Are you looking for a quick and reliable way to get rid of mice problem in your home? Irrespective of whether you have seen actual mice or if you have just noticed signs of their presence (such as mice droppings) in your home, you need to take immediate action to get rid of them. Mice are warm-blooded animals. They do not hibernate during the harsh winter months. Instead, they look for shelters with constant access to food, water, and warmth for surviving the cold phase. As the outdoor temperatures begin to dip, they tend to sneak into people’s homes for survival. Mice tend to reproduce rapidly. They pose serious health risks and are known to damage your property. If you do not act fast, they may multiply rapidly and escalate the problem to a full-blown mice infestation.
There are several ways to get rid of the mice problem in your home. You could opt for natural methods such as using strongly scented oils such as peppermint or eucalyptus oils or bring home a pet cat to deter mice from entering your home. But for those of you, that are allergic to cats, or live in apartments that have a no-pet policy, bringing home a cat is not an option. In such situations, you will need to opt for other reliable options such as mouse traps, bait, and poison. But mice are quick learners – they will eventually learn to avoid areas where you set up your mouse traps. So after the first few weeks of installing them, mouse traps will be useless. Bait and poison should always be placed in sealed mice bait stations especially when you have kids and pets in your home. There are a lot of mice bait stations available in the market. How do you decide which of them is the best mouse bait station, that is perfect for your needs?
This article presents all possible information about different varieties of mouse bait stations available in the market and helps you find the best mouse bait station for your home. It presents the strengths and drawbacks of some of the top mice bait stations out there in the market. It also talks about the main features of each mouse bait station how it works. After learning about all the different options, you can choose the product that best suits your needs.
TOP PRODUCTS
Tomcat Bait Station for Mice
Constructed using heavy-duty, durable plastic, the Tomcat Bait Station for mice is a lockable bait station. It comes with a key and four rods to securely hold the bait in place. The lock ensures that kids and pets have no access to the bait inside. The bait securing rods provided to hold the bait in place ensure that the mice do not carry the bait away with them thereby preventing bait wastage. The plastic body protects the bait from outdoor elements and mold, which makes it more appealing to the rodents. Considered to be one of the 3 best bait stations for mice, this device is perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. The best feature of this product is that it is available as a disposable bait station as well as a sturdy, reusable and refillable option. Depending on the magnitude of the mice problem in your home, you can make a choice between the 2 options. You can opt for the disposable option if the mice problem is mild and relatively recent. However, for serious mice infestation problem, a refillable bait station is recommended for frequent reuse. It is designed in such a manner, that it can also accommodate either a mouse snap trap or 4 bait blocks.
Click Here for Price & More Info on Tomcat Bait Station for Mice
Pros:
- Sturdy weatherproof body: The Tomcat Rodent Station has a durable, sturdy plastic body that allows prolonged reuse
- Perfect for both indoor and outdoor use: The heavy-duty plastic body protects the bait from outdoor weather elements and keeps it fresh for longer periods of time
- Safe: The lockable bait station ensures that the snap trap and bait blocks are kept out of reach of unsuspecting kids and pets
Cons:
- Comes without the bait or trap: When you opt for the refillable option instead of the disposable option, you need to purchase the mouse snap trap or the bait separately. If you are opting for the bait option, make sure that you purchase the “Tomcat Bait Chunx”, with a hole in the center, which is designed to fit the vertical rods provided with this bait station
- Difficult to unlock: A lot of customers face difficulty opening the lock for the first time. It is not difficult – just tricky – to prevent unintended exposure to pets and kids. Should you have any difficulty in operating the lock, just refer to the instructions on the pack or go to the Tomcat brand website or watch instructional YouTube videos on learning how to operate the lock
- No viewing available: If you want to check if the bait is eaten or not, you have to unlock the unit and check manually. Instead, if a clear glass viewing area was made available, you would not have to unlock the unit until the baits required refilling
JT Eaton Bait Station
The JT Eaton Bait Station is a unique vertical gravity-fed bait station that can be used with either solid rodenticide bait blocks or liquid bait. It has an inverted ‘T’ shape and is composed of 4 unique components:
- Dual entries: The dual entry ensures that the mice can enter and exit from either side
- Entry Chamber: The entry chamber, equipped with baffles, which prevents non-target species from entering the bait station or to reach the bait
- Vertical Bait Chamber: The vertical gravity fed design accommodates either solid cubical bait blocks or cylindrical bottle with a nozzle, containing liquid bait inside
- Lid: The lid at the top of the vertical bait chamber comes equipped with a rod to insert and hold the solid bait blocks or can be removed to load the bottle containing liquid bait. There is a screw fastening mechanism to secure the lid in place
The Top Loader Bait Station has fastening holes on its sides so you can mount it to a fence or wall, strap it to a tree using zip ties, on fastening it to the ground using nails. You can also glue its flat bottom surface to the ground to ensure it does not more. Considered as one of the 3 best bait stations for mice, this device is perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. To operate it, just load your bait to the bait station, place the cap on, and turn the key to securely lock the station.
