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How to get rid of rats and mice safely

First deal with the food, water, shelter and gaps that let rodents in. Then trap the rats and mice that remain. Use poison only if trapping cannot do the job, and then only a registered bait, locked in a bait station. Never use a street poison.

Why traps come first

Snap traps are cheap, need no poison and show you the result. A trapped rat cannot die in your ceiling or be eaten by an owl. Poison is slower, harder to control, and dangerous to children, pets and wildlife.

Using snap traps

Choosing. Buy rat-sized traps for rats and mouse-sized traps for mice. A mouse trap only injures a rat. Buy several. Many traps for a few nights work better than one trap for weeks.

Placing.

• Put traps along walls and on runways, where you see smears, droppings and gnawing.
• Place the trigger end against the wall.
• Put them behind fridges, stoves and cupboards, never in the open in the middle of a floor.
• For mice, set one every metre or two near the signs. For rats, set one every few metres.

Baiting. Press peanut butter, a small piece of dried fruit or a bit of biltong firmly onto the trigger. Rats avoid new objects, so put out baited traps without setting them for two or three nights, and then set them all on the same night.

Safety. Snap traps can break a child's finger. Place them where children and pets cannot reach, or inside a box or short pipe. Check them every morning and remove catches with gloves.

Live-catch traps

A cage trap must be checked at least twice a day and kept in the shade. Then you must do something with the animal. Releasing a rat over the wall or in a park moves the problem to someone else. Many people ask a pest control operator or a vet to put trapped rats down humanely.

Do not use glue boards

The animal is not killed. It struggles for hours or days. Glue boards also catch geckos, birds, kittens and puppies. The SPCA movement opposes them.

If you must use bait

• Use only a registered product, with a registration number starting with "L" on the label, in its original packaging.
• Use it only in a lockable, tamper-resistant bait station, with the bait fixed inside.
• Fix the station down, outside, along walls where rats run. In a home with young children or pets, use traps indoors.
• Check the stations regularly, collect dead rats daily with gloves, and remove the stations when the bait is no longer being taken.

Never put bait loose on the floor, on bread or in a saucer.

Poison travels

Most baits work over several days. A poisoned rat becomes slow and is easily caught by owls, cats, dogs and mongooses, which can then die of the poison. A family of barn owls eats thousands of rodents a year, so protect them: trap first, and use bait for as short a time as possible.

If a person or pet eats bait, go to a clinic, hospital or vet at once, and take the packet. Phone the Poisons Information Helpline on 0861 555 777 on the way.

Street poisons kill people

Loose poisons sold informally, such as "Two-Step", are agricultural chemicals that have killed children in South Africa. Never buy or use them.

Signs of poisoning include sweating, drooling, vomiting, very small pupils, muscle twitching, difficulty breathing, fits and collapse.

1. Call 112 or 10177, or go straight to the nearest clinic or hospital.
2. Phone the Poisons Information Helpline on 0861 555 777 on the way.
3. Take the packet or a sample in a sealed container.
4. Do not make the person vomit, and do not give milk or home remedies.

This guide is based on Chapter 7 of Pest Control the Safe Way.