Rats and mice are killed in enormous numbers annually through pest control, with methods varying widely in their welfare impact and effectiveness.
Rodent pest control welfare raises questions that many find uncomfortable: these are cognitively sophisticated animals that demonstrate empathy toward other rats and play behavior. Anticoagulant rodenticides cause prolonged suffering over days of internal hemorrhage. Poorly placed snap traps fail to kill instantly, causing injury. The welfare-positive approach to rodent management prioritizes prevention (exclusion, hygiene, food storage) over killing, and when killing is necessary, uses instant-kill methods rather than prolonged death from poison. First-generation rodenticides are less toxic than second-generation alternatives and reduce secondary poisoning risk in predators.