PROJECT ON MICE AND RATS

PROJECT ON MICE AND RATS

INTRODUCTION

A mouse (plural: mice) is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (Mus musculus). It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles. They are known to invade homes for food and occasionally shelter. The house mouse (Mus musculus) is a small rodent, a mouse, one of the most numerous species of the genus Mus. As a wild animal the house mouse mainly lives associated with humans, causing damage to crops and stored food. The house mouse has been domesticated as the pet or fancy mouse, and as the laboratory mouse which is one of the most important model organisms in biology and medicine. It is by far the most commonly used genetically altered laboratory mammal.

Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus. The brown rat, common rat, sewer rat, Hanover rat, Norway rat, Brown Norway rat, Norwegian rat, or wharf rat (Rattus norvegicus) is one of the best known and most common rats. One of the largest muroids, it is a brown or grey rodent with a body up to 25 cm (10 in) long, and a similar tail length; the male weighs on average 350 g and the female 250 g Thought to have originated in northern China, this rodent has now spread to all continents, except Antarctica, and is the dominant rat in Europe and much of North America—making it the most successful mammal on the planet after humans.^[2] Indeed, with rare exceptions (see below) the brown rat lives wherever humans live, particularly in urban areas. There are ten signs that a professional should look for when conducting their initial (and follow-up) inspection: Droppings, tracks, gnaw marks, burrowing, runways, grease marks, urine stains, live or dead rodents, rodents sounds and rodent odors. A good inspection gives us a better idea of the size of the population and the routes taken by the rodents. As you will see in Population Reduction, you must intercept the rodents. Proper placements of baits, traps or live traps depend on our inspection.

Certain chemicals are used to control these rodents in which mainly the zinc phosphide and brodifacoum are common as anticoagulants. Zinc phosphide is typically added to rodent baits in amount of around 0.75-2%. The baits have strong, pungent garlic-like odor characteristic for phosphine liberated by hydrolysis. The odor attracts rodents, but has a repulsive effect on other animals; birds, notably wild turkeys, are not sensitive to the smell. The baits have to contain sufficient amount of zinc phosphide in sufficiently attractive food in order to kill rodents in a single serving; a sublethal dose may cause aversion towards zinc-phosphide baits encountered by surviving rodents in the future.

Brodifacoum (as with other anticoagulants in toxic doses) increases permeability of blood capillaries; the blood plasma and blood itself begins to leak from the smallest blood vessels. A poisoned animal will suffer progressively worsening internal bleeding, leading to shock, loss of consciousness, and eventually death.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Bjornson, Bayard et al  reported that in1969 that the anticoagulants red squill, and zinc phosphide are the most common rodenticides recommended for controlling most of the rodents e.g. rats and mice.

Department of conservation Te Papa Atawbhai New Zealand reported that Brodifacoum, like other anticoagulant toxicants, works by increasing or decreasing the clotting time of blood , leading to death from hemorrhaging. Brodifacoum is absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract and can also be absorbed through the skin.

Dubock and Kaukeinen 1978 reported that Brodifacoum, the most toxic, has been proposed for use against a rodent population once a week for 3 treatments and it was found that Brodifacoum was as effective as Zinc Phosphide when offered for one feeding.

Berry, R.J.,ed.1981 reported that Zinc Phosphide, differs from bromethalin and cholecalciferol in that is an acute toxicant that causes death of the mouse within severa hours after a lethal dose is ingested.

Michael Mengak reported that poisons such as warfarin , Pival, Brodifacoum, Chlorophacinone, or Diphacinone are not quiet as hazardous as the quick-kill or single dose poisons.

Sorex company reported that Brodifacoum Rat and Mouse bait can kill rats and mice after only a single feed. It also controls strains resistant to some other anticoagulants. The resistance status of the target population should be taken to into account  when considering the choice of rodenticide to used.

According to Hooker Industrial and Specially Chemicals 360 Rainbow Blvd Upon ingestion, zinc phosphide reacts with dilute acids in the gastrointestinal tract and produces phosphine, which enters the blood stream. Chronic exposure to phosphine may cause nausea, diarrhea, tightness of chest, coughing, headaches, and dizziness.

