Rodenator

Guide Note: The Rodenator is a hand-held device, designed and manufactured by Meyer Industries, of Midvale, Idaho, that injects a mixture of oxygen and propane into the dens of burrowing rodents, and kills them with an explosion.

The Rodenator, introduced circa 2003, is intended for use against gophers, squirrels, prairie dogs, and moles, and follows from a similar design by the now-defunct company, Rodex Industries (later revived as Rodex Sales & Service).

While the history of these commercial rodent-exploding devices is complex, their usefulness in reclaiming agricultural land is fairly elementary (the concussive force of the explosion collapses the rodents' tunnel system), as is the appeal of Rodenator clips on YouTube and other user-generated video sites.

On March 24, 2008, it was reported that charges were filed against two men in Alberta, Canada who started a massive grass fire while using a Rodenator to kill gophers. Meyer Industries has won numerous awards for its Rodenator products.

Fast Facts:

1. Motto: "The Boss of the Burrow"
2. Sales: 800-750-4553
3. Technical support: 208-355-7000
4. Uses a 97%/3% Oxygen/Propane mixture
5. Poison gas is the traditional method of killing burrowing rodents