Pack Rats

[anewbiewannabe]

So, I've tried several different searches on here to try to see if this has already been a topic---came up with all kinds of things but didn't find pack rats. I've been reading rubber nomad blogs for quite a while and a lot of them have had experiences with pack rats. Many leave the hood open at night with a light on. I found this product that flashes a light under the hood without having to keep it open---less work and less stuff to remember which would be handy for someone like me. Anyhow, I was wondering if anyone had tried out the product here: http://www.rid-a-rat.com/?

Thanks!

 

[Almost There]

And here I thought this was going to be about humans who accumulate things...

 

[mockturtle]

While at Organ Pipe National Monument, most everyone left their hoods open. Pack rats were indeed a problem there but this apparently discourages them from trying to nest. I would like to hear if that device is effective.

 

[LeeRevell]

And here I thought this was going to be about humans who accumulate things...

Same here.  Wonder if putting some hot pepper down there would discourage them?   Works with some critters here.

 

[gypsychic]

And here I thought this was going to be about humans who accumulate things...

X2 [emoji14]

 

[WheelEstate USA]

Guy...suppose the wiring is sorta screwed by that point :s

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Got your attention that way! LOL

Hard to be a human pack rat in a tiny home, though I'm sure it's possible to a degree.

I had a squirrel get under the hood and try to nest in my car that was parked outside at my last house. I found out when I started having electrical problems because it had chewed wires. Apparently it was a 4 legged stowaway since the car was used almost daily.

Anyhow, it would be great if this worked so the hood wouldn't have to be open. That way if a reason came up where someone needed to relocate after dark they wouldn't have to get out to shut the hood.

*crossing my fingers that someone tests it out and reports back before I have to take measures against pack rats*

 

[Almost There]

I've never had to deal with them so I went looking for information about the little beasties.

I went to here: http://www.mrpackrat.net/packrats.html

Considering the cost of that unit, there might be better DIY methods of discouraging them.

Something I noticed about the units in the OPs' link is that it, combined with the current practice of cramming stuff under the hood, was not likely to be terribly effective. One device is hardly going to light up the whole of the engine compartment. Heck, I can't hardly see air under the hood of my van. Maybe under the hood of the old 61 I owned but not this one...

Perhaps taking several strips of LED lights, wiring them in a harness so they can be spread around and using things like wire ties to suspend them in various strategic places under the hood might be a whole lot more effective than a single unit.

The website I referenced suggests leaving the hood up and leaving a service light on. Neither are practical for us either when in organized campgrounds or boondocking. 

Just a thought! 

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I heard they don't like mothballs but I don't either.

 

[Almost There]

I heard they don't like mothballs but I don't either.

They may not like them but they're also toxic to other animals so you're taking chances that the packrat will pick them up and move them out into the open where other birds and even your own pet might ingest them. And as one site pointed out, birds of prey eat the dead pack rats and if their intestines contain poison the bird will be a dead bird.

Also, IMO, it would be impractical to put out moth balls under the hood of the van or RV and then have to retrieve them to move.

 

[ttpadilla]

I took care of a rich lady way out in the boonies who swore by Irish Spring soap under the hood. She would buy bars and cut them into smaller pieces. Said the smell kept them away.

 

[LeeRevell]

I took care of a rich lady way out in the boonies who swore by Irish Spring soap under the hood.  She would buy bars and cut them into smaller pieces.  Said the smell kept them away.

That has been claimed of softener sheets used in laundry driers too, but others say it's a myth.

 

[ttpadilla]

That has been claimed of softener sheets used in laundry driers too, but others say it's a myth.

This may be mythical, as well. I tried it in a house I was renting to keep the mice out. Of course, it was a much bigger area, but I am not convinced they even noticed it was there. Same with the peppermint oil that was supposed to keep spiders away. :-/

 

[anewbiewannabe]

We used the irish spring when I was young to keep mice out of long term storage but discovered too late that it didn't work in a trunk that had a hole where the lock would be---they destroyed some antique plush toys. Between the trunk and the soap one wouldn't have expected them to find their way in.

I always heard peppermint repels mice, not spiders, but have my doubts since peppermint candies blew out the m/c exhaust pipes after a winter of sitting one year---after that covers were put on the exhaust for the winter.

All the uses for dryer sheets came about after I had to go all natural on everything because otherwise my breathing is affected. Along those lines moth balls have always given me headaches and are hazardous to humans as well as the other animals.

So, even if someone comes up with something smelly that works , I'll still need to find alternatives. So, the search continues. Maybe a repeating tape of predator sounds under the hood? :dodgy: Not really serious about that one.

 

[highdesertranger]

well I have had pack rats trying to set up house in my truck a few times. fortunately for me my dog will have none of that. he will keep on them until they relocate and it better not be close to camp. the toughest one took him a couple of days, that one got relocated to his very own hole on the other side of the road. highdesertranger

 

[LeeRevell]

We used the irish spring when I was young to keep mice out of long term storage but discovered too late that it didn't work in a trunk that had a hole where the lock would be---they destroyed some antique plush toys.  Between the trunk and the soap one wouldn't have expected them to find their way in.

I always heard peppermint repels mice, not spiders, but have my doubts since peppermint candies blew out the m/c exhaust pipes after a winter of sitting one year---after that covers were put on the exhaust for the winter.

All the uses for dryer sheets came about after I had to go all natural on everything because otherwise my breathing is affected.  Along those lines moth balls have always given me headaches and are hazardous to humans as well as the other animals.

So, even if someone comes up with something smelly that works , I'll still need to find alternatives.  So, the search continues. Maybe a repeating tape of predator sounds under the hood?  :dodgy: Not really serious about that one.

Maybe  place little cups of cheese puffs laced with extremely hot pepper extract?  

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Maybe  place little cups of cheese puffs laced with extremely hot pepper extract?  

LOL...the rid-a-rat thing made me think of strobe lights and disco balls....so, mini disco balls, hot n spicy cheese puffs and lil cups of tequila so they really have a party? Maybe put in a swimming pool too and hope they get drunk enough to float..... (No critters were harmed in the making of this post. )

My cat would be useless unless critters were her size.

 

[Canine]

Prey animals will make a heck of an effort to avoid predators. I think it's the law mice must avoid cats when they smell feline urine. Perhaps bottled cat urine, dog urine, or some such thing would work well.

Sometimes people feed the squirrels and other critters and that makes the little vandals that much worse.

 

[highdesertranger]

x2 on that canine. why people feed wild animals is beyond me. highdesertranger

 

[WriterMs]

I'm sure this would not be safe within an engine...and not sure it works on larger pack rats...but when I lived in the mountains outside of ABQ, we used red pepper packets to keep mice out of things. You take a coffee filter, pour a small mound of red pepper inside, fold it up and tape it shut.

Supposedly, mice noses do not like the strong pepper smell. The coffee filters hold the pepper and can be picked up and replaced easily.

It did seem to work in the garage, garage cabinets and in places like under-the-seat storage in a couple of motorcycles (where a nest with baby mice was once found -- initiating the search for a repellant LOL).