Peter R Brown and Grant R. Singleton conducted a field trial to test the efficacy of Brodifacoum pellets against house mice inhabiting wheat crops in the Victorian Wimmera was conducted in spring 1996. The density of mice in wheat crops was approximately 50 mice per hectare. There were two treatments ( 1 Kg ha -1 and 2 Kg ha-1 ) applied aerially using pellets ( 10 mm in length ) with 0.005% Brodifacoum. There were significant reductions in these populations indices by up to 99% 7 days after treatment.

C.S. Malhi and V.R. Parshad reported that there are two basic types of rodenticides: acute poisons and anti coagulants. Many of the newer anticoagulant products, i.e. , bromadiolone and brodifacoum require single feedings by rodents to cause mortality. Occasionally, rodents may develop bait shyness after being made sick but not killed by a rodenticide. The shyness develops to the bait carrier, e.g. , grain. and not to the rodenticide. Simply use another formulated product or different attractant if bait shyness develops. For rats, prebait using baits without the poison for about 1 week to get them accustomed to the bait. Place baits in areas of high rodent activity. Many people under bait in their control program. Baits should be 1-2 m ( 3-6ft ) apart for mice and 7-10 m (23-33ft)  for rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

          The Methods and Materials that we use in our this Research project are following.

The materials used in this project include certain chemicals that are poisonous such as Zinc phosphide and Brodifacoum with certain vegetables like Tomato, Potato, turnip etc. Which we used in Prebaiting and for Baiting purposes.

For controlling rats and mice first we use the method of prebaiting and then baiting. In this process firstly we select a specific area in Shankar Campus near fish pond in which holes of rats and mice were identified and then we tagged them. As the rats and mice uses a certain routes for their search of food and moving here and there. So different types of vegetables were placed in their paths and also around their holes.  Next day we visited the area to see whether the vegetables and fruits are eaten or not by the rats and mice. We have seen that some of the vegetables were missing and supposed to be eaten by them. We repeated this process next  2-3 days. After that the baiting method was used and brodifacoum and zinc phosphide were applied to the vegetables’ and fruits to make poisonous and then these loaded vegetables and fruits were placed at the same places for the rats and mice.

RESULTS

No. of Borrowings/ Holes Tagged	Rats	Mice	Type of Rodenticide Used	Controlled	Uncontrolled
1	3	5	Zincphosphide	Controlled	-------
2	4	7	Brodifacoum	Controlled	-------
3	0	0	Zincphosphide	-------	Uncontrolled
4	6	2	Brodifacoum	Controlled	-------
5	0	0	Brodifacoum	-------	Uncontrolled

REFFERNCES

Dubock AC and DE Kaukeinen, 1978. Brodifacoum (Talon TM rodenticide). A novel concept proceeding of Eighth Vertebrate Conference, Sacramento. California. Pp. 127-137.

Bitrex s a registered trade mark of Macfarlane Smith, Edinburgh. Sorex Limited, St. Michael’s Industrial Estate, Widnes, Cheshire. WA8 8TJ.

Jeff Jackson, Wildlife Specialist ( ret. ), Warnell School of Forest Recourses. Illustra ions from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other source.

Godfrey MER, 1985. Non-target and secondary poisoning hazards of “second generation” anticoagulants. Acta Zoola Fonnica, 173: 209-212.

Biology of the House mouse. Symp. Zool. Soc. London, No. 47. Grant R Singleton.

Crop Protection, Volume 17, Issue 4, June 1998, Pages 345-352. Petter R Brown and Berry, R.J., ed.1981.

DUBOCK, A.C. 1982. Pulsed baiting – a new technique for high potency, slow acting rodenticides. Proceeding 19^th Vertebrate Pest Conference, Montery, California, 23-25 Febuary1982.

Parkash I, 1988. Rodent Pest Management. CRC Press, Florida, USA.pp: 480-481.

Willliam,J O. , and C. VEGA. 1984. Brocifacoum as a rodenticide to control rodent damage in rice fields in Venezuala: 1- state of Portuguesa. In: Proceeding of a Conference on the organization and practice of Vertebrate Pest Control. August-3 september 1982, Elvetham Hall, England. Pp. 341-345.