Car Storage - Rodent Prevention

[Pizzaeatingking]

I've found myself a nice barn to store some cars, it's on a farm that only has a few Alpacas as pets, so not a working farm. I'm just wondering if I should do something to prevent the possibility of rats/mice chewing through the wires in the cars while stored? I didn't notice anything to suggest there's any issues there but I've heard stories of people pulling cars out of storage and finding cables chewed etc.

Thoughts?

[larrylamb11]

100% definitely!
You might not see them, but I guarantee rodents will be there and they absolutely love cars for making nests in! Bear in mind manufacturers like Mercedes started using ester-based wiring insulation from the 1990s (even soy-based), which rodents love to eat.....
If you can put the car in a Carcoon or similar, that might help, but you need to do all you can to deter / catch / prevent rodents from enjoying their new home.

[philrs03]

As above 100%. Buy a big tub of Nutella, a decent air rifle and start a new hobby ! A carcoon is an absolute must, but they will schnaffel through that as well at some point. You d be amazed how intelligent they are. The only way to stop them is physically, via lead in the control room. Remove any other potential draws in terms of food, etc if you can from that barn, and make it as hostile a place as possible for them. As I mentioned they are incredibly intelligent. Once they’ve realised a certain pattern of life gets them killed, they will change where they look for food. Find the rat runs on the farm around that barn, and have at it. The farmer will appreciate it too.

Edited by philrs03 on Friday 4th July 18:10

[S100HP]

Get a barn cat.

[Spare tyre]

My grandad used a live baking tray on his farm, but it didn’t differentiate between rats dogs children etc

[Jo-say8k]

I like the sound of this... how do I make one?

[Earthdweller]

Spare tyre said:

My grandad used a live baking tray on his farm, but it didn t differentiate between rats dogs children etc

[Pizzaeatingking]

Excellent! I would love to spend my days taking pot shots at the fkers I've got to go to work unfortunately. I am a sparky so I could maybe knock up an electric fence around the cars. The farm owners might not be too impressed.

I need to give it some thought then and work out a plan.

[SlimJim16v]

Rats are crepuscular, most active at dawn and dusk, so won't interfere with work.
Cats, there are many in shelters that need homes.