No one wants to share their home with rodents. Many homeowners end up spreading rat poison all over their house to put an end to a rodent problem. This may seem like the obvious solution for getting rid of a rat or mouse population, but amateur application of rat poison can be a very dangerous decision.

There are many diseases and bacteria that can be spread through these pests, and if you don’t remove them as quickly as possible, you could have some real problems on your hands. The removal of these pests should be left to pest control professionals, neglecting to do so could be just as dangerous as the rodents themselves. Here are some of the reasons that you should avoid spreading rat poison on your own:

You Could Be Poisoning More Than Rats

Rat poison is a strong chemical, and if you spread it around your house you could inadvertently be putting much more than rodents in danger. You, your family members, and your pets could all experience fatal effects following exposure to this poison. Even if you are careful in the application of this powder- or pellet-based poison, rodents and other pests can move this substance from where it was originally placed.

A small amount of rat poison on the feet of a rodent could be spread to cutting boards, counter tops, clean dishes and a number of other surfaces that you and your food come in contact with all throughout the day. After a just a short period of exposure to this poison,you could start experiencing some seriously unpleasant side-effects, some of which could be fatal.

Your Pets Are At Risk

Your pets, especially smaller animals, explore many of the same places that rodents do within your home. This means that these pets could easily come in contact with the rat poison that you have spread around the house. This toxic chemical can affect your pet instantly, and they could be suffering the fatal consequences before you even realize that they have come in contact with the poison.

You may think that this can be avoided by putting poison in areas that your pet cannot access or does not normally show interest in. If your pets sense the presence of mice or rats, they will begin to search for these pests in the areas where they have frequented. Sure enough, the places where these rodents are found are where the poison has been placed. For this reason you should always avoid the temptation to attempt this method of DIY rat removal.

Consider Traps Instead of Poison

Instead of spreading rat poison around your home, consider investing in a few mouse traps. There are many types of mouse traps on the market today, including the traditional spring-loaded variety to humane traps and glue strips. These traps are actually very inexpensive, and if the rodent population in your home is a small one, mouse traps can be a very effective way of controlling it. If you are aware of the type of rodents that are in your home you can target the bait on your traps to ensure that these traps are as effective as possible.

If the rodent population has reached an advanced level, it may be too late to take care of using traps. Instead of instantly defaulting to spreading poison throughout your home, get in touch with a licensed pest control provider about putting an end to this pest population. These professionals may make use of poison, but they have years of experience in perfecting the application of this dangerous substance.