The essentials
Allow one to two weeks, as a rule, before activity drops clearly. Professional baits act with a deliberate delay, so the whole group feeds on them before becoming wary. In the meantime, leave the bait stations where they are, put all food away and wait for the technician's go-ahead before filling any holes.
Still hearing scratching three days after the technician's visit is nothing unusual. Rodents are wary of anything new and only touch the stations after a few nights, and anticoagulant rodenticides take several days to work.
What happens, week by week
The gap between eating and effect is intentional: a rat that fell ill straight after feeding would put the others off the bait.
- First nights: rodents explore the tamper-resistant bait stations and start feeding.
- End of week one: fewer runs, fewer fresh droppings.
- Week two: activity drops clearly in most cases.
- Follow-up visit: bait uptake checked, stations adjusted, then entry points filled.
Habits that drag things out
A treatment often stalls because of something small:
- Moving or opening a station to put it “a bit further away”.
- Leaving pet food, birdseed or open bin bags around, which are tastier than the bait.
- Adding your own traps or products without telling the technician.
- Filling a hole too early: a rodent trapped inside a wall lining dies there and the smell lingers.
Odours, cleaning and pets
A smell may appear if a rodent dies inside a partition; it fades as the body dries out. Let us know: it can sometimes be located.
Pick up droppings wearing gloves, after dampening them with disinfectant, never by sweeping them dry. If you think a dog or cat has eaten bait, call a vet straight away and say it is an anticoagulant.
Remember
- The delayed action of the bait is deliberate.
- One to two weeks for a clear drop, as a rule.
- Stations stay put, food is put away.
- Holes are filled on the technician's advice.
General information, valid at the date of publication; it is no substitute for advice from a lawyer or a health professional.