pregnant and dumped on us back around 2010 or 2012, I honestly don't remember exact. She is not approachable and is always grouchy and irritable. We tried to spay her, but she vanished for about 8 days and we had to cancel the appointment as we presumed her dead. She magically appeared, PREGNANT AGAIN. One thing about her, is she always has the sweetest kittens. We let her live here and we feed her, she is probably older than we think since she was dumped here as an adult.
View attachment 1372525 This is Fluffy. I apologize for the sad picture, as this is him fading away.
Fluffy and Ed are brothers. As a kitten, Fluffy was the FLUFFIEST and CHUBBIEST kitten, but when he grew up he lost it all. So the name never fit, but it stuck. Fluffy was always a bit shy, but he did like to be petted. When I found him paralyzed, he reached out for my hand and wanted me to pet his head. Fluffy loves to travel, and we'd always catch him miles from the house, but he always came back.

 

[Nambroth]

I hope you get more answers...

For those seeking safe rodent control/traps that are less likely to trap other species accidentally, here are a few thoughts:

Avoid:
Poisons, killing baits, etc (for now obvious reasons)
Sticky traps (these often catch non-target species, such as wild birds, and removing them safely is not easy; many die at wildlife rehabilitation centers because the glue ruins their feathers and skin even if removed from the trap).

Mechanical traps:
The tried and true snap trap, available in different sizes (usually mouse and rat). Place carefully to avoid trapping/killing non-target species, such as wild birds, beneficial wildlife, or your pet's feet. Most rodents run along walls and underneath things; you can set up an area such as under a pallet or along a wall with a board propped over top, etc. Peanut butter is a favorite of rodents and they have to work to lick it off so they usually trigger the trap.
They now also make a different design called 'gator traps, which have serrated tooth edges on the traps. They work in a similar fashion.

Electric traps:
These electrocute the rodent instead of mechanically snapping onto it. These are usually enclosed in design so that the rodent needs to enter the trap, and then it triggers a plate that kills it with high voltage. My friend has used these and when used properly they do kill instantly. Some need to be re-set each time you catch a rodent, just like with snap traps, where some are designed to hold more than one rodent. These rarely kill non-target species since the rodent must enter the trap entirely to trigger it.

Live traps:
Yes, they to make tiny live traps for rodents. They are usually an enclosed design, unlike the have a heart large traps you might be used to. The rodent enters, triggers the trap, and gets blocked into the trap. I have used these well for very small numbers of pest mice that got into the house via a door left open accidentally.

Walk the plank type traps:
Home-made, this is usually set up with a large bucket or can so that any rodent that walks the plank to reach bait ends up dumped into the water and will eventually drown with no way out. Use great care with these as it's easy for non-target animals to fall in and similarly drown. If using this style, check frequently and try to place it in an area where no (non-target) animals can go. Some people have had success with a deep, slick (slippery inside) trashcan with no water... at this point it becomes a live trap as long as they can't climb out.

Ultrasonic repellents / sound or light repellents:
There are very mixed reviews and opinions on the effectiveness of these. Do research and decide for yourself if they are worth trying in your situation.

Scent repellents:
Some swear by these, others find them ineffective. This is another "research and try as you see fit" situation!

Pest proofing: When applicable, at least inside closed structures such as homes and some coops, sealing holes and scouting out access points is a great method of prevention. Steel wool jammed into any hole or "rodent runway" that you can't seal will generally stop them from getting through as they can't chew the steel wool. This obviously doesn't apply to outdoor areas and large open structures (barns, etc).

Reducing food: Anything one can do to reduce the food that rodents have access to will help with controlling their numbers over time. Only use as much chicken scratch on the ground that your chickens will clean up within 20 minutes, use containers that close tight to store feed, and if the problem is very bad, consider getting "Treadle feeders" for poultry.

I welcome others to suggest safe control methods that have worked for them, too.

 

[HuskerHens18]

This morning I found Ed unable to walk and his ears twitching. Abby is nowhere to be found. I read online it can take up to 2 weeks for symptoms to appear. Not 48 hours as I was told.

Thank you @Nambroth for the information and suggestions!! We should all write these down and dispose of our poisons, perhaps we can save lives of someone's beloved pets

 

[HuskerHens18]

Rushed Smudge and Ed to MY vet, unfortunately since it's been so long since ingestion survival isn't guaranteed.
But my vet said there is a chance he can save them. Only time will tell.
The sucky part is, this is going to cost a lot of money and I'll need it by Monday.
Does BYC allow me to advertise my art for sale? I don't want to break any rules.

 

[Nambroth]

In the past, I have sold my chicken art in the "Everything Else" section of Buy/Sell/Trade, here are the rules: https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ust-read-agree-to-participate-in-bst.1175029/