I took my '05 Prius to thr dealer for it's 1st oil change and also to see why the windshield washer fluid container was leaking. I thought a hose was loose or something. Turned out a rodent had taken a liking to my Prius and chewed the hose; it had to be replaced. I examined the engine and saw droppings. I've never had a rodent in one of my vehicles before. Is there something in a Prius that attracts them? Anyone else have this happen and what is best way to get rid of the rodent? Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks, D
There have been posts before of rodents climbing in the AC intake and making a nest in the filter (mainly during the winter cause it's warm in there), but i haven't head of anything like this! I'd say set out a bunch of mousetraps in a big circle around the prius, make sure nothing gets in or out alive!
Not just Prii...some friends who live in the Malibu (CA) hills and park regularly next to un-"improved" bits of their property regularly have rats gnaw on their underbits...In fact, one family took a GREAT liking to the hubby's brand new HyCam, about 2 weeks after he brought it home. (Nothing to do with winter...as far as much of this country understands the term...) So...where do you park? Can you either park elsewhere...or leave out nasties for the rodents...that other critters won't get poisoned by so PETA don't come after you! Not helpful, I am afraid, but not abby normal, either...
This is a pretty common problem actually. Our neighbors had their Explorer snacked on. They love the plastic.
I had an electric wiring harness on my old mini-van chewed through by squirrels TWICE at a previous residence. The guy at the auto dealership said they are attracted to them for some reason. These were mutant squirrels. They could actually chew through tin. I was trying to keep them out of a porch roof and had sealed it up. Two days later there was a 3" diameter hole in the tin. We were very afraid. Someone suggested putting, of all things, Bounce dryer sheets in the engine compartment. This sounded like urban legend stuff, but being adverse to replacing said wiring harness every couple of months, I tried it. Whether or not it was the sheets or the mutant squirrels returned to their home planet, I had no more harnesses chewed through. Give it a shot, just make sure they are securely placed and won't get sucked/pulled into anything. It also keeps your vehicle wrinkle-free and smelling like (insert advertised scent here).
Oddly enough, I was just thinking that indeed, Toyota had built a better mousetrap, but hey, this is ridiculous. For your sake, your car's, and actually the mice's as well, I sure hope they don't take a liking to the ominous, thick orange cables that run throughout the car. . .
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ekpolk @ Aug 3 2006, 10:49 AM) [snapback]297072[/snapback]</div> <div align="center"></div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(donell17 @ Aug 3 2006, 10:07 AM) [snapback]296958[/snapback]</div> A rodent did that? What a rat! <_<
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ZenCruiser @ Aug 3 2006, 01:11 PM) [snapback]297049[/snapback]</div> Dryer sheets or bleach wipes work well for black bears too - we have an ongoing problem with bears but they hate those smells for some reason, so we keep them handy.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rand Reed @ Aug 3 2006, 02:48 PM) [snapback]297306[/snapback]</div> Maybe it is the smell of the BENZYL ACETATE or the PENTANE which causes bears and rodents to flee the area. It sure isn't because they read the MSDS for dryer sheets. Humans are dumb that way. :mellow: http://www.greatestherbsonearth.com/articl...ryer_sheets.htm
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rand Reed @ Aug 3 2006, 05:48 PM) [snapback]297306[/snapback]</div> OK, the next time I'm attacked by a bear I'll hit him with my Bounce sheet.
Squirrels will eat anything plastic. Bird feeders, garbage cans and parts of your Prius. But don't use mothballs they can cause all kinds of trouble with the electronics in the car. You need that cat from Jersey that was in the news. Not only will he eat squirrles but the picture in the paper showed him treeing a bear. :lol:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ajprius @ Aug 3 2006, 09:45 AM) [snapback]297024[/snapback]</div> There is a solution, park next to a Ford.
You have several options. One is to go to Home Depot and buy some of those cheap, wood mousetraps. Bait them with something tough and appealing. I like pepperoni. Mice love it. When they tug on it to get it off the bait hook....snap. Throw trap and ex-mouse away. Two is to go to Home Depot. Buy mouse bait. They are little green pellets. The mice eat them for several days. Their blood thins to the point they hemorrage to death. Pray you find body before it start seriously decomposing. Throw away. Don't ignore the problem. If you have mice now you either still have them or will again. I'm lucky. I have a dog. While I see an occasional mouse in the winter months (not this last two years) I've never had one *in* the car. But I have traps and bait in case I do. Mice are not on the endangered species list.
I have a ragdoll cat.... Purebreed, beautiful animal. Walked into my garage about a month ago to the sound of a horrible shreaking.... The white cat is trotting around with a 6 inch rat in his mouth. The thing is just shreaking away..... Thought it would be fun to just play with it. Good thing I have a 17 lbs Maine Coon mix.... Dropped him in the garage and within 20 seconds, the shreaking was over. Suffice it to say, it motivated me to find the rat nest and take care of the situation.
