Fighting rodents on camping trips

[iveofione]

Over the years I have had problems with mice, pack rats, chipmunks and squirrels getting into my engine compartment or running along the frame or driveshaft when I am trying to sleep. There has been some epic battles with these varmints over the years, once they get in your vehicle they are hard to get rid of. Here at the ranch I have kept them at bay for years by hanging a 5w led light at the front of the rig and leaving it on year around. No issues since I started doing that but camping is a much different story. One of the lakes I love to camp at has big fish but also big pack rats! For the past 3 years I have had no problems since I bought a flashing led light that I place under the hood at dusk. It seems to keep varmints away but is battery powered so I have to change batteries about every 3rd day. This year I am upping my game by using a 1.2w led light that I will wire directly to my truck battery through an illuminated switch. The 1.2w draw won't be enough to affect the battery over night and will be much brighter than the portable light. I'm hoping this will be a push button solution to a long standing problem for about $15-worth ten times that if it works!

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

PM me location of this lake with big rats and I'll exterminate them for you.

 

[kerrys]

PM me location of this lake with big rats and I'll exterminate them for you.

(48.1425294, -122.1906269)

 

[M_D]

Well....I still don't know if what I'm about to tell you was a regional prank or the real thing but here goes....you be the judge...

In 2021, my wife and I spent a night on the west side of the Yaak river campground in northwestern MT. (This place has two somewhat independent camping areas that are separated by the river.) As we cruised around the loop, looking for a site, we noticed all the vehicles had their hoods propped up 3 or more inches, which we thought was odd, but whatever....

Upon going to the pay station we found a laminated posting on Forest Service letterhead which stated they were having a problem with pack rats in the area. Their advice/suggestion was to prop the hood open enough to allow light into the engine compartment because pack rats supposedly don't like light and would find someplace else to nest or do their pack rat thing.

So that night I popped the hood and whaddaya know?....no pack rat problems....simply amazing right?

When leaving, we cruised through the loop on the other side of the river and not one vehicle had their hood propped up, nor was there a warning poster at the pay station.

We laughed about it for quite a while, not knowing if pack rats were afraid to cross rivers/moving water or if we were duped by a bored Forest Service employee or Yaak river local.

Anyway, the point of my story is to perhaps forget purchasing more batteries and simply prop your hood open a bit. Maybe it is that simple...or maybe I'm just perpetuating the joke.... who knows

 

[iveofione]

No, it's not a regional prank, people have been leaving their hoods open for years at remote sites. I used to do that also but after hearing of some batteries disappearing over night I decided I could buy a helluva lot of AA batteries for the price of one big starter battery. Like so many other things, rats are not a problem until you have them. And some new vehicles with the soy based wire coverings are particularly attractive to rodents.

 

[Jake Watrous]

(48.1425294, -122.1906269)

Don’t know how to look up coordinates, but that’s gotta be right on I-5.

Stormwater pond?

 

[DoesItFloat]

PM me location of this lake with big rats and I'll exterminate them for you.

Get rid of the rats you get rid of the trout.

 

[Long_Rod_Silvers]

(48.1425294, -122.1906269)

LOL. I'll report back when done. Lots of work to do at that spot.

 

[SurfnFish]

rodents hate cayenne pepper, so it's been the go to forever by farmers and ranchers to protect the wiring in their motorized equipment and trucks, they buy it in bulk.
Had a problem with rodents chewing on my riding mower wires until I sprinkled cayenne, end of problem.
Pick up a coupla big bottles, sprinkle it liberally around your campsite and in your engine compartment

 

[_WW_]

Over the years I have had problems with mice, pack rats, chipmunks and squirrels getting into my engine compartment or running along the frame or driveshaft when I am trying to sleep. There has been some epic battles with these varmints over the years, once they get in your vehicle they are hard to get rid of. Here at the ranch I have kept them at bay for years by hanging a 5w led light at the front of the rig and leaving it on year around. No issues since I started doing that but camping is a much different story. One of the lakes I love to camp at has big fish but also big pack rats! For the past 3 years I have had no problems since I bought a flashing led light that I place under the hood at dusk. It seems to keep varmints away but is battery powered so I have to change batteries about every 3rd day. This year I am upping my game by using a 1.2w led light that I will wire directly to my truck battery through an illuminated switch. The 1.2w draw won't be enough to affect the battery over night and will be much brighter than the portable light. I'm hoping this will be a push button solution to a long standing problem for about $15-worth ten times that if it works!

I was seeing signs of rodents in my truck's engine compartment right after I bought my truck. I installed one of those sonic deterrents and have seen no rodent signs since. I also keep active traps where I park the R-Pod and boat trailer.

I was somewhat leery at first - how do I know if it's on?

 

[Matt B]

Fighting rodents you say? And see, I never knew they even liked camping. I guess that’s how they relax between bouts.

