Terro Ant Killer Bait Station (Indoors)
Terro Liquid Ant Baits are a great choice when you want to kill household ants without hurting your pets or leaving a mess. This ant killer comes in pre-filled bait stations that can be placed near ant trails or areas where you see a lot of ants.
The active ingredient in Terro ant killer is borax which isn’t the safest ingredient but isn’t the most toxic thing in the world.
When using borax around a home with pets, it’s important to keep a few guidelines in mind. It’s generally considered safe for humans and pets to touch borax. It just shouldn’t be consumed. When using Terro ant killer, place the bait stations in out-of-the-way areas where your curious dog won’t reach them. You may place them along the wall edge of your countertops, for example, or under the fridge.
Borax — also known as sodium borate — is a common ingredient in ant killers. Powdered borax is a salt of boric acid that’s also found in detergents and cosmetics. Borax is used in ant bait because it interferes with the ants’ digestive systems and kills them slowly. This ingredient is popular because it takes long enough to work for worker ants to share the bait with the rest of the colony and the queen. After all, it isn’t enough to kill just the scouting ants — you want to destroy the entire colony because more will follow them.
Borax isn’t the most dangerous ingredient — but it isn’t something you want your dog eating, either. Boric acid and borax can cause serious symptoms in dogs that eat a toxic dose including:
With a large enough dose, your dog may even develop seizures, tremors, and ataxia. If your dog eats borax, they will usually develop symptoms within two hours.
The good news is borax and boric acid are really only toxic when consumed.
Both are considered low in toxicity when they’re applied to uninjured skin. Your dog or cat is unlikely to suffer any consequences from walking on Borax powder as long as they don’t eat it or it isn’t absorbed into a cut.
If your dog does manage to chew up or eat a Terro liquid bait station, they’re unlikely to consume enough borax to actually do any harm.
Natural Diatomaceous Earth (Indoors)
Diatomaceous Earth is a naturally occurring soft rock that’s crumbled into a very fine powder. Diatomaceous earth is often used as a form of natural pest control and it’s found in many natural ant killer products.
DE works as an abrasive: ants don’t actually need to consume it. As ants walk over diatomaceous earth, it strips oils from their exoskeleton and causes rapid dehydration or desiccation.
Diatomaceous earth is considered safe for dogs and people, although you still don’t want to eat it. Some people even rub it on their dog’s coat to naturally get rid of fleas and ticks, although that’s definitely not the most effective solution.
The only drawback? DE only kills the ants that crawl through it. They won’t take it back to the colony. Still, it’s a good defense to keep ants from entering your home or walking over your countertops.
Related Article: Diatomaceous Earth vs Bed Bugs
The Best Pet Safe Ant Killer Products in 2023 Comparison Chart
| PREVIEW | PRODUCT | |
|---|---|---|
| Best Choice | TERRO T300B Liquid Ant Bait Stations
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Advion Ant Gel Bait
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Optigard Ant Bait Gel by Syngenta
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The Best Ant Sprays:
| PREVIEW | PRODUCT | |
|---|---|---|
| Our #1 Rated | Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer for Indoor & Perimeter with Comfort Wand
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EcoSMART Organic Home Pest Control Ant & Roach Killer Spray
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| Peoples Choice | ECO Defense Home Pest Control Spray for Indoor & Outdoor Use
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Talstar Professional Pest Control Insecticide
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Orange Guard 101 Home Pest Control Spray
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AMDRO Quick Kill Ready-to-Spray – Outdoor Ant Killer
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KID AND PET FRIENDLY ANT BAIT??…MY PEST GUY PROVES IT!!
In this article, we will show you what to look for in the best pet safe ant killers. We’ll run you through which insecticides are irritants to dogs and cats, plus recommend the current products on the market today.
All of us, as owners of fur babies and other pets, know that they are curious creatures. Mostly cats and dogs.
Plus, despite their superior sense of smell, they will still eat questionable things that we would give a wide berth. So, when it comes to choosing and applying insecticides to get rid of ants or any other pest, we must take them into consideration.
When they are on the scent and looking to find the source of a new smell, they will get into places that we cannot. So if you think hiding ant bait behind furniture is enough to keep them safe, you are sadly mistaken.
Most over the counter ant killer products contain small doses of chemical pesticides, which means they aren’t a significant poisoning concern.
However, the effect it has will ultimately come down to the size and age of the dog as well as how much of it was ingested.
Some pets will gobble the whole lot, and therefore consume it in large quantities. And sometimes, it will come into contact with their paws and fur, which they will then lick.
Either way, it’s always best to keep them far away from it when you first apply the pest killer.
OK, enough small talk! Let’s get on with looking at some of the best pet friendly ant killers.