Rodenticides and Animal Health: What You Need to Know

Rodents such as rats, mice, and squirrels can reign havoc on overhead power and telecommunication lines, as well as your home or business. While pesticides seem like the go-to solution to end such menace, such measures can often come with negative consequences on non-target wildlife, pests, and even people.

Therefore, denying the rodents’ access to your home or business and important equipment in the first place is a safer and more effective solution to your pest problem. At Critter Guard, our humane wildlife control products are specifically designed to protect critical power lines and equipment from pest interference, eliminating critter-induced power outages and equipment failure.

Why Pesticides are Used

Many business and homeowners use pesticides to get rid of pests. Rodenticides are pesticides formulated to mitigate rodent infestation. They are made with baits such as peanut butter or fish oil flavorings that attract rodents who ingest them and die from the toxicity. While rodenticides might eradicate rodent infestations, their risk to other living organisms is not worth their use.

Risks of Rodenticides

1. Pets Might Ingest Rodenticides

Pets often roam freely around the house and there is a chance of them coming across and ingesting the rodenticide. Due to the toxicity of rodenticides, accidental ingestion could prove to be fatal for your pet.

2. Pets and Wildlife May Eat Poisoned Rodents

Most rodenticides are slow-acting and take effect after being consumed. Such pesticides can accumulate in rodent carcasses to levels above the minimum lethal dose, exposing rodent-eating animals, such as cats, dogs, and wildlife, to immense amounts of poison.

3. Exposure to Rodenticides Can Inhibit Reproduction in Wildlife

Safety reasons have resulted in the formulation of rodenticides that tackle rodent infestation by triggering infertility. The rodenticide works by inducing early menopause in females and inhibiting sperm production in males without killing the rodent. While the method may seem benign, there is still the risk of causing infertility in rodent-consuming predators, which could ultimately result in certain wildlife becoming endangered or even the extinction of endangered species.

Viable Humane Solutions to Pest Control in Your Home or Business

Eradicating the pest problem in your home or business should not result in the death of your pet friend or wildlife. At Critter Guard, our Line Guard and Pole Guard products are designed to safely and effectively prevent rodents and other pests from accessing your home, business, and important electrical equipment. To learn more about our humane pest control solutions, contact us today!