Anyone had to deal with rats?

[mike2016]

so today my daily driver, a tesla model 3 got attacked by rats.

they ate the brake fluid reservoir and made several holes in it. while i was driving the brake light came on, i got home and found an empty reservoir.

my interstate is parked next to it. i'm worried that the rats will attack it next.

i'm going to get one of those under the hood rat repellant device. but what about the under carriage? there's bunch of wiring, plumbing...etc down there.

any suggestions?

[InterBlog]

Our sympathies. But not unexpected. Headline from last week:

"LA County to shut down all dining Wednesday amid COVID-19 surge"

When restaurants shut down, there is far less food waste being placed in dumpsters (even if take-out is still allowed) and rodents driven toward starvation become desperate and will attack things that they normally ignore.

My point being, what you are encountering is hopefully not a typical situation. It hopefully will have a beginning, middle, and an end. The same rodent behaviors were seen in other places, especially New York and New Orleans, earlier in the pandemic.

If I were you, I would rely very heavily on poison baits as a first measure. Bait the living hell out of everything in your immediate area, and do it immediately. Ensure that wild animals and pets cannot get at the baits. We use rat stations around the perimeter of our house. It's scary just how fast those baits can get gobbled up.

I know what some folks will be inclined to say - that wild animals and maybe even pets will then eat the dead rats, perhaps getting poisoned themselves. In situations like this, we need to go for the lesser of evils. We cannot have a tidal wave of rats go unchecked.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Had a neighbor that kept stealing plumbs....Cut the tree down.

These in the garage.
under the Ford & sitting on the engine. SFSG

Bob
🇺🇸

[ExploreUT]

These may work too

https://www.amazon.com/Loraffe-Repel.../dp/B08CV2Q15G

[azflycaster]

We have problems with pack rats in my area. They can cause thousands of dollars of damage to cars, trucks and RVs.

We have a multiple approach to protecting our property. Car and truck are always parked in the garage. Airstream is next to the house with multiple sonic devices inside, solar blinking rope lights under the trailer and several baited snap traps in the area.

So far so good...

[InterBlog]

Originally Posted by ExploreUT

These may work too

https://www.amazon.com/Loraffe-Repel.../dp/B08CV2Q15G

I don't know if those would work, but for the price, it might be worth trying. They are a lot less expensive than new wiring looms.

Rat and mouse suppression is like every other security issue - best approached by layering up different defenses.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by InterBlog

I don't know if those would work, but for the price, it might be worth trying. They are a lot less expensive than new wiring looms.

Rat and mouse suppression is like every other security issue - best approached by layering up different defenses.

NO...I did a test...the sonicblinkie attracted 'em, the stickie got 'em.

Bob
🇺🇸

DO NOT WASTE THE $$$$$$$ ON SONIC BLINKIE THINGS.

[Ky76Argosy]

Could damage be squirrels? Snap Trap, yes. Use dab of peanut butter. Big poison stations, I’d secure from pets. How about gettin a cat too. Be Safe.

[Hawk-ination]

Will rats go in live traps? We trapped over 50 chipmunks this summer with one. Dab of peanut butter and some good bird seed on the lever. You still have to dispose of them, but it takes the poison out of the equation.

https://www.amazon.com/Havahart-One-...836431&sr=8-11

Also the five gallon bucket with some water at the bottom and a ramp set up like a teeter-totter works sometimes.

Mice are bad around here due to the amount of tree debris down this year.

Snakes?...kidding.

Sorry for your troubles though. That’s not a fun problem to have.

[MaineStreamer]

Mice, yes. I set mouse traps in the storage compartment under the 20' Safari's kitchen and check them each morning when camping.

[coasttocoast]

I'm tight with all 5 neighborhood cats. They visit me daily and patrol my property. Temptations Treats work great. I also keep my property free of overgrowth or junk.