Click Here for Price & More Info on JT Eaton Bait Station
Pros:
- Gravity-fed bait: The unique vertical design of the JT Eaton Top Loader Bait Station ensures a constant supply of bait feed for the mice
- Moisture-protection: The vertical bait holding chamber ensures that if there are rain and water seeps in, your bait is retained above the water, keeping it safe from moisture
- Safe: The system is safe for use even with kids and pets around. The baffles will limit any chances of unintended exposure
- Target big as well as small rodents: The baffles in the entry chamber will inhibit larger animals such as squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks from entering the bait station. But if you specifically want to get rid of larger rodents, then you can remove the baffles in the entry chamber and grant them access
- Dual entry: Both open ends encourage mice to come inside the station, feed on the bait and quickly exit, without keeping other interested mice waiting too long
Cons:
- Status Monitoring: In order to know whether or not to refill the bait, you need to unfasten the lid and pull out the bait trap each time. A clear glass viewing area should have been provided, so you do not end up having to touch the unit unless a refill is required
- Difficult to restrict non-target species: Little birds are able to make their way up to the bait chamber and die after consuming the liquid bait
Protecta Mouse Bait Station
The Protecta Bait Station is a small, compact, triangular mouse bait station, constructed using a heavy-duty and durable variety of plastic. The box makes the bait inaccessible to non-target species, protects the bait from elements of weather, and retains its freshness for a longer duration of time. As soon as you place the bait inside and close the lid, this mouse station automatically snaps shut and gets locked, making it extremely safe to use around children and your pets. This lockable device is provided with one key. It does not come with the bait. You need to purchase the baits separately. Each pack contains 12 triangular bait stations. The triangular shape allows this unit to be placed at the corners, snug against 2 adjoining walls. The entry chamber is angled so as to prevent the bait and to avoid any chances of accidental contact with the bait. There are baffles placed inside the entry chamber that lead the mouse towards the bait. It is a tamper-proof, convenient, portable and easy to operate the device. Considered to be one of the 3 best bait stations for mice, this product can be used either indoors or outdoors. Its flat, compact shape allows it to be fitted in tight spots such as behind the refrigerator and other kitchen appliances, underneath cupboard and cabinets, in the attics, under your kitchen sinks, etc., where mice most likely visit frequently.
Click Here for Price & More Info on Protecta Mouse Bait Station
Pros:
- Suitable for outdoor as well as indoor use
- Lockable and hence safe for use around kids and pets
- Fits tight to reach spots owing to its flat triangular shape
Cons:
- Unsuitable for even medium sized mice: This device is suitable only for small mice, not for medium-sized to bigger mice
- Key: The device comes with only one key even if you order multiple bait stations. We need to reorder extra keys every time we lose or damage the key
OTHER PRODUCTS TO CONSIDER
Protecta Landscape Mice Bait Station is designed to look like a natural sandstone or granite-textured landscape stone. It is considered the best outdoor mouse bait station considering how smoothly it blends in with the outdoor settings. Built with injection-molded plastic, this lockable bait station can accommodate either a mice snaps trap or a tray with 4 in-built bait securing rods that fit rodenticide-laden, cubical, bait blocks. Each pack contains 4 Protecta Landscape (Granite) Rat/Mice Bait Stations. Although it is considered as the best outdoor mouse bait station, this product failed to make its way to the list of 3 best mouse bait station because of a few flaws. It is lightweight and there is no way to anchor it firmly to the ground. It does not come with baits. There is no way to control water from entering this unit when exposed to rains or sprinkler irrigation. Although the hole at the bottom allows water to drain, frequent exposure to moisture can degrade the quality of baits.
