[vibbs]

Ok so one day as I was entering my Parking, after a 30 minute drive to the nearby market, I suddenly see a rat on my Windscreen which within moments jumped off and ran away. My car does not stay at parking for extended periods since I drive down to work daily. More over there was some cleaning going on in our Parking lot, which made me believe that the rat might have fallen off from the overhead pipings on to my wind screen and hence I just brushed it aside.

However, a couple of weeks later during my scheduled Service, when the SA opened up the Bonnet cover, we could see footmarks of the rat in the Engine bay area. Everything else seemed ok with no visible signs of damage, but the footprints now have made me worry if indeed there is a rodent menace in my Parking lot.

My car stays at the parking only at nights since I daily take it to office. How strong are the odds that a rat has indeed made the engine bay of my car its home?

[Santoshbhat]

I have been a victim of rats chewing up a few cables in my Laura when the car was parked in the basement of my second home. I was able to block the access to the basement by placing gunny bags on the floor and then lowering the shutter on the gunny bags.

In my primary home the car is parked in the driveway and its not possible to block access like this. Ever since the Laura incident, I've been wary of this menace and check the engine every now and then for signs of rat movement. One thing I am sure is that once a rat enters the engine bay, it makes it a habit and is drawn by the smell of its pee and feces. Getting the engine bay and the driveway floor washed thoroughly and placing naptha balls along the suspected route of the rodent and around the wheels of the car has worked for me.

[Tanveer_2558]

Got the same tar brush treatment done to my new xuv 500, Which was also done for my previous xuv 500 and it lasted for more than 2 years and was still fine till the day i sold it.
Attaching a few pics.






Also notice the white plastic strap to hold the brush securely. All of it costed me just 650rs.

Regards,
Tanveer

[VKM]

Thanks to SS Traveller, i've been trying this out for the past 1 week. has found no fresh droppings ever since.

[jinojohnt]

I am not discounting your efforts, but I think this is taking things a bit too far. Though not stated explicitly, I think the idea of the 'opening poster' was to design something to turn away the rats, at the same time not being dangerous for kids. What would happen if kids play around this set up? And what if you forget to remove one of the 'slabs' before driving off?

[hserus]

Strong monsoon wind = plank flying away in the breeze doesnt make me very eager to try this at home. Tar brush seems like a better idea if keeping stray cats around your compound is not an option.

For my old flat one cute female stray cat was enough - lots of other cats used to come visiting her, and stop off for a quick snack of freshly caught rat on their way back.

[VKM]

I keep them in position at nights while locking up the house & remove them early in the morning on waking up. they are quite heavy and don't think will fly off in the winds. but it wouldn't be suitable for flats i suppose, but no problem in independent house. Anyways i'm having peaceful sleep for the past one week.

[tharian]

Had the shock of my life last night when I saw a big one enter the engine bay of my Figo by climbing through the gap behind the engine ,from the ground.
All this while I was of the thought that these big rats cannot pull themselves up . I see mud marks and footprints in the engine bay on and off and have tried rat poison cakes and naphthalene balls.
Last night when I was heading to the car I saw this rat next to the front wheel. I kept a distance and flashed the torch underneath the car and caught it below and in few seconds ,it just climbed in and disappeared. Immediately fired up the car so it comes out. It has been just luck that no damage has happened till date.

Now I need to do something drastic before they actually cause some damage since these are the big ones. There is a cat but I doubt if it would attack these huge rats. I am thinking on lines of a mesh at the ground level around the car . Don't think these fat rodents can high jump.

[khan_sultan]

Originally Posted by khan_sultan

We have this bandicoot problem in our apartment parking lot.

=====================

Took an old doormat, cut it into desired sizes and pierced nails through it. Now, every evening I put these mats in engine bay and in morning before usage of car take them off. A kind of a ritual it has become but can't avoid it.

I have observed that with this mat + nails, there is less of free space for the pest to sit inside (if at all it wants to sit on nails) and in first place, getting into the engine from free space near firewall will mean going though a bed of nails for the bandicoot.

This solution is working perfectly fine for me. No bandicoot in my car at all, even though I see bandicoot droppings under cars parked right next to mine all over. I had the car parked for ~ 15 days at a stretch without driving and then also no droppings etc when I came back.

Originally Posted by GTO

========
Very unique, thanks for sharing! You place them only on top of the engine? I think there are enough resting points for the rascals below?

My issue is/was bandicoot. Not small rats. I had seen the rascal resting on top of engine bay/open spaces on top. So, this may not work for small rats if they rest in small gaps. There a hard wire brush would plugged into small gaps would work best.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by tharian

Now I need to do something drastic before they actually cause some damage since these are the big ones. There is a cat but I doubt if it would attack these huge rats. I am thinking on lines of a mesh at the ground level around the car . Don't think these fat rodents can high jump.

