Wondering what did this? Chewing

[Howard E]

Yes.......and I think they have come a long way from using red squill!

But again, the principles are the same. They dropped those poison packets around for the rats to take home with them. (Where momma gives it to the kids first to see if it is safe for her to eat. If it kills them, she won't touch it.) Talk about your child abuse.

So what you learn is rats will drag those baits off and scatter them about. To keep things safe, you pin the bait blocks safely inside the bait boxes, so the rats have to eat them there, and where nothing else is going to be able to get at them. And they can't test it on the kids first.

 

[cmom]

Lately something has been getting my rat baits. I have been putting a new bait out and the next morning the whole chunks are gone. I put a game camera up to see what was taking the rat baits, Well I found out. I was wondering why the thing isn't dead and this is what I found. The common American opossum produces a protein called Lethal Toxin-Neutralizing Factor (LTNF). This protein does pretty much what the name implies—seeking out potentially deadly poisons and neutralizing them. The benefit: Opossums are all-but immune to the venom of poisonous snakes. Here is the possum with a chunk of rat bait in it's mouth. I have noticed that for over a week now that when I have been putting out the baits the next morning they are gone and I thought it would probably kill what ever was eating it. WRONG.

 

[WVduckchick]

Lately something has been getting my rat baits. I have been putting a new bait out and the next morning the whole chunks are gone. I put a game camera up to see what was taking the rat baits, Well I found out. I was wondering why the thing isn't dead and this is what I found. The common American opossum produces a protein called Lethal Toxin-Neutralizing Factor (LTNF). This protein does pretty much what the name implies—seeking out potentially deadly poisons and neutralizing them. The benefit: Opossums are all-but immune to the venom of poisonous snakes. Here is the possum with a chunk of rat bait in it's mouth. I have noticed that for over a week now that when I have been putting out the baits the next morning they are gone and I thought it would probably kill what ever was eating it. WRONG.
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Ewww! Great pics. I knew they were immune to some things, but never even thought about the rat baits.

 

[aart]

I have noticed that for over a week now that when I have been putting out the baits the next morning they are gone and I thought it would probably kill what ever was eating it. WRONG.

Oh Geezz!! Time to put the rat bait in a live trap.

 

[WthrLady]

We've had loose dogs and coyotes chew the wood to try to get to the birds too. (It's how I busted the neighbors great dane, who they SWORE never ever left their property - so the teal paint just magically appeared in his gums. uh...huh.)

Agree, trap and kill the chewer, and if you can't I mix a strong mix of dawn dish liquid and cayenne pepper for my boredom cribbing donks. It tastes nasty and dissuades the behavior. Has to be reapplied if you get a good rain, but the soap taste soaks into the wood and does continue to work.

 

[Howard E]

CMOM:

Your experience is why rat baits should only be served up from secure bait stations. That way nothing but rats, mice and similar rodents can get to it. Your possum could just as easily have been a pet.....or chicken.

The baits have holes in them and bait stations have pins to run through the baits to hold them in securely place so rats can't drag them out to scatter them around where non target animals can find them.

Something like this that locks.......

https://www.amazon.com/Protecta-LP-Rat-Bait-Station/dp/B003OS18HE

 

[Howard E]

This bait station would be my choice........forget the rat traps, but do use the liquid as well as the chunks. The products from Bell labs is harder to find, but is what the professional exterminators use.

 

[cmom]

CMOM:

Your experience is why rat baits should only be served up from secure bait stations. That way nothing but rats, mice and similar rodents can get to it. Your possum could just as easily have been a pet.....or chicken.

The baits have holes in them and bait stations have pins to run through the baits to hold them in securely place so rats can't drag them out to scatter them around where non target animals can find them.

Something like this that locks.......

https://www.amazon.com/Protecta-LP-Rat-Bait-Station/dp/B003OS18HE

I do but I also had some under a pallet which nothing has got under and covered it so nothing could get to the bait except the rats and under a table which is 2". I have never had anything but the rats get to the baits now and then get to the bait before.

This is what I use.

 

[Howard E]

So bait stations.....plus baits in "hard to reach" locations......which a large animal found and ate? If so, "hard to reach" has already proven not to be "out of reach" like a bait station is. In short, not safely out of reach to non target species.

Or were they just being stored in a hard to reach location? If so, you might need to upgrade the bait storage to a metal trash can or similar.

The point being, no possum should ever be able to get to your baits. If they can, anything can.......and you don't want that.

 

[cmom]

The bait was on a plastic plate pushed under the table which is the bottom shelf if you looked at the pictures is only 2" off the floor. Please tell me of any creatures you know that can get under a table which is 2" from the floor. If you notice there is a 2x6 on the floor next to where the plate was pushed under the table which barely fits under it. I don't know how it reached under and dragged the plate out. This was the first time anything besides the rats could get to it. I'm not stupid and I thought I had pushed it under far enough. The possum is going to be history shortly. I'm putting a trap out for it today. My point being that possums are immune to the poison. I often wondered about something eating a rat that was poisoned. I have found dead rats (rarely) when I have went out to collect the eggs in the evenings and went out the next morning to dispose of them but they were gone so something got them. I live on several acres in a rural area on a dead end road. I have several game cameras set up on my property. Most nights I see either fox or coyotes. My dead end road is like an interstate for the critters.