Keeping your hood up to prevent rodent damage

[newbury]

A while back (last several months) I read a thread talking about leaving the engine bay open to help prevent rodent nest build up.
Can anybody point me to that thread? I should have subscribed but didn't.
My main interest is what were the relative light levels?

 

[oosik]

Yeah - Newbury, I started a thread like that a while back. I'm pleased to report - two months with the hoods open - no rats, no mice.

All my vehicles and some of my implements are stored in my 4+1 bay carport. There is no artificial light involved in my situation. When its dark - its dark, etc, etc. I'm not kidding myself - I've killed seven rats and there are surely more out there in the buck brush - the engine compartments just aren't to their liking any more.

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[deanocraft]

I also must have read that thread... Thanks, oosik! I tried it and I have not had a nest in my engine compartment since I started. It apparently works. My tractor is in a barn with no lighting.

 

[oosik]

And the most important, to me, point - it costs nothing, doesn't smell like moth balls - so far after two months its working like a champ.

The other thing - I feared that when they(rats & mice) found they did not like the engine compartment - - move right into the passenger compartment. Well - so far after two months that has not happened.

You better believe - I went thru the passenger compartments of the pickup and Jeep with a fine tooth comb. I hand picked and vacuumed so that now there is no scrap of any type food to be found in either vehicle.

I've got to remind my neighbor about the promised barn cats - again.

 

[Texasmark]

I just went through it with a 1 lb or so brown rat that I found (no telling how many helpers she may have had) that thought the top of the engine of my 2011 Silverado was where she was to build a nest. That truck has been attacked twice in the past where wiring was destroyed. I caught this one (since my engine hood was up and I saw the to-be nest developing) before she settled down and went after the wiring. The hood had been originally down but I wanted to check the oil and in doing so spotted the nest in work.

I left the hood up during the elimination process and it made no difference to the rat once she had decided where she was to build her nest. It took about 3 days from first seeing the nest building till I found her jammed up under the deck belt shield on one of my ZTs. It very well may be that had the hood been up in the first place, she wouldn't have selected that spot.....they do pick cozy places to build a nest and the top of an engine under a closed hood, off the ground is a likely place to raise a family......especially in the winter when the engine is still warm from being run.

In researching to see if I had a rat or a coon, I learned:

Light has no effect per se. If located in a non-disturbed area, activity can go on 24/7.

Putting out feed samplings on sifted flower gives you footprints that you can compare to prints on the www to see what you are up against.

Tom Cat baits work. It takes a few days to kill them but it works. I buy the green squares about 1x2" with the hole in the center where you can mount with a piece of wire to keep the rat/mouse from running off with it.

Cayenne pepper works. Rats have very acute smell and that pepper overpowers their senses and they avoid the areas where it is present. So I just shake it around the area where I don't want them. I accidentally got some in my nose in the process and yes, it's obnoxious and very irritating to the nasal passages.

Chili pepper hot sauce contains Cayenne (usually...look for it on the label) and can be used where the raw pepper may get blown off. The tomatoes in the sauce attract them but when they start lapping it up, funny things happen inside and they scat. I have proof that works.

Black and brown(Norway) rats seem to be the predominant species. Black eats grain (vegan) and Norway eats anything.

I read that electrical wiring nowadays uses a veggie compound that helps to attract them to your wiring, besides the natural tendency to keep their constantly growing front teeth, ground off and sharp.

 

[OlyPenAaron]

For what it's worth, I can corroborate the idea that there is something in the wiring they like. When I worked for Comcast, it was shared that many wiring mfrs use peanut oil as a lube when pulling copper through the coax sheath. Not sure about this part, but I reckon they got that idea from Washington D.C.

 

[ruccione]

For what it's worth, I can corroborate the idea that there is something in the wiring they like. When I worked for Comcast, it was shared that many wiring mfrs use peanut oil as a lube when pulling copper through the coax sheath. Not sure about this part, but I reckon they got that idea from Washington D.C.

I think they sense the electricity. I disconnect the battery and they seem to leave the wiring alone! None of my vehicles with the battery off have had any problems. I buy those ground connectors that have the green knob. Cheap insurance?

