Proceedings of the Vertebrate Pest Conference

Measurement of palatability and rodent acceptance of oral baits is a controversial subject. Particularly with anticoagulants, effectiveness requires the bait be consumed by the target species, and this is of increasing interest to the industry as well as to regulatory agencies. This paper explores the role of sex of the test animal, the significance of difference between assay methods, and the number of observations during an assay. Factors affecting bait palatability are discussed, including the toxicant, formulation and mixing methods, and shelf life.