Rat's Nest On My Motor

[JDNineNinety]

Rat\'s Nest On My Motor

Today I went to the farm (60 miles from home) to check on my food plots. I planted them the first week in September but have had no rain so nothing has come up. After taking my 990 for a spin to charge up the battery I raised the hood to clean off the grills and lo and behold on top of the 4-cyl.
Yanmar was a huge rat's nest. I cleaned it off with compressed air. Terrible. The nerve of that varmint!

 

[Henro]

Re: Rat\'s Nest On My Motor

During winter, I park my tractors in my shed with the hoods raised.

I think it makes a difference, as being open the mice do not seems to care to make their homes there anymore.

One time my wife was out of town and I did not use her car for a couple weeks, and for some reason opened the hood and there was a large nest in there too. So it is not just tractors that the mice like! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Try leaving your hood up while you are not there if the tractor is under roof. Might make a big difference.

<font color="blue"> The verve of that varmint?</font> /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Myself, I would call it good taste... /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[hobbyfarm]

Re: Rat\'s Nest On My Motor

Here in South Texas, posums make nest everywhere. Just like you're describing, only huge nests. In the winter, its tough to keep them out of the attic too.
phil

 

[Phred]

Re: Rat\'s Nest On My Motor

I would be careful because I bet he/she will be back.
Also I have seen them chew up a wiring harness so bad that it had to be removed and repaired or replaced.

They always seem to come back even if you remove their nest.

Poison works. Throw a couple of bate blocks up in the compartment and you will get ride of them for good.
Well at least for a while, until the next rat family comes along.......

Fred

 

[frank_f15]

Re: Rat\'s Nest On My Motor

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( In the winter, its tough to keep them out of the attic too. )</font>
Good lord and i thought i had a problem with a mouse getting in and on very rare occasions a red squirl, but a possum? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[sneaky_pete]

Re: Rat\'s Nest On My Motor

At our last house, I parked my old Land Cruiser outside and once noticed a horrible smell for a couple of days when driving. Turns out a rat had crawled up in my engine compartment to die - I had poison out inside the garage. I'm just glad the rat died there instead of inside the garage.

Lately I'm seeing a skunk on our property every 2nd or 3rd night. I took a shot at him with a .22 but can't see the sights well enough in the dark. Guess I'll get a 410 shotgun.

Pete

 

[DannyD]

Re: Rat\'s Nest On My Motor

I took a shot at him with a .22 but can't see the sights well enough in the dark.>>>>>

Why, let him alone and he will let you alone. Used to have one under my drive, he would eat with the cats and a few times when I was going out he would simply look up and waddle away.

Guess I'll get a 410 shotgun

You'll be sorry. He will then smell up your place for a good bit of time..........remember seeing them on the road..... dead....and the smell?

 

[sneaky_pete]

Re: Rat\'s Nest On My Motor

Danny,

I'm all for "live and let live" until they start costing me money and harmony at home - they are getting in the chicken run and eating Mrs. Sneaky's chicken feed and she is afraid they will get the eggs and chicks too.

Pete

 

[Michigan_Mike]

Re: Rat\'s Nest On My Motor

I can attest to the problem with wiring.
Before the pole barn was built, I had to leave my truck out.
I don't drive it often, so field mice took up residence, and snacked on the wiring. $1,700 to get it fixed.

 

[hobbyfarm]

Re: Rat\'s Nest On My Motor

Hello Frank,
Once I came home during a cold front, and found a possum [about the size of a regulation NFL football] had torn through the stove vent in the kichen. I opened a cabinet above the stove and here's this rodent trying to give birth in the cabinet.
I almost had a coronary when I opened the cabinet. /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Seems she was desparate to get out of the cold to have her babies. She looked at me as though - "Do you mind? I'm busy here." /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif Just like she belonged there.
I'm just happy it wasn't a skunk! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I put gloves on and showed her the way out. Then I had to repair that glorified drier hose of a stove vent.
phil