7 Best Rat Poisons at Home Depot in 2023: Reviews & Top Picks

Time is of the essence when you have a nasty rat problem eating away at your home. Offer them a route and a reason to enter, and these vicious vermin will gladly invade food, furniture, and foundations, spreading disease and causing all kinds of damage.

Hiring a pest control specialist can be expensive, and it can often take a few days for an exterminator to arrive. If you need to remove your rat problem today, find the most effective solution by checking out these reviews for the best rat poisons at Home Depot in 2022.

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites of 2023

Rating	Image	Product	Details
Best Overall		JT Eaton Bait Block Anticoagulant Rodenticide	Peanut butter flavor is excellent at attracting rodents Large blocks hold up for multiple feedings Durable design doesn’t break down in the elements	CHECK PRICE
Best Value		Victor Rodent Killer	Relatively inexpensive Fish flavor is excellent at attracting rodents Weather-resistant for outdoor use	CHECK PRICE
Premium Choice		JT Eaton Top Gun Pellet Pack Rodenticide	Stop-feed action inhibits hunger Bitrex prevents consumption by children Single-feed killing capacity	CHECK PRICE
		Harris Rat and Mouse Bait and Trap Value Pack	Reusable bait trap included Multiple trap styles to improve chances of success Relatively inexpensive	CHECK PRICE
		Harris All Weather Rat and Mouse Killer	Mold and mildew-resistant bars work in damp places	CHECK PRICE

The 7 Best Rat Poisons at Home Depot

1. JT Eaton Bait Block Peanut Butter Anticoagulant Rodenticide – Best Overall

JT Eaton supplies one of the most enticing lures for various common rodents with their Peanut Butter Flavor Anticoagulant Rodenticide. The active ingredient, diphacinone, is a first-generation anticoagulant, so it takes a few feedings to work. Fortunately, the peanut butter flavor, a rodent favorite, will keep any unwanted guests coming back for more until the job is complete.

If you have small children or pets, you may want to use a tamper-resistant bait station. Otherwise, feel free to use these baits anywhere you see signs of activity, both inside and outdoors. JT Eaton is a simple yet clever baiting system from a brand with proven experience handling pest problems and our choice for best overall rat poison.

2. Victor Rodent Killer – Best Value

Victor is synonymous with the classic snap trap, but they know there’s more than one way to kill a rat! The fish-flavored Rodent Killer pellets are a diphacinone-infused rat poison, a slow-working indoor/outdoor solution for numerous rodents around the property. You can use the weather-resistant nuggets within 100 feet of your home, perfect for positioning around rat burrows and other rodent hotspots in the yard. The 4-lb. bag isn’t hefty, but at less than half the price of many of its top competitors, it wins our pick for the best rat poison for the money.

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3. JT Eaton Top Gun Pellet Pack Rodenticide for Mice & Rats – Premium Choice

When the typical rat poison bars aren’t working, switch things up to JT Eaton Top Gun Pellet Pack Rodenticide with Stop-Feed Action and Bitrex for Mice and Rats, a bromethalin-based rat poison that can pick up the slack when anticoagulants aren’t cutting it. The neurological agent works after only one feeding, and it will kill even large rodents within a day or two.

With built-in stop-feed action, mice and rats only take what they need and leave the rest for any still-hungry rodents. It’s a powerful solution that can be dangerous when ingested, but since it also includes an acrid flavoring agent, Bitrex, children will be unlikely to tolerate the taste. The Top Gun Pellet Pack case isn’t the cheapest rat poison at Home Depot, but the effectiveness and added safety touches make it one of the best values you can find.

4. Harris Rat and Mouse Bait and Trap Value Pack

With a grab bag of traps, the solution to your critter problem is sure to be somewhere in this offering from Harris. The Rat and Mouse Bait and Trap Value Pack includes:

The value pack makes a practical answer if you have an array of rats, mice, and even insects. Then again, if you have one rat that has been deftly dodging every bait you’ve thrown at it, it could also be the sort of nuclear solution you need. With a cunning and cautious creature like a rat, a multi-pronged attack might be just the thing to trip them up.

5. Harris All Weather Rat and Mouse Killer

The Harris All Weather Rat and Mouse Killer is a standard anticoagulant bar. You can use these indoors or outdoors within 100 feet of your house, and because they’re moisture and mildew-resistant, you can confidently place them in wet or dry areas without worrying about them breaking down.

6. JT Eaton Top Gun Bait Block Rodenticide for Mice & Rats

Another alternative to the anticoagulant approach of many consumer rat poisons, this JT Eaton Top Gun Bait Block Rodenticide with Stop-Feed Action and Bitrex for Mice and Rats offering takes the stop-feed, single-dose killing power of bromethalin and puts it in a block form. It’s less expensive than the pellet form, and although you get fewer pieces, the value is excellent when you consider the effectiveness. Plus, it’s perfect for staging in a bait station, a preferred route if small children or non-target animals may have access to it.

