1. Tomcat Rat Killer II
Why do you need the Best Rat Poison?
If you have a serious rat problem in your home or business, it may be time to use the best rat poison to solve your problems. Rat poison is a type of rodenticide that works by preventing the coagulation of blood in small animals. Rats that ingest it will eventually die from internal hemorrhaging or obtaining even a small surface wound.
Using rat traps is probably the first line of defense against a newly found rat infestation. This is because rat traps actually catch/kill the rat so you can dispose of it immediately. On the other hand, rat poison does not kill the rat immediately. Instead, it stays in the rat for a while until the rat dies and this is often in some hidden location.
If you do not dispose of the rat properly, it will stink up your property. Rat poison also poses a safety risk to your kids and pets who may accidentally ingest it. Generally speaking, rat poison is more effectively used outdoors, where you can place the rat poison near the rat’s den safely without fearing your children and pets will ingest it. When placing rat poison indoors, we strongly suggest you use a bait station, which is typically a box with rat poison inside designed specifically to only let rats and other rodents in and keep pets and children out. Please keep in mind that we strongly advise you to use rat poison only after rat traps have failed to fully stop a rat infestation.
Best Rat Poison Reviews
- Tomcat Rat Killer II (Top Pick)
- Farnam Just One Bite II Bar
- JT Eaton 709-PN Bait Block Rodenticide Anticoagulant Bait
- Neogen Rodenticide Ramik Mouse and Rat Nuggets Pouch
- EcoClear Ratx Rat Bait
1. Tomcat Rat Killer IIÂ
The Tomcat Rat Killer II is the best rat poison on the market if you are looking for bromethalin-based poison along with a rat bait station. Tomcat Rat Killer is a name brand that has been around in the business for a long time. It is trusted by its customers and always delivers a quality product. In case you don’t know, bromethalin is a new type of poison used to kill rats.
Before the use of bromethalin, anticoagulants were used as the poison of choice for rats. Ever since the EPA has restricted the use of certain anticoagulants, many companies have shifted to a bromethalin-based poison. Bromethalin kills the rat much quicker, usually under 24 hours.
Out of all the bromethalin-based poisons, we find that Tomcat works the best. While the active ingredient bromethalin is all the same among competitors, it is how the poison is packaged that makes a difference. To test which brand attracted more rats, we laid out all the poison blocks in one area and recorded rat activity within one week. After the results were tallied, we found Tomcat’s poison block to attract more rats after a side-by-side comparison with other brands in a live test.
Tomcat’s Rat Killer II also comes with a rat bait station, which we highly recommend you buy if you want to purchase poison separately. A bait station is simply a box to store the best rat poison of your choice. If you have children and pets, this is a must have because the rat bait station is set up to prevents pets and children from reaching inside and potential eating some of the poison. The rat bait station has a small opening just big enough for a rat to enter and it needs to crawl though some crevices to reach the poison bait.
This has caused such a big problem that the EPA is cracking down on rat poison being sold in general. However, rest assured that with a rat bait station and properly placed bait, you can exterminate a rat problem immediately while keeping your children and pets safe from contamination. With the rat bait station and rat poison in one package, we think this is a superb deal and best value option.
2. Farnam Just One Bite II Bar
Farnam Just One Bite Bars are the best rat poison if you are looking for an anticoagulant. These bars contain bromadiolone, which is an anticoagulant. When the rat ingests bromadiolone, it works its way into the rat’s system and prevents blood from clotting. Eventually, the rat will die of internal hemorrhaging. This process takes at least 4-5 days to fully set into the rat.
In the meantime, there is an antidote just in case your child or pet swallows the rat poison by accident. The Farnam is formulated to kill Norway rats, roof rats, and even house mice. We found that Farnam works quite well in attracting rats to nibble at it. The rat poison is mixed with bait in a way such that rats are attracted to the scent and want to eat it.
We cannot say the same about other anticoagulants, which we have found to either not work at all or is a lot less popular with rats. Rats, believe it or not, are picky eaters and are also quite smart. They are highly aware of new things such as rat traps and they may start avoiding them after a while. We recommend you use rat poison in conjunction with rat traps to quickly exterminate a rat infestation before it spreads.
We find the Farnam Just One Bite way more effective than the generic green poison bars you can buy at a convenience store. The rat poison looks like a bar of yellow soap up close with small seeds stuffed in it. It is also very easy to use: simply take it out of the package, break it into small pieces, and place them where you think rats may travel. We recommend you figure out what type of rats you have first to find the optimal placement for the rat poison. We highly recommend you put this in a rat bait station if you have children or pets to prevent them from accidentally eating the poison.
3. JT Eaton 709-PN Bait Block Rodenticide Anticoagulant Bait
JT Eaton Bait Block is the best rat poison if you are looking for a safe first-generation anticoagulant that is peanut butter flavored. It comes with 72 of these small blocks of rat poison and kills all types of rats and even mice. It comes in a 10-pound jug so it is more than enough for killing multiple colonies of rats.