 

[cdnred]

Over the years I have had problems with mice, pack rats, chipmunks and squirrels getting into my engine compartment or running along the frame or driveshaft when I am trying to sleep. There has been some epic battles with these varmints over the years, once they get in your vehicle they are hard to get rid of. Here at the ranch I have kept them at bay for years by hanging a 5w led light at the front of the rig and leaving it on year around. No issues since I started doing that but camping is a much different story. One of the lakes I love to camp at has big fish but also big pack rats! For the past 3 years I have had no problems since I bought a flashing led light that I place under the hood at dusk. It seems to keep varmints away but is battery powered so I have to change batteries about every 3rd day. This year I am upping my game by using a 1.2w led light that I will wire directly to my truck battery through an illuminated switch. The 1.2w draw won't be enough to affect the battery over night and will be much brighter than the portable light. I'm hoping this will be a push button solution to a long standing problem for about $15-worth ten times that if it works!

rodents hate cayenne pepper, so it's been the go to forever by farmers and ranchers to protect the wiring in their motorized equipment and trucks, they buy it in bulk.
Had a problem with rodents chewing on my riding mower wires until I sprinkled cayenne, end of problem.
Pick up a coupla big bottles, sprinkle it liberally around your campsite and in your engine compartment

I think the winning solution is what @SurfnFish posted, he's got the cheapest and best solution. I've heard similar reports about of how to deter rodents from messing up the garden..

 

[Brute]

rodents hate cayenne pepper, so it's been the go to forever by farmers and ranchers to protect the wiring in their motorized equipment and trucks, they buy it in bulk.
Had a problem with rodents chewing on my riding mower wires until I sprinkled cayenne, end of problem.
Pick up a coupla big bottles, sprinkle it liberally around your campsite and in your engine compartment

Add some dried oregano, garlic powder & onion powder and you can have a blackened engine compartment…

 

[Merle]

rodents hate cayenne pepper, so it's been the go to forever by farmers and ranchers to protect the wiring in their motorized equipment and trucks, they buy it in bulk.
Had a problem with rodents chewing on my riding mower wires until I sprinkled cayenne, end of problem.
Pick up a coupla big bottles, sprinkle it liberally around your campsite and in your engine compartment

So do you just sprinkle the dry pepper onto the wiring? I would think it would blow off pretty quick once the engine is started and the vehicle moving. I wonder if you could mix the pepper with water and some sort of binder, then spray a thin coating that would stay in place longer.

Just thinking out loud here, as I've battled rodents in parked vehicles for years at my place.

thanks, andy

 

[Draketake]

Original Irish Spring Bar Soap. The green color. Place it in one of those plastic travel soap dishes that have a cover. Place that inside the engine compartment. Here in Central Oregon 1 bar lasts about 2 - 3 years.

 

[SurfnFish]

So do you just sprinkle the dry pepper onto the wiring? I would think it would blow off pretty quick once the engine is started and the vehicle moving. I wonder if you could mix the pepper with water and some sort of binder, then spray a thin coating that would stay in place longer.

Just thinking out loud here, as I've battled rodents in parked vehicles for years at my place.

thanks, andy

easy enough to reapply when reparked. Had a little bugger chew up an ignition wire on wife's Sienna while we were away on a trip, sprinkled some on the plastic cover under the hood, checked coupla weeks later, still there in spite of her daily use.
Another trick is spray the compartment with peppermint oil, should get the same results. Up here in the mountains, woodpeckers like to work over the siding looking for insects. Whenever they show up at our place, I spray the siding with peppermint oil mixed in a one gallon sprayer. End of problem.
The internet can be our friend, when we're not wading chest deep through 'alternative facts'..lol

 

[kerrys]

Original Irish Spring Bar Soap. The green color. Place it in one of those plastic travel soap dishes that have a cover. Place that inside the engine compartment. Here in Central Oregon 1 bar lasts about 2 - 3 years.

I’ve heard people say this before. I’m not saying it won’t work but since no one in the house will use that crap to wash themselves with I have a bar of the stuff in my shop to lubricate wood screws. The rodents in the shop eat the soap. They aren’t deterred by it one bit. I even put the bar in a ziplock bag and the little bastards ate through the bag to get at the soap.

 

[Draketake]

@kerrys,

Interesting on your results. Your using the green Irish Spring Bars?

My neighbor had her wires almost entirely eaten out of her brand new car 4 years ago. She told me about Irish Spring. I put it in my truck as I had also heard of it before.

Neighbon put it in her car after the repairs to her electrical. We havent had a problem since, knock on wood.

My truck is also parked at a lot of backcountry sites, for extended periods of time, in known chipmunk, mouse and packrat habitat. I havent had a problem.

Could be that the formula for the soap has changed. Possibly Ive been lucky also. My truck is older. My mechanic BIL told me that most new vehicles have vegetable based oil used in the plastic covering of the wires.

The hood up at backcountry sites has been around awhile, especially in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming. To me it screams " Hey Im in the backcountry for the next X amount of days. Im not gonna be around my car. Go ahead and steal whatever you want.". Thus, I dont do it.

Hope I didnt jinx myself.

Happy weekend all.

Bob

 

[kerrys]

@kerrys,

Interesting on your results. Your using the green Irish Spring Bars?

Bob

Yeah, it’s the green crap. This is in the hills above Sedro Woolley. For all I know these could be tweaker rodents.

 

[jasmillo]

rodents hate cayenne pepper, so it's been the go to forever by farmers and ranchers to protect the wiring in their motorized equipment and trucks, they buy it in bulk.
Had a problem with rodents chewing on my riding mower wires until I sprinkled cayenne, end of problem.
Pick up a coupla big bottles, sprinkle it liberally around your campsite and in your engine compartment

I have had issues with rodents getting into my engine compartment and chewing wires as well. Hot pepper flakes sprinkled on the engine worked for me. You do have to reapply though and your mechanic might not appreciate pepper flakes in the eye when doing your next oil change.

Nothing like driving down the road and having Micky pop up and walk across your windshield. Those little bastards are pretty sure footed.