Do Rats Like the Taste of Antifreeze?

Rats like sweet things, and one way to get rid of them is to poison them. Antifreeze can be deadly to rats if they ingest it. To keep your home safe, be sure to store the antifreeze away from pets, children, and wild animals. Store the antifreeze in a deep container so that larger animals can’t get to it. This will make it harder for rats to reach it and drink it.

Antifreeze contains ethylene glycol, a toxin for rats and other animals. It can also be deadly to humans, since ethylene glycol blocks the kidneys and causes a slow, painful death. However, if you do want to kill rodents, you should use commercial rat poisons instead.

The amount of antifreeze that rats will drink depends on the concentration. Rats ingested more than half the concentration at which they became thirsty. But they never preferred AF over water, even if it had a weaker concentration than water. The concentration of AF in a solution of water can irritate your skin, so it is best to avoid the chemical at all costs.

Antifreeze is also very attractive to dogs. Many dogs will drink from antifreeze puddles. Cats, however, are more selective in their tastes. However, cats may accidentally step in some antifreeze while grooming their fur. A teaspoon of antifreeze can be fatal for an average-sized cat.