A non-toxic rodent deterrent made from dried fecal matter and/or dried urine from mammals of the Mustelidae Family (e.g. weasels, ferrets, minks, martens, etc.). The rodent deterrent material may be used in its bulk from or this material may be placed in a container for either interior or exterior use.

This invention was disclosed in and claims the priority date of Provisional 
Application number 60/007260, filed on Nov. 6, 1995, entitled NON-TOXIC 
RODENT DETERRENT now abandoned. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
The present invention relates generally to methods of preventing rodent 
infestation of houses, buildings, or ground areas and, more particularly, 
to a rodent repellant/deterrent which is non-toxic or non-poisonous, so as 
to prevent rodent infestation without the risk of children, domestic cats, 
dogs, livestock, or wild animals being inadvertently poisoned by the 
handling or consumption of toxic chemicals, and/or dead rodents. 
2. General Background 
Rodent infestation of homes, outbuildings, and lawn areas is a common 
problem. The principal culprits are house mice (Mus musculus) and rats 
(Rattus norvegicus and Rattus rattus). 
Typically, rodents are controlled using either traps, domestic cats or 
poisons. The over 300 patents on mouse traps alone demonstrates the effort 
to control these rodents. The use of a trap requires that the trap be 
properly baited and set. If the trap functions properly then the trap must 
be emptied of a dead or maimed rodent. Furthermore, proper disposal of the 
animal caught is required. 
Domestic cats, if trained to catch and kill mice can also control the mouse 
or rat population. Cats, however, can be costly since they require proper 
care (veterinary check-ups and shots) and feeding, if kept as pets. 
Furthermore, cats will often bring the rodent to their owner to show the 
owner they are doing a good job. If the rodent is not dead and the cat 
releases the rodent, there now is a problem of a live rodent deposited or 
remaining in the residence or building. Sometimes the rodent is consumed, 
and the cat may acquire stomach or intestinal parasites, which requires 
additional veterinary care. Cats may also consume only portions of the 
rodent, leaving unwanted "presents" in the owner's residence, doorstep or 
building. 
Another rodent control method is the placement of poisons or poisoned food 
for the rodents to eat. This method also has draw-backs, since the mice or 
rats may consume the poison and die, leaving unwanted dead carcasses in 
inaccessible locations, such as within walls, ceilings, basements and 
crawl spaces. The subsequent decay may cause unpleasant odors in the house 
or building, and attract additional pests. Should a rodent die in an 
accessible location, however, there is the risk of a child, pet, livestock 
or wild animal coming into contact with the poisoned rodent and ingesting 
the poison by handling or consuming the poisoned rodent. 
Furthermore, all three of the common approaches to rodent control are only 
effective after the rats and mice have gained access and entered the 
house, structure or outbuildings, rather than serving to prevent the 
initial entry. 
Accordingly, there exists a need for a method for deterring mice, rats and 
other rodents from infesting houses, outbuildings, lawns, gardens or other 
areas which is non-toxic and harmless to humans, domestic pets, livestock 
and wild animals, and which does not require the setting of traps or the 
disposal of dead or injured pest animals. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The present invention has solved the problems cited above, and comprises 
broadly a non-toxic rodent deterrent. A mixture of (a) dried fecal matter 
and/or dried urine from Mustelidae family mammals (e.g. weasels, ferrets, 
minks, martens, etc.) and (b) sand is used as the deterrent material. For 
indoor use, there is provided a container which has at least one vent 
opening. A cotton ball is placed inside the container, between the mixture 
and the container opening. A screen covers the container opening, and is 
bonded to the container to prevent removal of the screen. A cap is 
installed over the container opening; the cap can be either removable or 
permanently bonded to the container. If the cap is bonded then the cap 
must provide a resealable means for air and water ingress, and for egress 
of air carrying the deterrent agents/compounds. For exterior use, bulk 
deterrent material may be used, or the deterrent may be contained as 
described above.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
FIG. 1 illustrates a non-toxic rodent deterrent assembly 10 for either 
exterior or interior use, in accordance with the present invention. The 
deterrent assembly 10 includes a container 12 having a single opening 14. 
Container 12 can be made of any material which will not be significantly 
damaged by exposure to weather and water for a period of at least one 
year. Additionally, container 12 can be any size, however, the size of the 
container 12 will determine the maximum amount of deterrent material 16 
residing inside container 12. The preferred container is a one ounce (two 
liquid ounces) polypropylene jar with a snap-open lid, similar to 
containers used to dispense household spices. 
Inside container 12 resides a suitable quantity of non-toxic rodent 
deterrent material 16. The quantity of deterrent material 16 used is 
determined by the size area to be protected. The preferred method of 
protecting a large area, however, is to employ several small containers in 
lieu of one large container. Approximately 0.5-1.5 ounces (volume) of 
deterrent material 16 can protect up to 1500 square feet of floor area for 
up to one year. Optimal results have been achieved using approximately 1 
ounce (volume) of deterrent material 16 to protect 500 square feet of 
floor area for a period of four to six months. 