Built with the heavy-duty plastic material, the B&G Rodent Bait Station is lockable and comes equipped with a durable key, and a pack of bait securing rods including 4-vertical rods and 2 L-shaped horizontal rods. This mouse station has true hinges installed, which assures greater durability. The vertical bait securing rods may be used during rainy conditions to raise the bait and hold it safe, away from any water accumulated in the unit due to rainfall. The horizontal bait securing rods are used during dry weather conditions. Each pack contains 6 bait stations. In spite of its durable built, it failed to make it to the 3 best mouse bait station list because of a huge drawback – you cannot install a snap trap inside this unit. You can only use this device with bait blocks, which is considered a huge handicap.
The sturdy and compact Vectortrap Compact Mouse Bait Station is a commercial mouse bait station and comes equipped with a detachable tray used to hold loose bait and a bait securing the rod to secure rodenticide-laden bait blocks. It is fitted with a child-proof and pet-safe lock. Baits are not included and need to be purchased separately. It is perfect for both indoor and outdoor use. It does not come with a snap trap as a result of which it failed to make its way to the top of the best mouse bait stations list.
The Redtop Rodent Bait Station is a lockable bait station, equipped with a key to safely use around kids and pets in your household. It is versatile and can be used with either bait blocks or with a snap trap. A pair of bait securing rods is available to secure the bait and hold it in place. When intending to use as a mouse trap bait station instead, simply remove the bait securing rods from the bait station and store them securely, away from kids and pets. Available in 2 packs, this bait station is considered perfect for baiting around the perimeter of your foundation walls, especially in areas where you suspect the rodents to be intruding your home. This product could not make it to the top of the best mouse bait stations list because of its dimensions. It measures 13 x 8 x 7.9 inches, way larger than other bait stations in the market. You cannot fit it under your cupboard or the refrigerator. Although the product description says it can be used indoors and outdoors, people prefer using it only outdoors.
Eco Pro Pest Control Bait Station for Eliminating Mice is built from a sturdy and durable plastic material, this commercial mouse bait station comes with a key and locking mechanism to ensure safety for non-target species. It is, therefore, safe to use near children and pets. The plastic casing provides weather-resistance, making it perfect for indoor and outdoor use. Bait blocks are not included with the product – you will need to purchase them separately. This product did not make it to the list of top 3 mouse bait stations because of the delicate hinge, which does not fit well, and is prone to damage after the first few uses. Another major drawback with this product is that the locking mechanism is too complex and rarely works successfully in the first attempt.
D-con Mouse Bait Station is a disposable mouse poison bait station that has a very simple corner-fit design with 2 openings to allow the mice to come, feed on the bait and exit from the other end. Just place the pre-baited disposable bait station in discrete corners in your home. The mice will come, eat the bait, go to its nest and die. Periodically monitor the bait through the transparent window provided to know if the bait is being eaten or not. You neither have to touch or refill the baits nor dispose of dead trapped mice. Although the package claims to have come with tamper-proof packing D-con bait station reviews claim that it is not safe to use around kids and pets because the bait is not secured in place. As the size of the bait grows smaller, the mice may grab the bait out of the bait station and drop it anywhere inside the home, when chances of accidental exposure are high.
