ABSTRACT
In this study the palatability tests of certain food items as attractants in the poisoned-baits for the albino mouse Mus musculus var. albus showed that the food items of treacle, maize oil, dry or wet sugar and milk powder act as more attractive pleasant materials that encourage the mice to consume more of those baits containing such items. The most palatable combination of tested food items to the mouse Mus musculus was that consisting of crushed maize + treacle + maize oil + milk powder. The least amount of food consumed by the mice was that of rice and or rice + treacle + oil + milk powder. The use of wheat grain alone was much better than crushed maize alone or and combined with wet or dry sugar. The tested anticoagulant rodenticides were greatly effective against the albino mouse Mus musculus var. albus, since they could cause a final mortality of hundred percent in a mean time ranging merely between 7 & 9 days. Chlorophacinone was more potent and effective than coumachlor; at its lowered concentrations of 25 and 44.5 ppm was more acceptable than coumachlor. The consumed amounts of zinc phosphide baits were comparatively utmost lower than those of anticoagulants poisoned baits. Feeding the pregnant females on prepared baits consisting of crushed maize, treacle, milk powder, maize oil and lower concentration of each of coumachlor, chlorophacinone and zink phosphide, to a more or less extent, reduced females weight according to the tested lower concentration, versus the weight of pregnant females in control treatment which was increased by 14.4%. In comparison to both the tested anticoagulant rodenticides, the measured reduction of females weight caused by zinc phosphide (6 ppm) was, to a more extent, higher as the mean weight gradually decreased from 27.4 up to 16.3 g. Chlorophacinone at its minimized concentrations was least effective in reducing the number and mean weight of developing fetuses. However, coumachlor at its tested concentration of 2 ppm caused abortion after the first and the second weeks of pregnancy reached to 100%. Zinc phosphide at both tested concentrations of 0.6 and 6 ppm was ineffective on the abortion and resorption of fetuses; the fed females on baits containing 0.6 and/or 6.0 ppm zinc phosphide ate their youngsters at the 2nd and 4th day after birth, respectively. The histopathological changes of liver, kidney, lung and intestine due to feeding of the Mouse Mus musculus var. albus on the poisoned baits of tested different rodenticides were recorded and photographed.