Did a quick job on preventing the rat from entering at least for few nights before I think of something else.

Bought few meters of wire mesh and cut it in half lenghtwise and tied it to the bottom of the fence which is next to the car park through which it enters.

One good thing was after cutting the mesh, the wires end up being sharp on one end which was the part near the floor. So even if it tries to squeeze through, it will get hurt.

The other side of the car park is a small wall which is filled with mud and it has made a hole on the bottom of that wall which is why the rats route ends under my car. Got that covered with cement as well.
Now the only part that is open is the front through which the car enters and exists the lot . Need to find a way to fix the mesh there as well.

[SnakemanJohny]

Originally Posted by tharian

Did a quick job on preventing the rat from entering at least for few nights before I think of something else.

Bought few meters of wire mesh and cut it in half lenghtwise and tied it to the bottom of the fence which is next to the car park through which it enters.

One good thing was after cutting the mesh, the wires end up being sharp on one end which was the part near the floor. So even if it tries to squeeze through, it will get hurt.

The other side of the car park is a small wall which is filled with mud and it has made a hole on the bottom of that wall which is why the rats route ends under my car. Got that covered with cement as well.
Now the only part that is open is the front through which the car enters and exists the lot . Need to find a way to fix the mesh there as well.

Rats and mice are expert climbers and will climb the fence easily, if they cannot squeeze through at the bottom, which too they can, I think, without getting cut. Moreover, the link gaps are too big, and they can come through the fence !
Try carbolic acid sprinkled on the floor around the car instead. It is cheap, though will stain and ultimately corrode the floor. Once every few days will do, depending on how fast the smell disappears.
For RAT-PROOFING with net, you will need fine mesh all around and absolutely gap-free cage on five sides (including top) -- this is not very practical unless you have a private/unit garage.

[RonXRi94]

Originally Posted by SnakemanJohny

I have the weirdest (but practical, nevertheless) suggestion. Get a few rat snakes and let them loose in your society compound ! They are hell for rats and harmless to humans, being non-poisonous . But let everyone know, to avoid panic, and murder of the useful creatures. Certainly more useful and less troublesome than keeping cats.

Years ago we were going nuts with mice chewing up everything inside the house, including telephone and TV wires. I simply bought a Red Sand Boa from a travelling snake charmer (they parade it as a 'two-headed snake' owing to its blunt tail) and let it free indoors. It slept in some corner during the day, safe from the dogs, and hunted at night. But there was a minor ruckus when, after running out of food, it landed up in a kitchen four houses away. But our house has been mouse-free since then !

On a more conventional note, rat poison, trap cages and jawed traps may be more useful in extermination of the pests. Try sprinkling carbolic acid - generally used in village homes to repel snakes - on the ground around the parking area. Easier (available at chemist shops) and cheaper than Dettol or chilly/pepper powder.

Wow you actually let a snake loose in your house

As you mentioned yourself, getting an amc from a pest controller and using rat traps is much more effective and safer than letting snakes into your house, and eventually your neighbour's house too.

A rat had got into my house too, and I kept a rat trap at night. He got caught 5 minutes after switching off lights

Not sure if it's appropriate, but attaching a pic of the rat. He turned out to be really cute

[Turbanator]

Any experience on Glue Based stuff - this costs around Rs 50 and as per seller quite effective - needs to be placed near walls in case of home .

[sumeethaldankar]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Any experience on Glue Based stuff - this costs around Rs 50 and as per seller quite effective - needs to be placed near walls in case of home .

I have used a glue board to catch a small mouse which had entered my Maruti 800. I had to put a piece of Cheese on the center of the board to lure the mouse and found the rodent dead and stuck to the board. It raised quite a stink and i had to drive the car to a garbage dump with the dead carcass at the bottom of the passenger side to dispose of the board. Don't know if it will be effective on large rats.

[sathya_nars]

Originally Posted by Tanveer_2558

Got the same tar brush treatment done to my new xuv 500, Which was also done for my previous xuv 500 and it lasted for more than 2 years and was still fine till the day i sold it.
Attaching a few pics.
Attachment 1389847
Attachment 1389848
Attachment 1389849
Attachment 1389850
Attachment 1389851

Also notice the white plastic strap to hold the brush securely. All of it costed me just 650rs.

Regards,
Tanveer

Your option looks fine, except I need Mahindra service team to fix it in correct place so it doesn't interfere with the functions of the engine compartment. Lately I'm seeing new errors with the Cheetah - need to check if signs of rats recently.