If you have a major rodent problem in your home, which persists every season, and throughout the year, then this Tomcat Mouse Killer Station may be the right product for you. It’s a refillable mouse poison bait station, so you can replenish the bait supply in the detachable bait cartridge and snap it back in place to lock the unit. You could place the bait station in all the strategic locations around your home where rodents can find it. Place the entryway to the bait station away from the object that it is set against (such as the refrigerator or garbage can) to allow easy access to rodents. The mice will enter the bait station, eat the bait and then go to their nest and die there. Periodically monitor the bait supply remaining through the top of the bait station. There is no trap provided with this device.
GENERAL INFO ON MOUSE BAIT STATIONS
A quick breakdown of bait stations for mice
A mouse bait station is an enclosed box that houses the rodenticide bait and shields it from moisture, dust and other outdoor weather elements. It provides an undisturbed spot for rodents to feed on the rodenticide bait peacefully. It can either be used as a standalone unit or be used along with other mechanical mice traps or glue strips. The body of the box is either made out of metal or durable plastic material to prevent spillage of the bait. The tamper-proof varieties of bait stations come equipped with locking mechanisms to secure the units and prevent accidental exposure to kids or pets. They are never manufactured in bright colors to avoid curious kids and pets. Instead, they are usually produced in black, grey or dull buff colors. They come in varying sizes – and can even accommodate a snap trap within. They come equipped with bait securing rods to ensure that the bait blocks are not carried away by the mice and scattered around the home. It is provided with one (or two) entry points to allow mice access to the bait. The mice enter the bait station, feed on the bait block mistaking it to be food, then travels back to its nest and dies there.
The purpose of bait stations is to:
- Shield the bait from moisture and dust thereby keeping them fresh longer, and retain their potency for a longer duration of time
- Ensure the safety of your pets and kids by preventing accidental exposure to toxic rodenticides
- Restrict non-targeted species from accessing the bait, by installing baffles as partitions between the entry holes and central bait feeding chambers
- Target just mice and rats and exterminate them safely, without endangering the lives of little kids, pets or other little animal and bird species cohabiting the space
- Make bait placement in strategic arear in and around your home easier without having to worry about the weather elements or potential exposure to non-targeted species
- Allow safe monitoring of bait
A mouse bait station can be used in homes, offices, farms, warehouses, grain storage spaces, retail stores, garages, gardens, kitchens, in the attics of homes, suspended roofs, roof support structures, around the perimeter of homes, especially near utility openings, behind refrigerators, and kitchen appliances, near garbage or trash cans, in the pantry of your home, or any other areas along the walls of your home, which are the most likely routes that the mice in your home take.
Almost all bait stations have the same basic design and key parts. There is an outer envelope made out of plastic or metal that is sturdy, lockable and tamper-proof. There are 1-2 openings to allow mice to enter the station, eat the bait and exit from the station. Baffles are used to steer mice from the entry to the center of the bait station where the bait is placed. In refillable bait stations, there is a designated spot to place the bait in. A few varieties of bait stations allow space to install snap traps. Most importantly, all bait stations come equipped with locking mechanisms to make the bait safe.
There are 2 different categories of bait stations – disposable and refillable. The disposable bait stations come equipped with pre-baited stations that can simply be removed from packaging and placed in all locations of your home where you suspect mouse activity. The refillable bait stations allow you to reuse your bait station for a prolonged period of time. All you need to do is replenish the bait inside the refillable bait station when the bait inside it gets eaten by mice.
The refillable bait stations are far more economical when compared to the disposable bait stations. But you must be prepared to handle the poisonous rodenticide bait blocks if you opt for the refillable variety. Whereas with the disposable variety, you do not come in contact with the poisonous bait block at all.
What type of users are mouse bait stations intended for?
- The mouse bait stations are intended for a wide variety of users including:
- Homeowners that have rodent issues in their homes,
- Farmers that need to protect their crop and grains,
- Commercial kitchens and restaurants where mass volumes of food waste are generated,
- Grocery stores where food and grains are packed and sold,
- Agriculture based companies that deal with grains, etc.
The most common mouse station terms explained
Bait blocks – They are a mix of common food grains and rodenticides, that is shaped in the form of cubical blocks. These baits may sometime have added flavor for making them more appealing to the mice. They usually contain a hole in the center to fit into bait securing rods so as to prevent mice from stealing them and carrying them out of the bait station.
