Will the World’s Most Bitter Chemical Repel Rats?

Mice and rats… I hate ’em. And if you have ever had them damage or destroy your food or equipment, you probably would too. And after dueling with them on more than one frustrating occasion, i would much rather deter or repel them than try to capture or kill them after they have moved into my home, shed, tractor, or vehicle.

YouTube’s favorite mousetrap man takes a look at various methods of repelling rodents in what he calls ‘mouse mythbuster episode[s], where we test out different ideas for repelling mice and rats.”

This one involves denatonium benzoate, a white powder which is apparently the most bitter-tasting chemical ever. It’s non-toxic and apparently tastes awful… but will it deter rodents?

It was a viewer suggestion that he decided to check out. Oddly enough, his research showed that some rodent poison contains the stuff in order to make it taste bad so people won’t eat it. But presumably, rodents will eat it… which casts doubt on whether denatonium benzoate will work to keep those pesky gnawing critters at bay.

We get to see our host try to eat some of it… and then commence to spitting it on the floor, along with the water from repeated mouth-rinsings.

It’s pretty clear that rats don’t share Shawn’s sense of taste… they wipe out both heaps of sunflower seeds ravenously, regardless of whether it’s bitter or not.

Well, back to the drawing board for repelling them-there rodentia. In the meantime, enjoy these six minutes of video.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.