2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission RATS in my engine bay

[RMecum]

#@$%!

For the fifth time today I'm doing repairs on some wires in my truck. I drive my car most of the time... I bought the cummins to tow the Airstream. So my truck sits in front of the house quite a bit. The rats would nest in the air filter box until I did the BHAF mod. They chewed the ABS wiring, hood blanket and some other stuff to the tune of $2700 (that the insurance paid for) and now (twice) they've chewed the ground wires off the right side battery. I had some traps set for a week or so and no action, (no more damage either) didn't catch anything.



I've put poison in pet safe boxes in the yard hoping to kill a few. I know they're coming from my neighbor across the street... he has a bunch of crap in his back yard.



ANYBODY have ANY thoughts on a solution? I'm going to put poison in the engine bay and reset my traps (is peanut butter the best bait?) when I park it tomorrow. Any ideas would be GREATLY appreciated.



Mike

 

[jjordan1]

You might try large glue boards. Make sure you check them before starting your truck. When they stick they are VERY hard to remove.

 

[B.G. Smith]

If they are voles the glue might work but I don't think it will hold a big rat. The Decon rat bait is the best I have used. bg

 

[JRS]

try bacon in the rat trap.



My company purchased a brand new F-550 outfitted with tool boxes, crane, air compressor, the works. Over $70k worth of truck. When we picked it up at the dealer, it had a rats nest next to one of the batteries. The dealer acted like it was no big deal.

 

[davemac]

I had the same problem. Mothballs worked for me. Just sprinkle some around the engine bay.

For bait in the traps, use fresh fruit if the weather`s been dry. They love the moisture in grapes or apples.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Yep, mothballs should do the trick to keep them out of the engine bay. Many people do that with muscle cars when they are in storage to keep rodents out of them.

 

[RMecum]

MOTH BALLS! I'll try it. My mechanic told me bounce drier sheets. Put 5 five of them in there. Wrapped one around the ground wire. The rat pulled the drier sheet off and sat on it while he chewed my wires off!

Thanks you guys... I'm gonna give it a shot.

Mike

 

[Dale Reed]

I catch rats with a two-door rat-sized Havahart® Live Traps, Animal Repellents and Pet Supplies trap. Don't require any additional bait but place the trap on the ground up against a wall where the rats travel so they get caught as they walk through the trap. I have garbage-filled worm boxes that attract rats and have caught nine of them during the last couple months.

 

[AMink]

Savage . 17HMR!:-laf Seriously though, I have heard mothballs work well. They're just so darn hard to get. You need tweezers and a magnifying glass!

 

[SierraRam]

Time for some nice Kitty Cats



SR

 

[AABEN]

You should leave you hood half way open. Let in day light they do not like that. works for me.

 

[Tractorat]

Rats, thats not as bad as it could be. There was a guy on the news the other day that decided to check his oil just before getting in to start his truck. When he opened the hood, all he saw was a pair of eyes looking at him. Somehow a pit bull had gotten himself tangled into the engine. All you could see was his head sticking out back by the fire wall. The guy called animal control to get him out. But the dog managed to get himself out before they got there. In the meantime, he chewed up some wires. After seeing it on the news, I cant, for the life of me, even wildly imagine how it was able to get in there, and back out for that matter.

 

[RMecum]

I saw that dog story! Wouldn't you crap your pants! The guy took a picture of it in there. I wonder what the heck the dog was after to climb up in there in the first place. I have a pit bull mix and sometimes he's dumb as a stump... but he's a real sweet dog. Maybe he's been chewing my wires! Nah... he's too busy sleepin' all the time!

 

[PRout]

This is why you should stay away from buying cheezy air intakes...

 

[Okie-Go]

I have killed several rats and mice around my house by putting Coke(the soft drink) in a mayonaise lid. Their system is built so they can't pass gas. They just blow up. Kind of like giving a seagull rolaids.

 

[jeepit]

I have killed several rats and mice around my house by putting Coke(the soft drink) in a mayonaise lid. Their system is built so they can't pass gas. They just blow up. Kind of like giving a seagull rolaids.

Cool. First time I heard of this!!

 

[HPetrat]

Very good suggestions from all, and I too have heard that the mothballs work well as a deterant.

As to the bait question, I have run a large number of traps around barns and shipyards and have found that the most succesful bait has been Doritos cheese nacho chips (bet they love this advertising:-laf). Have had 4-5 kills per trap in a single 10hr shift.



Best of luck, I know they can be an incredible and expensive nuisance.



HP

 

[DodgeWarlock]

Crunchy peanut butter makes a good bait as well. If the nuts are jammed in well they have to work a little harder so they rarely avoid setting off the trap. I had them in the air conditioning vents in my trailer. Ever try fishing for rats? Turned out they were some of the biggest mice I've ever seen. Killed 5 in 2 days by tying a piece of wire to a big rat trap and lowering down the vents. Got another one next time it rained.

 

[FOXY005]

I saw that dog story! Wouldn't you crap your pants! The guy took a picture of it in there. I wonder what the heck the dog was after to climb up in there in the first place. I have a pit bull mix and sometimes he's dumb as a stump... but he's a real sweet dog. Maybe he's been chewing my wires! Nah... he's too busy sleepin' all the time!

Maybe he was after some of those RATS !

 

[Flying_gage]

Wow! That there is some crazy s$$t! I really like the . 17 suggestion. A titch too much velocity for my liking, (. 22 are slower and cheaper!).



I can't add much here other than:



1. ) Rats/mice are poor of sight and travel by smell (they are incontinent and follow their urine). Try parking your truck in a different location/position and while doing so wash the engine bay with a strong cleaner along with the tires and other areas they may come into contact with. Wash the wall areas around your house with a bleach solution and then put down fresh traps. See where I am going here? This way they don't have a trail to follow.



2. ) if you catch one in your glue trap and the thing is alive don't let your wife put it under your tire to kill the bugger when you drive away. That trap will stay attached for approx 5 miles at 40mph. Don't ask.....