If a child or pet gets into rat bait
A child who's swallowed bait: call the Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 straight away, and 000 if they collapse or stop breathing. A pet: go to the vet now. Keep the packet so you can say which product it was.
What's different in Narellan
Indian mynas
Camden Council says they pose a serious risk to native wildlife across the council area. It suggests blocking holes in the roof or gutters, bird-proofing roof cavities, keeping bins securely covered and removing plants like cocos palms.
Myna or miner?
They're easy to mix up. Council says the Indian myna is an introduced pest while the noisy miner is a protected native species, and if you're unsure, don't interfere with, harm or trap the birds.
Foxes
Camden Council doesn't do fox control on private land, though it can help with advice, referrals and coordination. It asks residents to secure poultry, waste and food, and to contact Greater Sydney Local Land Services.
Baits in public places
Council's November 2020 pesticide plan lists rodenticides among the products it may use in parks, playgrounds, sports fields and civic spaces, and sets out how it gives notice. Worth knowing if your dog walks those routes.
Rodent control in Narellan
Scratching, squeaking and gnawing at night are the usual first sign. Mouse droppings are small and rod shaped, rat droppings bigger and torpedo shaped, and black rats nest in roofs, wall cavities and trees. CSIRO has said cooler weather encourages mice to find shelter in homes, so autumn is often when you'll notice them.
A good pest business will spend more time on how they're getting in than on what to put down. Ask where the entry points are, what they'd close up, and how any bait stations are locked. Tell them about kids, pets and chooks so they can plan around them.
If you're cleaning up after mice, NSW Health suggests gloves, covering any cuts with a waterproof dressing, and mopping floors with disinfectant.
Yours, or a pest business's?
You can
- Store pet food and chook feed in sealed bins.
- Clear away fallen fruit and leftover pet food.
- Report Indian myna sightings on Feral Scan, as council suggests.
- Check for possums or bats before any roof gap is closed.
Leave to a pest business
- Tracing rodents in the roof and walls.
- Bird-proofing a roof cavity or eaves.
- Treating cockroaches, ants and spiders inside.
- Wasp nests, which should never be disturbed.
Where we'd start with pests in Narellan
Fix the bins and the food first, then look up at the roofline. If you can still hear something at night after that, tap it and your postcode.
Want someone to look at it?
Tell us what you've seen and your postcode, and a local pest business that handles exactly that calls you to talk it through.
