If you've found droppings, gnaw marks, or actual rats or mice around your home, shed, machinery, feed store or poultry run, you've got two broad options: an anticoagulant bait, or a non-toxic trap. Which one is right depends on where the problem is, how bad it is, and who else — pets, working dogs, poultry, wildlife — shares that space.

Before you buy, it's worth knowing that the rules around some rodent baits changed in March 2026. This guide walks through what changed, how to choose between bait types, and where non-toxic traps make more sense.

What changed in March 2026 (and what didn't)

The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) completed its risk assessments and proposed reconsideration decisions for anticoagulant rodenticides (the active ingredients in most rat and mouse baits) in December 2025 — the final reconsideration decision is still pending — and separately acted in March 2026:

• From 24 March 2026, the APVMA suspended the registrations of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) for 12 months. Supply and use of these products now continues only under new, legally-binding suspension instructions — this is a suspension with new conditions attached, not a fresh registration.
• Those conditions require SGAR bait used around the home to be placed in a tamper-resistant bait station, indoors only — not outside. Commercial use has its own conditions (tamper-resistant and weather-resistant stations, secured in place, within 2 m of buildings). Treatment is capped at 35 days per infestation before you need to reassess, and you're required to search for and properly dispose of any dead rodents.
• First-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (FGARs) were reviewed at the same time but were not suspended. Current product labels and other applicable requirements continue to govern their use and supply.
• Separately, the APVMA has said it's in the public interest for SGARs to eventually become Restricted Chemical Products (available only to authorised/licensed users), and government departments have been consulting on that proposal. That change has not yet taken effect — check current point-of-sale information and your state regulator before assuming a product is or isn't available to you.

This isn't a full ban on second-generation baits — it's tighter conditions on how they're sold and used. Because the rules sit at the product level, the practical takeaway is: know whether you're looking at a first- or second-generation product, and follow the current label exactly — especially the bait station requirement for second-generation baits.

Step 1: bait, or non-toxic trap?

Step 2: choosing a bait — first-generation vs second-generation

Which TGRM baits are which?

First-generation (not suspended — no bait-station suspension conditions):

• Racumin Paste and Racumin 8 Powder — coumatetralyl
• Surefire Couma — coumatetralyl (macadamia permit line — not general household use)

Second-generation (suspended registrations; tamper-resistant bait station compulsory, indoor-only for domestic use):

• Talon — brodifacoum
• Bromakil Grain and Bromakil Super Rat Drink — bromadiolone
• Surefire Broma Blocks — bromadiolone
• Tomcat (green) and Tomcat II (red) — single-feed anticoagulant
• Roban — difenacoum
• Rudduck Rodenticide Paste (formerly Deadline Paste) — bromadiolone

Always confirm the current active ingredient and label conditions for the exact product you're buying — labels can change.

Why this matters for your choice: the APVMA has tightened conditions specifically on second-generation baits because of a higher secondary-poisoning risk profile for that class — that's a regulatory rationale, not a product claim about any individual bait. If secondary poisoning of pets, poultry or wildlife is a real concern for your property, weigh that alongside your own situation when choosing between a first-generation bait in a locked station, a second-generation bait used strictly to its (now tighter) label conditions, or a non-toxic trap.

Step 3: choosing a format

Format is a secondary choice after generation — pick the generation appropriate to your situation first, then the format that suits where you're placing it.

Step 4: bait stations aren't optional for second-generation bait

For any second-generation (SGAR) bait used around the home, a tamper-resistant bait station is now a label condition, not a nice-to-have — and for domestic use it must be placed indoors only. A locked station also reduces (though does not remove) the chance of a pet, working dog, child or non-target animal accessing bait directly. TGRM stocks lockable stations sized for mice through to rats — match the station to the bait format and the space, and always follow the current label for placement.

A bait station makes accidental access to the bait itself less likely — it does not make the bait non-toxic, and it does not remove secondary-poisoning risk from a rodent that has fed and later dies somewhere a pet or wild predator can reach it. Searching for and disposing of carcasses is part of using SGAR bait responsibly, and is now an explicit condition of use under the current suspension instructions, with treatment reassessed at the 35-day mark.

How far apart, and how often to check

As a general rule of thumb (always defer to the current label): space bait stations roughly every 3 metres for mice and about every 8–9 metres for rats, and place them closer together where rodent pressure is heavy. Mice don't travel far from their nest, so they need more, closely-spaced points; rats range wider, so stations can be further apart.

Check your stations regularly — every few days at least. When there's a heavy infestation and bait is disappearing fast, check and top up daily until feeding slows down; a station that runs empty isn't working. Falling bait take-up is your sign the population is dropping.

Non-toxic alternatives

If you'd rather avoid rodenticide on the property altogether — common where pets, poultry, or a food-handling area are close by — non-toxic options include:

• Auto-resetting kill traps (e.g. CO2-powered traps designed for repeat catches without rebaiting or handling) — a higher upfront cost but no poison risk and no bait station requirement.
• Snap traps — low-cost, well-understood, best for light or localised problems; place out of reach of children, pets and non-target animals.

Non-toxic traps avoid secondary-poisoning risk entirely and have no bait-station legal requirement, but generally require more frequent checking and won't suit a large, established infestation as quickly as bait.

When to call a licensed pest-control operator instead

This guide covers general household, shed, feed-store and poultry-area rat and mouse control using retail products. If you're dealing with a large or recurring infestation, need baiting inside a commercial food-handling area, or want a program designed and managed for you, a licensed pest-control operator can use products and methods beyond general retail. Consider calling one if DIY control hasn't resolved the problem within a couple of treatment cycles, or if the situation involves risks (young children, working animals, food safety) you're not confident managing yourself.

Quick chooser

• Where's the problem? Inside the home / shed or feed store / poultry area — informs where you can legally place a station and what non-target risk you're managing.
• What's around? Pets, working dogs, poultry, livestock, wildlife nearby — weigh secondary-poisoning risk; consider a first-generation bait or a non-toxic trap.
• How established is it? One or two rodents — trap or light bait; an ongoing infestation — bait, correctly stationed. For SGAR bait, reassess at the 35-day mark; follow the current label's timing for other bait types.
• Bait or trap? Bait for faster knockdown with correct station and label compliance; trap for zero poison risk or light problems.
• Still not under control after a couple of cycles, or a commercial/food-safety situation? Call a licensed pest-control operator.

Always read and follow the current product label — conditions on second-generation baits changed in March 2026 and may be updated again. Shop TGRM's rat and mouse control range for baits, tamper-resistant stations and non-toxic traps.