Hope your dogs don't get into the stuff.

I put it outside the fenced in yard, where they can't get it.

I'm still interested in knowing if others have any experience using this in the battle against rats.

It's an urban myth. Use some traps.

Have you tried it?

Most everything I find about Ex Lax controlling mice, rats, and squirrels is anecdotal, peoples experience. The only thing I found that indicates a problem has to do with ground hogs by someone that apparently thinks vegetarians do not eat chocolate, a vegetable.
I would not debunk this outright unless I ahd tried it and it failed. I have not so cannot state it won't work.

I've been doing more research. This guy, Steve Tvedten, seems to be an expert: http://www.mcs-international.org/about_us/meet_the_team/usa/steve_tvedten_professional_experience.html

He specifically states "Laxatives put in their favorite foods have killed many rodents and/or pest mammals without endangering raptors and/or the environment." Page 1211, http://www.stephentvedten.com/33_Vertebrates.pdf

I have ordered a trap - the ratmousezapper, which has good reviews. When it arrives, I will put it out and see what happens.

In the meantime, three boxes of exlax were consumed by something Sunday night. That evening, there was definite rat activity around my compost bin. The dogs were going nuts. Monday, I filled the rat holes with dirt. Tuesday - no new evidence of rat activity anywhere in my yard.

I'm not ready to say this is over, but I am optimistic that laxatives could be a part of the solution. I bought more today, and will put it out again. (Where my dogs can't get it, of course.)

For me, anecdotal stories are fine. And I guess that's what I'm looking for - someone else who has done this successfully.

Hi
I just put out a packet of exlax and rats did not eat any.I see rat poop inside my house and they are in the crawlspace

meowmmy65, I have not tried that particular product but you are on the threshold of a breakthrough in your particular circumstances.
The biggest hurdle in rodent control is to get the animal to feed. Trust me! In one way or another I had to deal with the problem for 20 years.
There is a good chance that if the rats continue to feed, they will die of dehydration as a result of the diarrhea that the product induces.
However, if you can lace the Ex-Lax with a poison without altering the smell or taste you will get rid of them. The poison has to be slow acting because if it is swift-acting, it will kill one or two rats; but the others will become 'bait shy'.
Now if you can induce your rodents to eat up some chocolate flavored warfarin...

I have tried mouse traps, rat traps, glue pads, humane catch and release traps of various sizes. I have found the rats will become shy to use traps others have been killed or caught in. So I started to put bread out. They were eating it up as fast as I put it out. Then I poured a strong laxative (Lactulose Solution) on to the bread. They ate that up. Been a couple days of feeding them. Today all seems quiet and the bread I have put out, along with other Treats, are all in place. I am feeling the laxative route is a good one and I know I won't be killing raptors or other predators. So far so good. I have also detected a few whiffs of dead animal somewhere along the fence line. I will be glad when they are gone.