Deterrent material 16 is prepared by slowly drying feces and urine of 
ferrets (Mustela putorius) or other Mustelidae family mammals at low 
temperatures. Deterrent material 16 is obtained by collecting feces mixed 
with sand and urine coated sand from the "litter box" of a Mustelidae 
family mammal, a collection cycle of about two to four days being 
suitable. In addition to serving as a substrate for the urine, the sand 
adds weight which stabilizes the rodent deterrent assembly 10, minimizing 
the chance that this assembly will be tipped over onto its side. Next the 
feces and urine coated sand mixture is dried. The most effective 
proportion of feces to urine appears to be that which is naturally 
produced by the Mustelidae family mammal, however, the deterrent is still 
effective as long as there is some small amount of both feces and urine in 
the deterrent material 16. The preferred method of drying the feces, 
urine, and sand mixture is to use a dehydrator set on low 
(80.degree.-100.degree. F.) and to dry the material for about 24 hours. 
The drying at these temperatures prevents the thermal decomposition of the 
active deterrent chemicals in the feces and urine. A mixture of fresh 
feces, and urine would have a similar deterrent effect, but the drying 
allows for easier packaging, transporting, and extends the shelf life of 
the deterrent material, since the presence of water accelerates the feces 
decomposition. In the present invention the dried deterrent material 16 is 
subsequently activated for use by the addition of an amount of water 
approximately equal to the volume of the deterrent material 16. To ensure 
product safety the deterrent mixture 16 should be tested for E-coli 
0157:H7 bacteria. Additionally, this mixture should be tested for the 
disease Cryptosporidiosis if young ferrets are used and kept in conditions 
similar to those experienced by lab ferrets. Furthermore, the health of 
the animals use to produce the feces should be monitored to minimize the 
chance of infection or diseases which may be deposited in the feces. 
Positioned between the deterrent material 16 and the container opening 14 
is an absorbent member 18. This absorbent member must be able to absorb 
water and allow air to circulate through container 12. The preferred 
material is cotton, however, any other suitable material, such as natural 
or synthetic sponge, could be used. The container opening 14 is covered by 
a screen 20. Screen 20 must have holes which are sized sufficiently large 
to allow air to flow freely through them yet small enough to prevent flies 
and other small insects from entering container 12. The preferred material 
for screen 20 is a mesh formed of a tough, durable, synthetic material 
such as nylon, plastic, or fiberglass with approximately 100 to 150 
openings per square inch. The combination of absorbent member 18 and 
screen 20 prevents either the escape of the deterrent material 16 or 
access to the deterrent material 16 from outside the container. Screen 20 
is permanent bonded to container 12 using any adhesive compatible with the 
materials selected. 
Covering screen 20 so as to seal opening 14 is a cap 22. This cap may be a 
simple removable cap 22', as shown in FIG. 2, or a cap 22, as shown in 
FIG. 1, which allows the amount of airflow through the container to be 
adjusted. The preferred cap 22 is bonded to a container 12 and made from 
any material compatible with container 12 and screen 20, preferably a 
non-corrosive material such as polypropylene. Cap 22 has a large flap 24 
and a small flap 26. Both flaps seal when shut and are preferably 
connected to cap 22 by integrally molded hinges 28. In some embodiments, 
hinges 28 may be dispensed with, however, in such cases it is desirable to 
have a lanyard or some other means of attaching these flaps to the cap 22 
in order to prevent the loss of the former caps. Opening the larger flap 
24 provides access to large opening 30; which provides a convenient 
opening for adding water to activate the deterrent material 16. 
Additionally, the large opening 30 provides a relatively large initial air 
flow when first activating the rodent deterrent material. The smaller flap 
26, in turn, provides a controlled relatively small air flow through 
openings 32, which are selected to have sufficient area to provide 
effective dissemination of the airborne deterrent agents, while preserving 
the effectiveness of the deterrent assembly for a predetermined period 
after initial activation. 
Rodent deterrent assembly 10 is used by placing this container in the 
general area where it is desired to deter rodents from entering or 
remaining. Both the large flap 24 and the small flap 26 are opened (or the 
simple cap 22' is removed), and a volume of water approximately equal to 
the volume of deterrent material 16 is added through opening 30. Large 
flap 24 is closed after about one day to one week, or after the mice have 
left, while the smaller flap 26 remains open to enable dissemination of a 
sufficient quantity of deterrent agents by natural air currents to prevent 
the rodents return. Water may be added as necessary to maintain the 
deterrent material in a damp condition, by repeating the above procedure, 
typically being required every three to four weeks. The rodent deterrent 
assembly 10 should be replaced after 4-6 month of continuous use in order 
to maintain maximum effective deterrent from entry for most common 
rodents. 
As an alternative to using the non-toxic rodent deterrent assembly 
described above, the deterrent material 16 may be deployed in bulk form. 
The bulk use of deterrent material 16 is preferred for use in those areas 
where aesthetics are of little concern, such as around a residence or 
building foundation, basement and attic areas, lawns and gardens. When 
deterrent material 16 is used in bulk, it may either be spread or placed 
in small piles of 0.5 or 1.5 ounces for each 500 square feet of surface 
area to protect. If small piles are used, they should be spaced so that 
there is an overlap in the area to be protected, so as to prevent rodent 
infestation. 
Having then described the present invention in its preferred embodiments, 
it should be understood that modification and adaptations may be resorted 
to without departing from the spirit thereof. Accordingly, this invention 
is not to be limited except as by the appended claims.