So I pop the hood last week for a routine eyeball and I notice a few white, fluffy threads stuck to the hood insulation above. Hmmmm..... no biggie but I look further into the engine compartment near the manifold heat shield and I notice a bunch of fluffy material. On closer inspection, it looks like blown insulation in the shape of a little bed. How cute . If you live in a cold climate, you're probably familiar with this phenomenom. Critters like a warm engine block. Well, I figured it was Mickey, looking for a cozy spot. It was and Mickey, rest his soul, has moved on to a better place. That was the end of it or so I thought. I continued to check daily in case Minnie decided to claim his estate. At the same time, Mickey's afterlife transport vehicle, (ATV) aka the trap, remained empty. A few days later, yikes , there's a bunch of birdseed stockpiled near the upper suspension mount. Whaaa? It may be a chipmunk but after further thought, it may also be a squirrel. In any case, I don't feel like waiting to see if Dale or Rocky will fancy my wiring insulation as an hor'douvre. Tomorrow, its off to Farm and Fleet to pick up a small animal trap. If you want to weigh in on a proper sanction for Rocky/Dale, feel free. Follow up to come....

 

If you do not have other pets, one of those really sticky pad gizmos you get for mice with a blob of peanut butter in the middle slid under your car will usually take care of the issue. Worked for me in the past with a truck I have that gets rare usage.

Good luck!

Tim

 

snap traps w/ p-nut butter & quaker oats should do it... stay away from poisons as the wrong animal, you cat or dog for instance, may find the poison interesting.



....before you all start... I love animals too and smiting 1 or 2 rodents wont put them on the endangered list!

 

Thanks JRZY. I too love animals so I wouldn't use poisons because of my dog, Nikita. Plus you have that unpleasant "dying and stinking in an inaccessable place" thing to deal with. I'll try one of those live traps. Maybe I'll release it near the X's house

 

One of these placed in the garage can work wonders too!

I had a mouse chew a home in the lining material under the hood of my VW GTI once. . . .

 

 

Please don't use sticky traps. They're just evil. Nothing wants a slow, lingering death. If you have to kill it, at least the snap traps are quick. I know that's what I'd prefer

 

And if you use the feline variety be prepared to have it leave tracks (and possibly scratches) all over your car. Someone once suggested using dryer sheets (like Bounce) placed under the hood, etc; it has kept the varmits away from mine so far.