Rat eating away in engine compartment

[ALFAitalia]

Next stop, moth ball shop....

Old wives tail.....they will just end up as rat bedding..


From Rentokil...

Do rats hate mothballs?

The main reason why many people try to use mothballs to keep rats away is that it contains active ingredients called naphthalene. Naphthalene ingredients in mothballs which have been widely used for many years as a deterrent for fabric pests like moth or silverfish. But we can assure you that using mothballs as rat repellent is simply ineffective.

Many people believe that placing a few mothballs near to the rat nest entrance can help to eliminate existing rat problems. In fact, the level of naphthalene in a mothball too small to efficiently keep rats away.

However, you should keep in mind that a rat is a sneaky smart pest. If they feel bothered by the smell of mothballs in their nest entrance, they will be soon looking for new access.

 

[MSG2004]

About 2 weeks ago during particularly cold snap, I opened the bonnet to see droppings on the the plastic cover over the engine.... not a lot, and I soon cleaned them off. The car is always parked on concrete, but I live in a rural area, and the grass / fields are a mere 20 feet away. Next stop, moth ball shop....

Good luck
As posted earlier - moth balls is out of the question for us as our daughter is very allergic
For whatever reason she has ordered a 5 litre ready mix of peppermint stuff. I recommended some of the peppermint blam oil that had thousands of good reviews and some had sued them in their cars engine compartment.
The car is parked away from the grass, previously the car was reversed in in the concrete car park with the rear end right directly above the grass. She is getting the engine bay cleaned Friday as busy with work - I will then spray the stuff and update in a few fews.

 

[ALFAitalia]

Another winner....or maybe not...


In my opinion trapping, shooting or poisoning them are tye only real effective options.


......again from Rentokil.

Do rats hate peppermint oil?

If you think that rats hate the smell of peppermint, then you’re completely wrong. Peppermint oil certainly will make your whole house smell great, but it doesn’t mean that it will make a great rat repellent.

The reason why many people use peppermint oil as a rat repellent is because in high concentrations peppermint can be quite powerful to distract the rat's sensitive smell sense.

However, you have to keep in mind that rats live and nest in numerous places around your house; without exception the stinky sewage system. Thus, it completely doesn’t make sense if you’re able to make the sewer have a great smell of peppermint oil that rats don’t like all the time.

Additionally, like other types of essential oil, peppermint oil will also eventually evaporate when exposed to air. Thus, although it might be possible to keep rats away with peppermint oil for a while at the beginning, the strong smell of peppermint oil will slowly disappear over time. This pesky critter has a good reason to return back to your home once the smell disappears.

 

[alabbasi]

Old wives tail.....

Mothballs work. I've used it. I suggest the OP spend the few pennies trying it out before dismissing it.

 

[MSG2004]

Another winner....or maybe not...


In my opinion trapping, shooting or poisoning them are tye only real effective options.


......again from Rentokil.

Do rats hate peppermint oil?

If you think that rats hate the smell of peppermint, then you’re completely wrong. Peppermint oil certainly will make your whole house smell great, but it doesn’t mean that it will make a great rat repellent.

The reason why many people use peppermint oil as a rat repellent is because in high concentrations peppermint can be quite powerful to distract the rat's sensitive smell sense.

However, you have to keep in mind that rats live and nest in numerous places around your house; without exception the stinky sewage system. Thus, it completely doesn’t make sense if you’re able to make the sewer have a great smell of peppermint oil that rats don’t like all the time.

Additionally, like other types of essential oil, peppermint oil will also eventually evaporate when exposed to air. Thus, although it might be possible to keep rats away with peppermint oil for a while at the beginning, the strong smell of peppermint oil will slowly disappear over time. This pesky critter has a good reason to return back to your home once the smell disappears.

Plan is as per my previous posts: Park car away from grassed area next to the parking spot. This has been action.
Have the engine bay cleaned and then sprayed as well as other areas of possible entry.
Repeat the process of spraying the peppermint
Also action, estate management and gardener advise and they have put rat traps around the two small car parks.

 

[MSG2004]

Mothballs work. I've used it. I suggest the OP spend the few pennies trying it out before dismissing it.

The reason I've "dismissed" moth balls is as per my previous posts, ie, our daughter is allergic to them and many other smells.

 

[alabbasi]

Then get some poison in a tamper proof box. Parking away from the grass is not likely to help as they're probably living in the car. You either need to drive them out or kill them and hope that they don't die in their nest.

 

[Pontoneer]

I found mice in mine, they were in the process of building a nest under the engine cover on top of the cylinder head, might want to lift yours and look underneath. There was another nest started in the wheel well in the boot. That was when I parked outside, mostly the car is garaged now with doors that are sealed all round so vermin cannot get in.

I remember being told some years ago by a friend who had gone out to start his car in cold weather being greeted by a horrible squeal when he started his engine . On shutting it off and lifting the bonnet he found a cat had gone into the engine bay to keep warm and had got caught up in the belts and pulleys when the engine started . He said he took the cat to the vets where a foot had to be amputated , and it wasn’t even his cat !

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Could be worse

 

[MikeInWimbledon]

Happy Chinese New Year, BTW !

(The year of the Snake)

 

[SpikyMikey]

Could be worse

View attachment 167245

That should have been an Ssssss Class...or a Dodge Viper.

 

[Justintyme]

The reason I've "dismissed" moth balls is as per my previous posts, ie, our daughter is allergic to them and many other smells.

I'll be giving them a try anyway, that is assuming that I can get some genuine camphor mothballs. I tried the local shops, but all I can find are a type called " Cedarwood Mothballs", which will not do the job, I think. I believe that its mice are what's living (or attempting to live under the bonnet in my MB) because I have foxes living in the field at the back of the house, and they frequently come to the outside tap to drink, and sometimes scratch at the back door, looking for food. You do not see too many rats living in close proximity to foxes, so that's one good thing. So its mice I'd say!.

 

[Smart320]

When living in Tunisia and running a Landcruiser we used to visit the only hotel on the island for a meal occasionally during the winter . We got home one day after lunch and our cat ( a Burmans we had brought from the UK,) was going around and around the car making a racket . Finally opened the bonnet and espied a small kitten sitting against the wing near the exhaust pipe . No way could I extract it so we had to slowly drive back ( 10 minutes ) and park up again . Then collected the mother cat from the reception and placed it near our car . Went in , had a coffee, 20 minutes later checked and it was gone.
Having said that, our friend who was the manager of the hotel had told us not to bother returning it , just leave it to find it’s way down and the adopt it.
Not an option as the Burman’s was already costing me a fortune to feed on fresh cooked chicken plus paying our housekeeper’ husband to stay overnight when ever we were away in the UK. He lived to be nearly 20 amazingly.