The active ingredient in JT Eaton is diphacinone, which is a first-generation anticoagulant. What this means is that it requires multiple feedings for the rat to develop toxicity. While you may think this is bad at first, this also means if your pets or children accidentally ingest the rat poison, there is time to flush the poison out. Second-generation anticoagulants are normally quite toxic to pets and children after the first feeding and many have even been banned by the EPA.
It definitely takes longer for first-generation rat poison to kill off a rat population, but we think the trade-off is worth it. If you don’t want to risk the lives of your pets or kids, using a first-generation coagulant like JT Eaton is the safer solution. Besides, with its peanut butter-flavored pellets, rats find these irresistible.
It is tough to find a first-generation anticoagulant that actually works properly because it needs to be appealing enough to rats to make them want to come back for more. We find these peanut butter-flavored pellets to be as addicting to rats as smoking is to humans. Once they try it once, they will want to come back for more. All in all, JT Eaton delivers the best rat poison for those who want to exterminate a rat colony and also want to play it safe with their children and pets.
4. Neogen Rodenticide Ramik Mouse and Rat Nuggets Pouch
The Ramik All-Weather is a great all-weather rat poison. We like this particular brand because it is formulated to work in wet and damp areas. This is important for those who have a rat problem outside or in their basement, as these areas tend to collect lots of moisture. Designed with a wax-free formula, the Neogen Ramik is prepared to tackle all of your rat and mouse problems around your house. It is a huge publicly traded company and manufactures lots of other products. We definitely trust the quality of their products.
The Ramik All-Weather is good at killing rats of all types. The active ingredient is diphacinone, which is a potent anticoagulant that kills rodents in a single feeding. These nuggets are quite small and come in bite-sized pellets. We think they are quite tasty to rats, given the number of rats that went for this particular brand over others we tested.
The best thing about the Ramik is that can be put in moist areas without dissolving or breaking down. Many other brands are potent and effective, but they can only be used in dry areas. With the Neogen Ramik, you are allowed to just leave it out for days without worrying about it wearing down.
5. EcoClear Ratx Rat Bait
If you want a rat poison that is natural and environmentally friendly, you should definitely look into the EcoClear Ratx Rat Bait. This product works a bit differently compared to others, which are anti-coagulant-based rat poisons. The EcoClear Ratx Rat Bait uses sodium chloride and corn gluten meal to block rats’ intestines and guts. This prevents them from absorbing water, which results in renal failure, dehydration, and eventually death. For those who are concerned about a more humane way to kill rats, this is your product.
The great part about this product is that it is all-natural. There are no harsh chemicals and definitely nothing in here that prevents the clotting of blood. It is non-toxic to 99% of animals out there because their guts are too big to get clogged up. Therefore, it is completely safe to put the Ratx Rat Bait around your livestock, pets, or even children. And because it is naturally made, it is also biodegradable and leaves no pollution to the environment.
The Ratx Rat Bait is also pretty durable, so it won’t just break down in cold or wet conditions. Our only complaint is that it is simply not as effective at killing rats as some of the stronger rat poisons. But don’t get us wrong, it still works wonderfully. It is just that in a side-by-side comparison in a lab, other brands clearly worked better. However, everything has a trade and with the Ratx, it is safe and being environmentally friendly. Unfortunately, you can’t have the best of both worlds.
Best Rat Poison – A Buying Guide
There are more downsides than upsides to using rat poison over a rat trap. However, rat poison can be an extremely powerful tool in stopping a serious rat problem. Rats are smart creatures and adapt to new environments. They are quite stubborn and don’t like new things. Rats may not fall for a traditional rat trap that you have meticulously set up.
They also may not be smart enough to warn other rats about your traps. However, they can study patterns and come to the conclusion that your rat traps are responsible for the disappearance of every rat. Using the best rat poison simply provides another effective method to kill off the rats.
We actually recommend that you use a combination of rat traps and rat poison when dealing with a rat infestation. Rat poison usually comes with a bait station and bait blocks. The use of a bait station is now strongly suggested by the EPA. Often times you can’t even buy rat poison blocks separately. Because bait stations prevent your children and pets from reaching the rat poison, it is the preferred method of delivery.
Rat poison has changed drastically over the years, switching from an anticoagulant-based poison to bromethalin. In 2008, the EPA restricted sales of some anticoagulant-based rat poisons. This made the industry formulate a new type of poison made from bromethalin. Anticoagulants killed rats by preventing blood clots, so the rat dies from internal bleeding. However, this process usually takes at least 5 days, making it a slow way to kill rats. The new chemical, bromethalin is a neurotoxin with a much faster reaction time. It decreases ATP production and affects brain and liver functions all within 24 hours.
