Rodent issues

[Renzo Bartolotta]

What is my safest/best way to rid my truck of nesting rodents on my new battery covers. Grandchildren and pet safe?

 

[dexter]

What is my safest/best way to rid myself of nesting rodents on my new battery covers. Grandchildren and pet safe?

I had 2 field rats in my RV ... drove me crazy.

Most things don't work ... peperment, sound etc.

What worked for me was putting water in the tub and leaving the shower curtin out.
Rat climbed up the curtin and fell into the water ... couldn't get out. I clubbed it.

For the other one, I used a glue trap. It got caught and stuck there. I clubbed it.

They deserved it.

Look for small round black/brown droppings.

Try the bucket trap.

https://www.ratrelief.com/bucket-rat-traps/

 

[Renzo Bartolotta]

Thanks, a bucket trap won't work for me.

 

[tidefan1967]

Mothballs work great. The Christmas tree air fresheners also work well too. Mice/rats/squirrel,etc hate the smell!

 

[buddy guy]

Also a bar of Irish Spring soap. And it smells nice!

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[Badger 13]

When my truck had to sit out prior to finishing the garage, I used dryer fabric sheets, I think that is what you call them. Placed them around the battery, and wedged a few in other places as well. They seemed to do the job.

 

[Smokeybear01]

Mothballs work great. The Christmas tree air fresheners also work well too. Mice/rats/squirrel,etc hate the smell!

Yep, I put them in a tea ball and hang them under the hood somewhere the engine heat won't melt them. Had to do that while living in the mountains and never had a rodent problem while my neighbors had serious chewing and nesting problems until they did the same. Those metal hanging tea balls work great.

 

[Travelin Ram]

I used to swear by mothballs until mice nested in the engine of the car and chewed wires to the tune of $1200. This was with several of the mothball sachets under the hood. I don’t have a solid recommendation for excluding them.

Sticky traps will get them out or reduce the population. Last year we tried stickies adjacent to the front tires. Theoretically they climb the front tires to access the engine bay. I’m not sure it’s a 100% solution.

Check out the guy on YouTube that does Mousetrap Monday, ISTR he recommended a bait that only kills rodents, not toxic to other animals or people.

Good luck, I’ve been fighting them forever and it’s a battle that’s never won.

 

[sandawilliams]

Christmas tree air fresheners work well for rodents. Didn't know this until packrats moved in. Found out the school buses in western Colorado use them. We ended up trapping 30 packrats in 33 days so we had a major infestation.

 

[Smokeybear01]

I used to swear by mothballs until mice nested in the engine of the car and chewed wires to the tune of $1200. This was with several of the mothball sachets under the hood. I don’t have a solid recommendation for excluding them.

Sticky traps will get them out or reduce the population. Last year we tried stickies adjacent to the front tires. Theoretically they climb the front tires to access the engine bay. I’m not sure it’s a 100% solution.

Check out the guy on YouTube that does Mousetrap Monday, ISTR he recommended a bait that only kills rodents, not toxic to other animals or people.

Good luck, I’ve been fighting them forever and it’s a battle that’s never won.

I'd wanna know who provided them with masks... My neighbors motorhome suffered the same fate as your car before he did the mothballs. Your experience proves they are not 100% fail proof.

 

[Hesabiggin111]

I've had some success with the peppermint oil and I've heard of people using garlic oil. Crazy story I did a whole house remodel years ago and the place was infested with every critter around. The previous owners had trash from the floor to the ceiling in the dining room and same thing in the entryway closet. Anyways I killed 7 mice in that closet just chasing them down and stomping on them but the craziest thing ever was the mice made a nest in a box of rat and mouse poison. So they ate the poison and must of liked the box because they made it their home.

 

[NathanJackson]

Ugh, what an abomination. You can put poison in it. If this doesn't work you can hire someone to get rid of them. I had a raccoon problem in my garage once. It entered somehow, and it scratched my car. I was furious, but it attacked me when I tried getting rid of it. I gave it up, and it was wise to do so because the guys from aaacwildliferemoval got rid of it easily. At least I know what to do the next time I have a problem like this.

____________________________________________
https://tulsa.aaacwildliferemoval.com/raccoon-removal

 

[Ricks Ram]

I had a major rodent problem when I moved to the country. The mice and rats made quick work of nesting in the engine compartments. I tried all the methods mentioned by others like the moth balls, dryer sheets ect. I ended up buying the sonic/light repellent devices you mount in the engine compartment or wherever they hang out. I was skeptical at first but I have to admit they seem to work pretty well. I can tell by the prints that for a while they still came in and looked around but after a week or two they totally left all the cars alone. It's been about 5 months now and I haven't see any evidence at all of them coming back. The rats/mice don't like the random flashing strobe lights and the super sonic noise is irritating to them as well so the eventually just avoid the area.

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[EdGs]

Hope you get a handle on it, because they will chew the hell out of just about anything.

My son had a blazer that picked up a rat. SOB chewed up a bunch of the wiring including several wires about an inch from the brain.

We set a large rat trap with string rubbed with peanut butter wrapped around the trigger. Not 5 minutes after we placed the trap on top of the intake and partially lowered the hood, it snapped.

Problem solved.

 

[GTyankee]

Honda has come up with a novel solution

There is a clever solution in a TSB from Honda: rodent-deterrent tape, essentially an electrical tape treated with super-spicy capsaicin, which Honda describes as “the stuff that puts the fire in a bowl of five-alarm chili.” The tape (part number 4019-2317) comes in a 20-meter roll, about 22 yards, and it is available through dealers and available online ($43).

There are other things that attract rodents
Parking near trash cans or dumpsters
Parking near food sources, like dog & cat food
Leaving food or food wrappers in the vehicle

Don't use moth balls inside of the passenger compartment, that stink is hard to get out

I don't know if this would work,
Keep your engine compartment clean & every 6 months, spray the engine compartment with
Homemade Hot Pepper Spray Recipe
Pepper spray can be made from either fresh or dried hot peppers, or even hot pepper powder or flakes
Ingredients

• 1 gallon of water
• 10 Cayenne peppers chopped finely ( Food processors work great)

If fresh peppers are not available – substitute with 3 tablespoons of hot pepper flakes.

There are some great hot pepper grinds on the market that work well for making homemade hot pepper spray. See : Spicy World Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Simmer the chopped peppers or flakes for about 10 minutes to heat the flesh and seeds up a bit.
Heating helps the release the oils from the skins and seeds of the peppers, and creates a more potent spray.

Add into the water and stir or shake.

Let the mixture sit for at least 24 hours to absorb the hot pepper flakes, and then strain for a clear, hot liquid.
Now all that is left is to spray!

For plants:
Add a few drops of natural biodegradable dish soap or olive oil to the liquid mixture before spraying. This will aid in the mixture adhering to the foliage.


You can spray it on plants every couple of days, to keep insects away, make sure that you spray the underside of the leafs

Don't expect to see any deer, rabbits, squirrels, etc. around anything that you spray