Slugs and Snails Eating Rodent Bait Blocks

Are Your Rodent Bait Blocks Being Eaten but There are No Signs of Rodents?

If you have been using rodent baits such as NO Rats & Mice One Feed Blocks, and you are finding the bait is being eaten, but you have not seen any signs of rats or mice, it might be that molluscs (slugs/snails) are feeding on the bait.

Slugs and snails find the grain in the bait tasty and will feed on the bait using their rasping mouthparts (radula). In the image above you will see the way molluscs eat the bait, leaving smooth surfaces and maybe evidence of their mucus. You may also find their slime trails in the vicinity of the bait.

Rodent teeth marks are made by the rodent incisor (front) teeth and leave parallel marks gouged into the wax. Rats leave much larger marks than mice; single rat teeth marks are about 1 mm wide.

Rat Teeth Marks in Wax

When placing rodent bait blocks in damp areas, where slugs and snails may be present, it is a good idea to sprinkle slug/snail bait around the area, or use other methods, to control the molluscs and stop them eating the bait that is being used for rodent control.

David Brittain
Kiwicare