The weather is getting colder, and in my sometimes drafty, antique house, that means the mice are coming! Since being built in 1830, the house has developed many entrance points, and in winter, we typically have mice in our attic, basement, and occasionally in the walls. I successfully reduce the number of mice each winter using wildlife-friendly methods. Sadly, many homeowners are unaware of the devastating effects of rat and mouse poison on our wildlife population. Products such as dCon and the bait boxes exterminators put around your property contain a deadly poison called anticoagulant rodenticides or ARs. A mouse that has eaten this poison can take 2-10 days to die, and as they fall sick, they become easy prey for raptors, coyotes, foxes, and other predators. Tuft's wildlife clinic recently had 43 red-tailed hawks succumb to injuries caused by ingesting mouse poison, and 100% of the hawks admitted to the clinic had traces of rodenticide in their system. 

https://now.tufts.edu/2020/09/16/understanding-risks-rodent-poisons-birds-prey

These poisons cause a painful death as victims suffer uncontrolled bleeding from the inside out. Bird of prey poisonings seem to be at an all-time high, and if you follow the Connecticut Raptor rehabber, A Place Called Hope, on Facebook, you will be alarmed at the frequency with which these beautiful birds fall ill and die from mouse and rat poison. Scientists also believe that rodenticides are responsible for the increase in Connecticut's mange-affected foxes and coyotes. Mange is a painful skin condition that can grow uncontrolled in animals with weak immune systems due to mouse poison. California is the only state that currently bans these poisons, but Connecticut has introduced House Bill 5217 to eliminate the use of these poisons to protect our local wildlife. 

Bill-tracking in Connecticut - HB 5217 (2024 legislative session) - FastDemocracy

Snap traps and essential oils designed to repel rodents are humane alternatives to poison. MouseX and RatX are specific to rodents and will not affect other wildlife. Sealing holes and entry points is another way to keep mice out of your home. 

Please use alternatives to these dangerous poisons that kill not only rodents but all the wonderful wildlife that feed on them.