 

[Jstpssng]

Last night I cooked supper on my gas grill and left the cover open in consideration of this discussion. When I just put the dog out I saw that overnight they had built a nest on top of one of the burners. So while leaving the hood up may help, it sure isn't a perfect solution.

 

[oosik]

I never had any problems with my gas grill. I never left the lid open overnight either. Probably help if you quit leaving a burger on the grill. They think your grill is the Due-Drop-In.

Now, I've heard that what mice like is - some of the wiring has the sheath made of a soy product. The mice like the soy product???

 

[HillStreet]

I never had any problems with my gas grill. I never left the lid open overnight either. Probably help if you quit leaving a burger on the grill. They think your grill is the Due-Drop-In.

Now, I've heard that what mice like is - some of the wiring has the sheath made of a soy product. The mice like the soy product???

My wife puts our grill in the open shed for winter storage. She covers it and mice build in there every year. I can’t convince her to leave it uncovered.

As for wire made of soy or other product. Hmmm, sounds like we could change that easy enough.

 

[Jstpssng]

My wife puts our grill in the open shed for winter storage. She covers it and mice build in there every year. I can’t convince her to leave it uncovered.

As for wire made of soy or other product. Hmmm, sounds like we could change that easy enough.

^^^^^
I don't think that it matters if they are covered or not. Last summer I took my little tabletop Weber out of my shed and went camping. I started it up and it just reeked of mouse *.*. It was too dry to have a fire and I only had one disposable tank of gas. I dunked the grill in a stream, cleaned the crap out of it (literally ) fired it back up until it was good and hot and had a very late supper.

 

[Texasmark]

Update on my situation. Since I found the dead rat, none of the baits I left out have been touched. Under the hood shows no signs of any activity. So far so good.

 

[D2Cat]

I thought you guys left the hood up on vehicles as a theft deterrent. Thieves thinking the hood is up it isn't work stealing!!:laughing:

I've had critters gnaw through a 2" black hose that comes out of a 300 gallon spray tank to the pump. It's had 2-4-D, tordon, remedy, liquid fertilizer through it and they still eat it. And the hose sets out in the open 2' off the ground.

 

[crazyal]

The problem is mice adapt to almost anything. If you leave the hood up they will just find a place more out of sight. For me it was on top of the transmission. Once they start to leave the smell that a mouse has been there it seams to attract more. My best solution is a little bit of everything.

 

[TheFarmerInAdell]

I discovered a mouse nest in my truck transmission bell housing behind the clutch throw-out. I noticed the clutch slipping on heavy loads and just thought the clutch went bad due to previous owner's inability to use it properly. Nope, a mouse nest was keeping the throw out from fully disengaging leaving pressure on the pressure plate fingers. I was definitely not happy about that. :irked:

 

[oosik]

Well - almost three months now and no mouse or rat evidence in any of the engine compartments. However - I have continued to catch mice and chipmunks in my big 'ol Victor rat traps. These traps are located in two of my out buildings. But no rats - no rat sign - no rat digs - nothing. I will NEVER get rid of all the mice and chipmunks - its like trying to drain the ocean by constant dipping with a tea spoon. I know the mice and munks draw straws - for every one I trap - - two more "come on down" from out there in the brush.

They are still there - out in the brush - its just that the engine compartments are no longer acceptable nesting areas.

Honestly - this short sojourn with the rats is my first experience with them in the 36 years out here. I have no idea why they "came in out of the bush" around three months ago and decided to nest in my engine compartments. To the best of my knowledge - and I've done serious thinking on this matter - I have changed nothing.

Whatever - as long as the wood rats continue to remain out in the bush - I have no problems dealing with the few mice and munks.

 

[bkrgi]

I randomly started leaving the hood up several yrs ago to discourage mice from nesting in the engine bay....will say it seems to work and I know the mice are still around.

 

[newbury]

I've 4 buildings just about joined together.

When we bought it the place was almost a disaster. Stuff strewn all around, lot's of food had been left out etc. And there were a fair amount of mice in all buildings. Poison took care of most of them.

But I still occasionally find 6' long discarded snake skins inside the building with red and white front

 

[oosik]

newbury - what brand of snake are you speaking of??? I will rarely find discarded snake skins out on the property. Since we have both bull snakes and rattle snakes - I prefer to think these skins come from bull snakes. I have seen rather large bull snakes - never a rattler.