Laboratory and field experiments were carried out to overcome zinc phosphide
(ZP) bait shyness using otilonium bromide (OB) in form of Spasmomen® drug against
the white albino rat, Rattus norvegicus, the Nile rat, Arvicanthis niloticus and the house
mouse, Mus musculus. Under laboratory conditions, results showed that Spasmomen® at
rate 0.012 and 0.025% when added to each ZP bait concentration 0.06 and 0.12%
achieved complete mortality when used for four successive days against the albino rat, R.
norvegicus. On the contrary, the application of ZP bait 0.06 and 0.12% alone gave zero
and 20% mortality, respectively. The same trend was noticed with A. niloticus. On the
other hand, M musculus showed more sensitive reaction to the same treatment recording
100% mortality comparing to 20 and 40% mortality using ZP alone with concentration of
0.06 and 0.12%, respectively. Under field conditions, the rats population reduction was
increased to 49.53 and 59.60% when used ZP bait 0.06% + Spasmomen® 0.012%
compared with 7.09 and 18.13% population reduction when used ZP bait 0.06% alone
against A. niloticus and M musculus for four successive days, respectively. Generally, all
animal species continued feeding on ZP mixed with Spasmomen® bait till the end of
treatment, while the animals treated with ZP bait alone stopped feeding after one day
from exposure. The quantity of consumed bait was increased with the decrease of ZP
concentration and Spasmomen® additions. The main target of the present study was to
rely on the antispasmodic action of Spasmomen® to prevent the pain resulting from ZP
treatment leading rats to accept the bait of ZP and consume more causing high mortality.
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