7. Ramik Green 1/2 in. Nuggets

Ramik Green ½” Nuggets contain the anticoagulant diphacinone as the active ingredient. These all-weather pellets can go indoors or outdoors, presenting an enticing fish flavor to draw in any lingering rats. Especially suited for damp areas, it’s another excellent option to place near rat nests, barns, basements, garages, and attics.

Buyer’s Guide: Selecting The Best Rat Poison

What Are the Different Types of Rat Poisons?

There are three types of consumer rat poisons: bromethalin, chlorophacinone, and diphacinone. Chlorophacinone and diphacinone are first-generation anticoagulants. These compounds inhibit Vitamin K from recycling and making Vitamin K1, a critical blood-clotting agent in the liver. After the body uses up its stores of Vitamin K1, internal bleeding begins, and tissue becomes more permeable, facilitating rodent death.

First-generation anticoagulant rat poisons require repeat feedings to be effective, and the rat will live several days after ingesting its first dose. Second-generation anticoagulants are more lethal single-dose compounds, staying in the rat’s tissues longer to remain more effective with each feeding. They’re more potent, but the government limits second-generation product use to pest control professionals due to the extreme hazards they present.

Which Anticoagulant Rat Poison Is Better?

Several studies have measured the relative usefulness of various anticoagulants with mixed results. In one study, chlorophacinone showed slightly higher effectiveness against deer mice, but another indicated that diphacinone was the most effective against deer mice and roof rats in an outdoor setting. There’s no clear-cut winner between the two, but knowing which compound is in each product can help you find the most effective solution faster. If one anticoagulant doesn’t work, try the other to see if you get better results.

Is Bromethalin Better than Anticoagulants?

Bromethalin is a strong single-dose rat poison found in many JT Eaton products. It works by shutting down the metabolic activity in the nervous system’s cells. When the cells stop producing energy, they swell and press on the brain, resulting in edema and death. Bromethalin generally works in only 1–2 days, unlike first-generation anticoagulants, which can sometimes take over a week to kill rodents. It also works as a viable alternative if you are dealing with rats that have developed a resistance to first-generation anticoagulants.

Is Rat Poison Dangerous to Humans and Pets?

Both anticoagulants and bromethalin can be lethal to humans and pets if consumed in high doses. Animals may ingest a harmful amount of poison from eating either the baits or a poisoned rodent (secondary poisoning).

Secondary poisoning is a common concern with anticoagulants, particularly second-generation products, due to their slow-release nature. Bromethalin is slightly less of a worry in this regard, partly because it works so much quicker and partly because the lethal dose for a rodent is so minute that it would be unlikely to harm a larger animal. The drawback is that, unlike first-generation anticoagulants, bromethalin has no antidote. Pets face an extreme risk if they ingest the poison directly.

Manufacturers try as well as they can to address these safety concerns, either through dosage or deterrence. It takes less poison to kill a small rodent than a dog or a person, so minor treatment will generally prevent severe issues. And although bromethalin doesn’t have an antidote, the Bitrex addition in many of those products will make a person spit it out but won’t deter the target rodents.

Tips for Safely Using Rat Poison

Despite the safety measures manufacturers put into their products, it’s essential to appreciate that they are still toxic and should be left untouched. Tamper-proof bait stations are crucial if you have pets or young children who may be able to access them. Elevating the bait can also leave it accessible to rodents while keeping it away from people and non-target animals.

Always follow the product instructions. In case of accidental ingestion, contact a Poison Control Center and your doctor immediately. If your pet starts showing signs of poisoning, follow up with your veterinarian.

Use rubber gloves to protect yourself from the rat poison and keep your scent off the bait when you handle it. Clear the area and remove any other nearby food sources to make the rats focus solely on the rat poison. Monitor the poison and watch for changes in rodent activity, keeping in mind that it may take several weeks to see significant results. Keep any remaining rat poison in sealed containers away from children or pets.

Conclusion

JT Eaton products were the winners in our reviews of Home Depot’s best rat poisons, giving us one of the best overall rat poisons out there and a premium option to take over when conventional killers fail. Victor Rodent Killer was our best value pick, and it impressed us with its weather-resistant nuggets and effective fish aroma. If you’re struggling with an ongoing rat problem, re-examine the poisons you have tried so far, and test out a new approach that will take your resident rodents by surprise. It’s a nerve-wracking challenge when rats decide to make themselves at home, but with this list of top rat poisons, you can start taking steps to eliminate the problem for good.

Featured Image Credit: Joshua J. Cotten, Unsplash