In Southern California, certain types of animals have tendencies to work their way into residential attics. The most common types of animals that infest attics in homes are:
- Rats
- Mice
- Bats
- Birds
- Squirrels
- Raccoons
When you discover that animals infest your attic, you must take prompt action to address the problem. You must take affirmative action to eliminate critters from your attic as soon as possible. Understanding this vital objective, you may wonder whether the use of poison is an appropriate strategy to eliminate animals from your attic. The quick answer as to whether you can use poison to eradicate animals from your home is: yes and no.
Attic Animals That Poison Effective Eradicates
Although in theory, any living creature can be poisoned and killed. However, and as is discussed in greater detail shortly, not all animals that can infest your attic should be eradicated using poison. In fact, two types of attic invaders are animals that effectively and safely can be poisoned as part of an eradication process. These are mice and rats.
One reason why certain animals cannot be poisoned to eliminate them from your attic is because they are protected legally. In other words, even if certain animals are calling your attic “home,” you cannot get rid of them by killing them. The methodology you need to utilize is trap and release. You need to trap them alive and appropriately release them.
Bear in mind that there may also be specific regulations as to where and how you release these animals once they are trapped. A primary limitation is a restriction on releasing them away from your residence where they were trapped.
Another reason why certain animals cannot be poisoned to get them out of your attic is because there is no appropriate poison available to a consumer that can kill certain types of infesting animals. Poisons available on the market today designed to kill pests are targeted at rodents like mice and rats and not other animals.
Different Types of Poison
Emphasizing that generally only rodents like rats and mice can be targeted with poisons on a do-it-yourself basis when they infest your attic, there are three different types of poisons that are commonly used to exterminate rodents like these critters:
- Neurotoxin
- Vitamin-based
- Anticoagulant
A neurotoxin is contained in extermination products typically referred to as “rat poison.” A poison containing a neurotoxin kills mice and rats within a very short time after ingestion. Typically, rodent death occurs with an hour or two.
Vitamin-based rodent poisons flood an animal’s system with fat-soluble vitamins. A mouse or rat that consumes this poison typically dies within about a day.
Finally, anticoagulant poison is slow acting. This type of poison interferes with a mouse or rats blood clotting ability. A rodent that consumes this type of poison typically dies within about a week.
Dangers of Poisons
In addition to limitations on the types of animals that can be eliminated from your attic using poison, there are dangers inherent in using poisons to eliminate rats and mice from your home, even if the targeted area is your attic.
A poison containing a neurotoxin can kill humans and pets as well. Children and pets are at risk for accidental poisoning. Admittedly the risk is lower if the poison is placed in an attic. However, that doesn’t mean children and pets may not somehow get access to a poison intended to exterminate a pest. There is no remedy to reverse the effects of a neurotoxin. If ingested by a child or pet, a real risk exists that a child or pet can die.
Vitamin-based and anticoagulant poisons do not present as great a risk. A physician or vet has the capability to reverse the effects of these two types of poisons if ingested by a child or pet.
Professional Animal Eradication Services
No matter the type of animals you have in your attic, you may want to consider retaining the services of a professional. A professional exterminator or removal expert has the experience and resources necessary to efficiently eliminate invading critters from your attic, no matter the type of animal.
When it comes to professional assistance to address an animal infestation in your attic, the work associated with an infestation technically doesn’t end once the animals are out of the space. Rather, once the animals inhabiting your attic have been exterminated or otherwise removed, you still face the prospect of cleaning up the various types of waste left behind by invading critters. This waste includes droppings or feces, dried urine, nests, and other materials. The surest way to thoroughly and safely eliminate all remaining animal waste left behind after an infestation is to retain the services of qualified, reputable waste and feces cleanup company.