Critter Control
Treatment Tips for Mice and Rats
Treatment Tips for Mice and Rats
When mice or rats get into your house, you have 2 treatment options: traps or baits. Whether you use baits, traps, or a combination of the two, prevention will always be an important part of your pest control.
Using Traps
You remember the old-fashioned mouse traps. They're still around. But now, you can trap mice without having to see or touch them. Ortho® Home Defense® MAX™ Kill & Contain® mouse traps are enclosed, so you never have to see or touch the dead mouse. The trap's lever tells you when a mouse has been caught. Then you just pick up the trap and dispose of it. Another option is the Ortho® Home Defense® MAX™ Press 'N Set Mouse Trap. It's easy to use with a 1-touch set, and you don't have to touch the mouse when you dispose of it.
Placing Your Traps
Where you put your traps can make all the difference. Since pests usually follow the same route, look for signs of their activity: droppings, urine, and gnawed wood are good clues for where your pests are. Place 2 traps 5-10 feet away from each other where you see pest activity. Bait your traps, then safely store or clean up any other possible food sources. Check your traps frequently over the next few days. If you haven't caught anything after 2 days, try another area.
Using Baits
You need to determine areas where rats or mice will most likely find and consume bait. This could be along walls, by gnawed openings, in corners, between floors and walls, or where you see signs of their presence. Be sure to place your bait out of reach of children or pets. Once you know where you're going to put your bait, remove other possible sources of food that rodents might like. Be sure to follow the label instructions for use and disposal.
Which Baits to Use
There are many rodent baits available. Ortho® offers 3 bait products: Ortho® Home Defense MAX™ No Touch Bait Blocks, which can be used to kill mice or rats; Ortho® Home Defense MAX™ No Touch Paste Packs for mice; and Ortho® Home Defense Max™ No-Touch Bait Station for mice. Again, look for signs of pest activity before you use your baits.
Placing Your Baits
Rats and mice like to take the same routes around your house. So you want to put your baits where they're active. Follow the label instructions for placement of the baits. You don't have to unwrap the baits before use; the pests will eat through the wrappers.
Prevent Rats and Mice from Getting into Your Home
Prevention consists of keeping food away from these pests and keeping them from getting inside. For more information on prevention, see our article on How to Keep Mice and Rats Out of Your House.
