Rat attack!

[MakinDoForNow]

There is some debate around the soy theory but it does make sense. What I have read really drives rodents to chew is that their teeth are constantly growing and they have to chew things to keep them filed down or they will grow out of their mouths, They do chew just about anything. Wood, plastic, wires, etc. Given the choice, maybe the soy based wires are more tasty but if they are in your engine bay they will snack on something else if not the wires. Best to just find away to keep them out.

Nothing to fear worse than a Buck Toothed Rodent!!!

Sponsored

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Ah, chicken coop. Makes sense, easy food source rodents show up. I guess the herd of feral cats around me and in the woods behind us is a good thing. Plus a house in the neighborhood behind the woods has chickens so the rodents head there for food.

I have an old fox den about sixty feet south of my house. I keep a piece of 2x4 mesh fence over it to keep fox, armadillo, rabbits, etc out. There are some racers (snakes that eat mice, rattle snakes, etc) that occupy it.

 

[Redline]

I used to work at a Power sports dealer and it was very common for people to bring in their motorcycle or ATV that was stored in the barn because it wouldn't start. Half the time there was a rats nest in the airbox or chipmunks had stuffed the tailpipe full of acorns

 

[MakinDoForNow]

I used to work at a Power sports dealer and it was very common for people to bring in their motorcycle or ATV that was stored in the barn because it wouldn't start. Half the time there was a rats nest in the airbox or chipmunks had stuffed the tailpipe full of acorns

My son ran a power sports dealership for years. Sold a lot a of batteries every year because people would not put them on a maintainer when they were stored! That's why those batteries have six months warranty.

 

[Meeka]

Yes please! Do not poison rodents. Because they eat the poison and don't die right away. Only for raptors or Coyotes to eat the poisoned rats in turn poisoning an unintended target and killing them.

I put out big buckets of used anti-freeze just outside of my garage….. J/K!!!

 

[gjallen3]

Another bit of advice. Do you have bird feeders in your yard? Don’t. Not only do they attract rodents they also attract the nasty winged rats. Pigeons. They spread all kinds of diseases and destroy Maverick paint! Also, snakes are your friend. Just stay clear of the vipers. Don’t make it too comfortable for them and remove them professionally when necessary. But Gopher snakes,Racers and Garter Snakes?Gotta love them.

 

[Meeka]

Another bit of advice. Do you have bird feeders in your yard? Don’t. Not only do they attract rodents they also attract the nasty winged rats. Pigeons. They spread all kinds of diseases and destroy Maverick paint! Also, snakes are your friend. Just stay clear of the vipers. Don’t make it too comfortable for them and remove them professionally when necessary. But Gopher snakes,Racers and Garter Snakes?Gotta love them.

Exactly! I take my bird feeders down now also because of the bears, out fattening up now for winter. Had many a seed feeder and stand totally destroyed.

 

[Scott Asheville]

Time to get you one of these

Right... I had two cats, one of which was an outdoor car who liked to bring in dead things. Except I had dinner guest one night who saw a mouse running across the floor. Literally (I counted) 120 dead mice later, I finally killed the last mouse in the house. And found how they got in (chewed through the sill underneath a deck).

Apparently my cats were getting paid off by the mice.

 

[gjallen3]

Right... I had two cats, one of which was an outdoor car who liked to bring in dead things. Except I had dinner guest one night who saw a mouse running across the floor. Literally (I counted) 120 dead mice later, I finally killed the last mouse in the house. And found how they got in (chewed through the sill underneath a deck).

Apparently my cats were getting paid off by the mice.

I hate those Meeces to Pieces! Yes, I'm a Boomer.

 

[Meeka]

Right... I had two cats, one of which was an outdoor car who liked to bring in dead things. Except I had dinner guest one night who saw a mouse running across the floor. Literally (I counted) 120 dead mice later, I finally killed the last mouse in the house. And found how they got in (chewed through the sill underneath a deck).

Apparently my cats were getting paid off by the mice.

People have (had) cats around me too but the damn coyotes get them! You can hear them at night yelping and going crazy when they’ve made a cat kill, sad.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Another bit of advice. Do you have bird feeders in your yard? Don’t. Not only do they attract rodents they also attract the nasty winged rats. Pigeons. They spread all kinds of diseases and destroy Maverick paint! Also, snakes are your friend. Just stay clear of the vipers. Don’t make it too comfortable for them and remove them professionally when necessary. But Gopher snakes,Racers and Garter Snakes?Gotta love them.

Several months ago I came out my patio door and after I cleared the corner of the house there was a pair of Racers mating. I came to a stop and did not move a single hair for about 10 minutes. They both stopped and he watched me for about a minute maybe a little longer, then proceeded to finish about 7 feet away. Generally the Racers will jump and run if you get within 30 feet of them. Couple years ago I came up on one belly up enjoys the warm sunlight. When he flipped over he got about 3-3.5 ft off ground and when he landed he was already snaking and hit double digit mph immediately. They can actually hurt themselves getting away. My neighbor about 900 feet away kills rattlers more or less monthly but I very seldom see any within 600 feet of my house.

 

[Danhedonia]

I live in the high desert and it can happen.

Didn't appreciate someone else's post about wanting to poison animals who are, basically, just being themselves.

Go to a feed store and get cinnamon spray. $10 a bottle, put on a mask (don't say I didn't warn you) and just give a couple of squirts under the hood and around the chassis. Cheap, and animals will avoid it.

 

[ABTremor]

An old prescription bottle, a 1/16" drill bit, a piece of sponge, peppermint extract, and a zip tie are you friend....

I've found this to be the most effective defense against the furry little bastards..
I refresh the peppermint extract every 3 months or so.
I've been doing this on every vehicle we own for years - of course I did learn to do this the hard way after a rodent ate through the engine harness on a company provided F250 that was parked nightly in my driveway, that incident required an ALMOST funny phone call to my supervisor and a tow truck ride to the dealership... Just glad I didn't have to pay that bill, and yes I kept working for that company until my retirement

 

[gjallen3]

Several months ago I came out my patio door and after I cleared the corner of the house there was a pair of Racers mating. I came to a stop and did not move a single hair for about 10 minutes. They both stopped and he watched me for about a minute maybe a little longer, then proceeded to finish about 7 feet away. Generally the Racers will jump and run if you get within 30 feet of them. Couple years ago I came up on one belly up enjoys the warm sunlight. When he flipped over he got about 3-3.5 ft off ground and when he landed he was already snaking and hit double digit mph immediately. They can actually hurt themselves getting away. My neighbor about 900 feet away kills rattlers more or less monthly but I very seldom see any within 600 feet of my house.

I've only had one rattler in about 10years and he was next to the vehicle that I was having rodent problems with. We left each other alone and we are both fortunate for that. Haven't seen him since.

 

[Timothyd]

1700 miles on new lariat hybrid. It’s the season for getting ready for winter. Driving last Thursday and running very rough. Get out, lift hood, rats nest. Chewed thru wires on one injector harness. Dealership says 2 connectors and short harness. $695 plus tax! They had to order connector.

Get an outside cat. I'm out in the woods, no problems. Except the occasional half a mouse, tree rat, chipmunk, etc.

Sponsored