Bait securing rods – They are straight or L-shaped rods that are used to secure the bait blocks to the bait station. There are slots provided in bait stations for the bait securing rods to fit into.
How do mouse bait stations work?
The bait stations allow a quiet undisturbed area for the mice to feed on the rodenticide bait. These baits are available either in pellet form, larger block form or liquid form. The baits can be loaded into either a vertical top loader bait station like the JT Eaton 902R Top Loader Bait Station or a regular horizontal bait station like the Tomcat Bait Station. The openings provided in the bait station allows access to mice. The baffles provided in the opening steer the mice in the desired direction towards the bait. The mouse mistakes the bait for food, eats it, and returns to its nest. It might return to the bait station few more times before the potency of the active ingredient in the rodenticide bait shows its lethal effect and the mouse dies.
Basically, there are two types of rodenticides used in rodent baits – the anticoagulants and non-anticoagulants.
Anticoagulants
Anticoagulants disrupt the blood-clotting ability and cause the mice to die gradually due to internal bleeding within 10 days of the first exposure. Since symptoms do not appear immediately after consuming the anticoagulants laden bait, the mouse returns to feed on the same bait again, thereby multiplying its chances of death. The most common ingredients in the anticoagulants used in rodenticides include bromadiolone, chlorophacinone, diphacinone, and warfarin. Accidental exposure may be treated by administering the Vitamin-K1 antidote.
Non-anticoagulants
The mechanism of action of non-anticoagulants varies widely based on which non-anticoagulants is used. While Bromethalin interferes with the nervous system and causes paralysis and cell death, Zinc phosphide produces a toxic gas after bait consumption, which results in causes heart and liver damage and Cholecalciferol kills by stripping blood of its Calcium, resulting in hypocalcemia.
What other products can mouse trap bait stations replace?
A lot of safe and effective mouse bait station options are now available in the market to fit your needs and your pocket. Owing to their versatility and effectiveness in eliminating mice, bait stations have gained a lot of popularity during current times. Mouse bait stations can replace mouse glue traps, humane traps, and even natural products like peppermint oil that are used to deter mice.
So if mouse bait stations do not work for your home for whatever reason, try electronic ultrasonic repellers or bring home man’s good old friend and a rat’s worst enemy – the cat!
MOUSE BAIT STATION BUYING GUIDE
The first step when you are looking to buy a mouse bait station is to assess the mouse activity in your home. Has it just started, or is it a chronic problem that recurs every season, and round the year?
If the mouse issue in your home is pretty recent and minor, placing disposable bait stations in and around your home should take care of the problem. For a 1,000 ft home, half a dozen packs of pre-baited disposable bait stations should be sufficient. However, if the mouse infestation in your home is more severe in nature, and recurs every year, then investing in refillable bait stations is recommended. For a 1,000 ft home, you might need to purchase about 10 of these refillable bait stations.
Look for all the important design and safety features in bait stations:
Size of the station
It should be big enough to accommodate 1-2 mice, and yet flat enough so you can place it in tight, and hard-to-reach spots underneath refrigerators, cupboard, and sinks. Ideally, a 10 x 10 x 4-inch bait station would be perfect for most species of mice.
Sturdy material
It should be built with sturdy and durable plastic material that is good for both outdoor and indoor use. It should be temperature and water-resistant for outdoor usage.
Anchors
It should have a provision for anchoring the station so as to securely hold them in place when the toxic bait is placed inside them.
Bait securing rods
It should come equipped with bait securing rods to prevent mice from stealing the bait away.
Locking mechanism
It should come with an automatic locking mechanism that securely locks the station as soon as it is closed to prevent any accidental exposure.
Openings
It should have 1-2 openings, which are big enough to accommodate even a big-sized mouse, yet small enough that a kid or pet can’t get its hand in. The openings should be designed in such a manner, that baffles are used to create a physical barrier between the opening and the bait so that even if a kid or pet inserts its hand inside the opening, it does not come into contact with the bait.