[Mollysdad]

Glue traps don't work on rats. They do work for mice, but have a downside. They're cruel to the little buggers and if they die they stink up the place. Snap traps are effective if you keep the bait fresh.
Big rats got big because they got smart. They avoid traps.
The best solution at home is to pay the exterminator to set out a couple of the industrial box traps, and change the bait monthly.
I'm a believer in the scatter gun theory, put some of everything out.

[rucos]

Be careful with poison ...weve had a problem with owls eating the poison rats around here, and thats killing them. They are talking about banning poisons locally here.
We had a rat problem years ago from our neighbors pigeon coop. He set out poison and the rats were getting into our basement walls and then would die and smell >>>>>way worse than having live rats! I only use traps now.

[Spaggs]

If your Airstream is kept on your property, easiest solution is to get a cat. I have no problem with rats, mice or any small creatures.
Mine is an Orange Tabby. He is a great hunter and is friendlier than most dogs.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

Glue traps don't work on rats. They do work for mice, but have a downside. They're cruel to the little buggers and if they die they stink up the place. Snap traps are effective if you keep the bait fresh.
Big rats got big because they got smart. They avoid traps.
The best solution at home is to pay the exterminator to set out a couple of the industrial box traps, and change the bait monthly.
I'm a believer in the scatter gun theory, put some of everything out.

They will hold rats believe me...not the one I used above but the ones designed for them. Creule to a RAT?
We've stuck a few but never smelled 'em.
POI...in the garage not house.😂

Bob

[stevesiegel]

Lost my Q5 wiring harness to rats. Neighbors were remodeling their house and took down many trees...
Auto electric place (repaired at half cost of dealer replacement) suggested cotton with peppermint extract placed in the engine compartment. No rats since then -- and the engine smells nice as well!

[twolanehwy]

I live in the Sierra foothills and we have soooo many rats.
They are very smart in regards to traps as well. I usually have an assortment of devices. I don't like poisons but there may be times where you have no choice.
I feed my Ravens and foxes clean kill regularly and table scraps.
Don't want them eating poisoned rats. Many times the rodents climb in your car or house and die which is bad....especially summertime.
I have the walk the planks trap, rolling log, live trap, snap traps, sticky traps and electricution traps. Youtube has a myriad of videos on self made ideas.
They get wise to it, only newbies after a while.
Also use solar LED white xmas lights under the hood of my cars. They don't like the light.
Also leave your hood up so they have no privacy that is a must sadly.
Also take a shotgun out and blast the nests outta the trees if you have pack rats or wood rats.
Good luck it is a constant battle.

[mykytiukr]

After a few years of different repellants with marginal success I have came upon a combination of the plug-in ultrasonic devices and a box of dryer sheets every couple months. That sawdust lookin’ stuff just doesn’t work.

[waninae39]

in the last decide auto makers et.al. moved to cheaper vegetable based wire insulation instead of oil based.
GUESS WHAT, this is very tasty to mice and rates

we used sticky pads with a bit of peanut butter in the center.
just link in the spy and security business, bait the enemy and give them easy targets that bait them.

you can also screw them down on a board so that the sticky pads don't moved as the try to escape.

this works will inside and outside

we also use two of these outside the house
https://www.automatictrap.com/
no power, just uses small CO2 cartridge's. runs for 4-6 months depending on how many times it triggers. no chemicals,

we find than the dead mice are gone with12-14 hours as some other animal eats it

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by Hawk-ination

Will rats go in live traps? We trapped over 50 chipmunks this summer with one.

Rats get smart. The trap reminded me that LoLoHo did a recent video on mice in their 25' Airstream. He used a mouse trap called the steel cat. Traps them live, but he says if you release them, take them MORE than two miles away, otherwise they'll just come back.

Snakes?...kidding.

No seriously, snakes are great friends if you can keep your blood pressure down around them. I found one in my house, I guess he came in an open door. I went to close the door and it caught on something. I saw a black thing and thought the weatherstrip came off the door bottom until I opened the door and the weatherstrip scampered away!
It was a harmless black snake, but my heart rate still jumped.