Managing Gerbils On Your Land: Part 3

Rodenticides should be used as a last resort and with a ‘big hammer’ approach if an outbreak has to be brought under control.

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Several rodenticides are registered for gerbil control. Use only those that pose little or no risk of secondary poisoning to owls and raptors. The rodenticides listed below are all anticoagulants of varying degrees of toxicity.

An anticoagulant, or blood thinner, is a chemical substance used to prolong the process of coagulation (blood clotting). Rodents or other animals that consume anticoagulant rodenticides will die from internal bleeding a few days after consuming the poison.

RODENTICIDES

• Flocoumafen

Animals that consume products with flocoumafen are likely to succumb to the effects after only a single ingestion. Avian toxicity is high, however. For this reason, collect dead and dying rodents from the third day after the first application, and burn them. Collection is best done in the early morning.

Do not use during the peak breeding seasons of grass and marsh owls, which is mostly from April to the beginning of June. During this time, young, inexperienced owls may target dying rodents as prey.