The most trustworthy brands in the market are the Tomcat brand. They have a huge variety of products to choose from and a well-documented success rate. They are economical and provide educational videos on how to use all their products on their website.
OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT MOUSE BAIT STATIONS
Did you know?
- Mice cannot see well? Instead, they rely on their sense of touch, smell, and hearing. They feel the wall with their whiskers and tend to stick close to the wall line. So if you place a mouse trap right at those sneaky corners in your home, you are sure to attract them to your bait
- Mice use ultrasound for communication. They can hear ultrasound as high as 90kHz
- Mice teeth grow 0.3mm longer every day! Their teeth never stop growing. So they keep grinding their teeth constantly to erode the tips and maintain their incisors at a reasonable length
Fun facts
- Mice can squeeze through a hole as narrow as a pencil (0.6mm)
- Mice can do excellent circus feats – they can walk on a thin rope, climb vertical walls and jump as high as 25 cm
- Mice constantly chew and gnaw at food and non-food objects, including fence mesh, foam insulation, and electrical wires
- Mice are greedy – they tend to steal far more quantities of food than they can actually consume in a day
Future:
Future trends might include extensive use of the following mice eradication strategies:
- Mice Contraception: As a part of an integrated pest control program, mice are stopped from multiplying in their nest through the administration of birth control medication, which prevents sperm development in male mice and inhibits egg production in female rats. This contraceptive medication is provided through liquid bait, securely locked in bait stations.
- Wireless Technology assisted Electrocution System: Another innovative strategy uses wireless technology for mice eradication. Food bait is provided to lure the mice into a trap that is connected to an electrocution system. As soon as a mice gets electrocuted, the wireless enabled mouse trap signals the owner to come to clean the device.
LIVING WITH & USING BAIT STATIONS FOR MICE
Regardless of whether you use the disposable mouse bait station or the refillable mouse bait station, always make sure that you wear gloves before handling them or the rodenticide bait itself. Even if you are intermittently monitoring the bait station, it is still recommended that you wear your gloves.
If you are required to dispose-off the dead bodies of mice trapped in your bait station or found dead in their nest, make sure you pack them in a leak-proof garbage back and label them as poisonous before you dispose of them safely in bio-hazard bins.
Store excess bait blocks safely in locked cabinets, away from kids and pets to avoid accidental exposure.
TO CONCLUDE
Irrespective of whether you are a farmer trying to control the mice population around your farm, or a homeowner trying to get rid of mice from your property, remember that mice are health risks. Do not ignore any signs of their presence. Immediately conduct visual inspections of your property to assess how bad the situation is. If it is an occasional mouse wandering into your property, then inspect your home for open pipes, chimneys, or gaps in the foundation walls and seal them immediately. Also get rid of all possible food sources in your garbage cans, sinks, crumbs underneath the living room couch, or dropped food on the kitchen floor. If eliminating entry points and cleaning your home of readily available food sources does not help, then it is time to invest in a good mouse bait station.
JT Eaton Top Loader Bait Station is one of the top-rated bait stations. With its unique vertical, gravity-fed design, this bait station can be used with both solid bait blocks as well as liquid bait. Some of the most appreciated design components include its dual openings, entry chamber equipped with zig-zag baffles, vertical gravity-fed bait chamber that hold the bait off the ground level to protect it from rainwater and anchoring points.
Another top-rated option is the Tomcat bait station. Available in both disposable and refillable options, this lockable bait station comes equipped with bait securing rods and is reasonably priced. Its sturdy weatherproof body makes it perfect for both indoor and outdoor use.
Protecta RTU Bait Station is another popular choice. Its small, flat, compact, triangular heavy-duty plastic body fits in corners between walls, where mice cannot miss it. Its angled entry chamber and internal baffles ensure kids and pets do not have accidental contact with the bait. It can be used both indoors and outdoors.
There are a lot of other options available for controlling the mice infestation in your home, but each one has its own unique set of merits and demerits. If you are unable to control them through your own efforts, it is best to approach a professional pest management firm.
