Protecting Your Car Engines Away From Your Mice, Rats And Other Rodents
You could have heard of people with bats in their belfry?
Rodent residency in engine compartments is not a myth, even though it is only a rumor that small autos are powered by hamsters running full speed on whirling exercise wheels.
In fact, the damage done to vehicles by mice, rats, and their many cousins can be considerable.
Gnawing wires, ripping out insulation for nesting materials, or squirreling away caches of nuts and other treasures in truck and car engines can wreak havoc on some of man’s most sophisticated transportation technology and cause a tremendous financial pain.
This is especially true living in a rural area.
Not Just “”Seldom Used”” Cars
Seldom used vehicles are not the only ones which inspire rodent occupation. Residents of rural areas sometimes realize that furry critters are as excited since they are about brand-new cars. In less than 24 hours they may destroy most of the wiring.
The plastic insulating material that is now being used might be especially tasty– like caviar to rodents. Wires that connect batteries or alternators or anything electric to anything else can be thoughly chewed, and lead to costly replacement
After repairs are made, it may happen again unless steps are taken.
Using a small electronic deterrent device which sends out rodent- disturbing signals warns tiny intruders to back off provided that is properly connected each time the auto is parked.
Other vehicle owners experienced success by using, traps and baits peppermint oil, fox urine powder or a combination of several methods.
Electronic Deterrent
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What Makes Them in There?
“”Apparently they have outright time, says Rick LeDuc of Rick’s Automotive Service in Mariposa , California. He has found elaborate nests in intake manifolds, and even litters of tiny pink mice inside densely re-insulated air cleaners.
In one of the more ambitious nests, he found a section of broom handle that was dragged in to the inner workings, as well as “”a couple of pounds of dog food. In another instance, he said that only the wires coated with blue plastic insulation had been gnawed.
“”They can be supposedly color-blind, but sometimes they opt for one certain color of wire to chew, he insists. Several auto repair businesses report that they have numerous incidents of rodent damage each month. The time of year doesn’t seem to matter. Hoarding, nest building and wire gnawing are throughout the year occupations.
Run! The Hood is open!
photo by Linda Gast
photo by Linda Gast
Mechanics say that the animals seem to favor newer trucks and cars, but they also plague any vehicles that are parked for long periods of time. Repair costs may be as high as $500 and sometimes much more.
In one or more case where so much wiring damage was completed that the car was not worth fixing. People sometimes enter into a repair center complaining they “”smell something burning.
The diagnosis could possibly be feather duster plumes tightly packed in a carefully fabricated nest, pine needles jammed into tight spaces, and actual culprits, both living and defunct. A lot of people are surprised to discover the source of their problems. Why have so many furry occupants taken up residency inside a space where renters are not welcome? Could they be planning to take control the planet by disabling our vehicles?
It possesses a dark, warm, secure location to hide…. no less than until the ignition key is turned,. That’s the real reason they seek an unnatural habitat beneath a hood. Machinations of vehicle start-ups may be deadly for your critters, and in some cases can cause serious consequences to the drivers too.
Mice Ate My Car
An experience with mice within the motor. It gives lots of practical information for handling and preventing the problem.
Rodent Collections
An acorn, rolling into a crevice after a driver stepped about the gas pedal, kept the throttle open on a late model Ford truck.
Brakes were damaged before the driver could turn off power on the winding country road.
The wood rat culprit had apparently abandoned ship just before the adventure, but his hoard of nuts almost caused a real disaster. The truck required towing and a lot of professional attention.
John Muir, the famous Yosemite naturalist, called the Wood Rat, “” a handsome, interesting animal.
Within his detailed descriptions of Sierra fauna and flora, he also opined that “” No rat or squirrel has so innocent a look, is indeed easily approached, or expresses such confidence in one’s good intentions.
The colorful comments of numerous vehicle owners who have been bedeviled and plagued by by these damage- causing beasties is usually much less complimentary, and often unprintable. Those who have been their victims have long since abandoned any “”good intentions.
…. Lurking, everywhere.
Rat photos by Linda Gast
Rat photos by Linda Gast
Repellent Solution
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They have been with us.
Muir recorded incidents of rats stealing combs, nails, tin cups, eating utensils and spectacles which he supposed were used with regards to strengthening it’s nest. Quite possibly it was easier for the poetic naturalist to appreciate your pet, since he usually traveled on foot, rather than by SUV.
Wood rats or pack rats are notorious for gathering and accessorizing their nests with varied accumulations. Their collectibles vary from natural curiosities likebones and cones, and stones, to the tools, treasures and trash furnished by humans.
Once they have realized their distance to an engine compartment, the rats must think they have got found the mom lode of wonderful man-made objects, with wires and hoseshoses and tubes connected to a spectacular variety of shiny metal and plastic components.
To this assemblage, they will add their acorns, pine needles hardware items, bottle caps and whatever ornaments suit their eclectic decorating style.
Folks have contended using these tiny terrors, even before the era of motorized vehicles. Early settlers did their finest to keep rats and mice from their barns and houses, even though hard rock miners actually encouraged rats to inhabit the mine tunnels.
There are tales of miners saving crusts and crumbs of bread for the rodents who acted as a kind of low tech safety system. The rats, being ultra sensitive to tremors or quakes could provide early warning for impending collapses or cave-ins. As soon as the rats suddenly went running for the exit, the mine workers were close behind.
Other Mice in Motor solutions:
Mice Eating Spark Plug Wires
There are many strategies to combat this challenge of mice eating using your spark plug wires. I will tell you what you should do. You want to take care of the issue because when you are in a rural area you…
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Discouraging Them
Just how can pesky little wire insulation and nibblers grabbers be discouraged? Could a car be disguised with with animal pelts, to make it look like a rat eating predator?
Would a ground squirrel be tricked into thinking your car or truck was a mountain lion or even a giant badger with the help of a spectacular paint job? Or possibly one of those big plastic owls could be stuck under the hood, and wired it up having a speaker playing annoying rap music.
A lot of people park their car more than a bucket of mothballs, which is apparently repugnant to rat olfactory receptors.
Other simply leave their hoods open, eliminating the darkness and privacy sought by invasive mammals. Traps, baits or poisons are utilized by others.
If the cat gets into an engine, it’s bad for everyone ….. usually worst for the cat, even though the family dog or cat may help to keep mouselike pests away.
Some point out that even a little bundle of dog hair, cat fur or even human hair clippings has the power to repel the nuisances. Others swear by the electronic devices utilized to repel gophers .
There are also little buzzer stuff that are supposed to keep pets off the furniture. They will often work.
The issue is not going away, so drivers might be wise to pay a little bit more attention the next occasion they notice an unfamiliar squeak with their vehicle.
These are out there.
A number of them know where you park your car.
