Does anyone have a successful method they could share to discourage packrats and other little critters from munching on car wiring? We have a car which we park outside (no indoor parking option) in the country, and we would like to avoid ongoing repairs from this problem.
Thanks for sharing what worked (or didn't work) for you!
etree
07-18-2007, 10:38 PM
Does anyone have a successful method they could share to discourage packrats and other little critters from munching on car wiring? We have a car which we park outside (no indoor parking option) in the country, and we would like to avoid ongoing repairs from this problem.
Thanks for sharing what worked (or didn't work) for you!
I managed to start my car while the offending critter was chilling in the fan area and the resulting mess, though disgusting, confirmed the problem was no longer. That was my only experience with this problem...if you cannot solve it the same way mabye traps (havaheart live traps!) in the vicinity of your vehicle may do the trick. Good luck.:thumbsup:
MamaSita
07-18-2007, 11:14 PM
I heard you can use urine to mark your territory with gophers....maybe this could work around your car as well. if you are shy you could always use a cup and mark the ground around the car. The critter will smell you as a predator... Buena Suerte.
Does anyone have a successful method they could share to discourage packrats and other little critters from munching on car wiring? We have a car which we park outside (no indoor parking option) in the country, and we would like to avoid ongoing repairs from this problem.
Thanks for sharing what worked (or didn't work) for you!
AnnaLisaW
07-19-2007, 10:31 AM
Does anyone have a successful method ... to discourage ...little critters from munching on car wiring?
Our mechanic suggested a taking a bar of "Coast" or "Irish Spring" (deordorant soap) and placing slices of it in the engine compartment. The critters hate the smell and just stay away. The pieces tended to fall out if not wedged tightly into various spots but we didn't have any more chewed wires.
Sara S
07-20-2007, 08:44 AM
:idea:
Bounce fabric dryer sheets will keep the mice away! It has worked at my Buddhist meditation hall, and at my house as well. I put them in several places on my back porch, and this last spring was the first time in years that there weren't any nests made there, so I put them in other spots around the outside of the house. I replace them when I think they may have lost their frqagrance.
Sara
terriann
07-20-2007, 11:21 PM
I'm sure the "fragrance" in Sara's dryer sheets keeps the mice away--they know what is (isn't) good for them. The fragrances in products aren't regulated by any protecting (lol) government agency. Quite toxic mixes of volatile substances can be used to create these "fragrances". And we breathing them in, adding them to our body's burden of toxins that must be dealt with. Any product that lists "fragrance"--and many that don't even list ingredients, such as candles and incense--falls into this category. People who are chemically sensitive teach us this, if we are listening. (Moth balls were once commonly used to deter mice, as well as moths. But we tend to take a pass on those nowadays. They have been found to cause liver disorders in cats, at least).
Clarification: The use of natural essential oils for scenting products is not what I'm addressing. Those are always listed for what what they are, and are generally safe. Though, if I have heard correctly, even some of these must be avoided by at least some chemically sensitive folks.
But back to mouse in the wiring: people will use whatever method works for them, functionally and philosophically. Personally, I think deterrence is bound to be more effective, in the long run. Killing them or trapping and removing them only leaves a vacuum, so to speak (and we all know what Mother Nature abhors . . .), for another mouse to inhabit. And there is an endless supply of mice seeking lodging on this planet. So that leaves us with the question, "What are possible options for deterrence"? So far we have Bounce dryer sheets and deodorant soaps (another product containing "fragrance"). I believe the original people in our area used bay leaves to keep critters away from their granaries. How about eucalyptus/citronella oils? Worth a try?
--Terriann
p.s.: I don't think the urine thing will identify a person as a predator if that person is vegetarian . . .
:idea:
Bounce fabric dryer sheets will keep the mice away! It has worked at my Buddhist meditation hall, and at my house as well. I put them in several places on my back porch, and this last spring was the first time in years that there weren't any nests made there, so I put them in other spots around the outside of the house. I replace them when I think they may have lost their frqagrance.