Rat poisons are often designed to work slowly because rats are cautious about eating large amounts of unfamiliar food. If they eat a small amount and don't noti

Rat poisons are often designed to work slowly because rats are cautious about eating large amounts of unfamiliar food. If they eat a small amount and don't notice any symptoms within a few hours to a day, they're more likely to come back for a lethal dose. Some of the poisons take weeks to kill. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodenticide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodenticide Nonlethal methods of mitigating human-rodent conflict tend to be effective in the long-term and consist of making human spaces less appealing to rodents. Steps include sealing holes in buildings, storing food in secure containers, and disposing of waste properly.