How to deal with night light pollution and night critters

[salmo7000]

The brand I have is Sans Pest (and I have 3 of them, 1 in each vehicle):

https://www.amazon.com/Sanspest-Repe...ustomerReviews

Unfortunately, Amazon says they're out of stock, but there are other brands to check out, including ones that look like they might work even better. And there may be other sources to buy a Sans Pest too. Although not rated very high on Amazon, they sure work for me. The first one I bought has been happily whining away for over a year, and I haven't even changed the batteries.

[Upfisk]

The reviews on Amazon sound like this sound device is also a failure. Friends gave us some 120V devices to make the same ultrasonic noise. Guess we'll start with more testing soon. We store one car in a Mennonite made garage structure for the winter. Mice are a problem there and packrats cannot get through the rollup door as the mice can. Mice just nest and poop, they have not yet chewed. While mice are not our friends, they are at least nicer than packrats.

Fox urine, we will look for it.

Feral cats: Our county animal control lets us buy "barn cats". We have to cage them for a week to 10 days near the problem, then leave food and water out indefinitely for them. The owls, red tail hawks, bobcats, cougars, foxes, and other preditors will make short work of a city raised barn cat. We need a wary, country raised cat, that knows all about preditors. The food and water will be an attractant in our desert environment.

We need snakes! Had a colony of packrats living in a pile of lumber while we were building our off grid house (those piles are long gone). One winter a group of king or gopher snakes moved in. By spring the packrats were gone. We moved, burned, used up the lumber piles that year. We would not mind rattlesnakes living near the cars, they are polite and sound out warnings if you get too close, we can live with that. Rattlesnakes love to eat packrats.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by Upfisk

The reviews on Amazon sound like this sound device is also a failure. Friends gave us some 120V devices to make the same ultrasonic noise. Guess we'll start with more testing soon. We store one car in a Mennonite made garage structure for the winter. Mice are a problem there and packrats cannot get through the rollup door as the mice can. Mice just nest and poop, they have not yet chewed. While mice are not our friends, they are at least nicer than packrats.

Fox urine, we will look for it.

Feral cats: Our county animal control lets us buy "barn cats". We have to cage them for a week to 10 days near the problem, then leave food and water out indefinitely for them. The owls, red tail hawks, bobcats, cougars, foxes, and other preditors will make short work of a city raised barn cat. We need a wary, country raised cat, that knows all about preditors. The food and water will be an attractant in our desert environment.

We need snakes! Had a colony of packrats living in a pile of lumber while we were building our off grid house (those piles are long gone). One winter a group of king or gopher snakes moved in. By spring the packrats were gone. We moved, burned, used up the lumber piles that year. We would not mind rattlesnakes living near the cars, they are polite and sound out warnings if you get too close, we can live with that. Rattlesnakes love to eat packrats.

It seems like most of the non natural methods are hit or miss, while cats & snakes have their advantages. So far, I have not had a problem with packrats, but at home gray squirrels have been a problem, with a $600.00 repair to a Town & Country minivan.

[Chama]

We live in very rural Northern New Mexico and, naturally, have packrats and mice. They just love to chew the wiring in our vehicles. We have had thousands of dollars worth of repairs to the vehicle parked outside so we have tried everything. Most effective method found is the combination of very bright LED tube lights underneath the perimeter of the vehicle and an electronic device that makes a noise, inaudible to humans, the critters don't like. The most effective mouse trap, by far, is a steel bucket with 3 or 4" of water in the bottom placed up against an outside wall. In our dry location, mice crave the water so they climb up the wall to get it then fall into the bucket and drown.

[Iowa Dave]

The bucket with a round rod across the top with an impales loose pop or beer can slathered with peanut butter is an Iowa favorite. Eat the peanut butter, take a spin on the can, take a swim in the water , problem solved. Do not use cream in the bucket. They will swim till it turns to butter and gain weight before you get to them.
Iowa Dave

[Greg A]

Sounds like how we completely eliminated the yellow jacket nests at our cabin. (deadly allergic to yellow jackets) Took 2 liter pop bottles and cut the top 1/3 off and then inverted it into the base. Pour in a little red wine in the bottom of each one and they fly in the inverted spout an can't get back out. Eventually, all the workers end up drowned in our pop bottles and the queen has to move somewhere else to find help.

[MyronL]

Cats, snakes, soap, lights, fox urine,ultra sounds... but, I'm really liking that peanut butter smeared on a can over a bucket of water idea. Will set it up in my garage, today.

[rbryan4]

Packrats (wood rats) aren't just an issue in AZ, but they do have a seasonal problem with them. If you have hookups, one of those ultrasonic pest repellent devices plugged in to your outside outlet will send them "packing" - no pun intended. If not, lights do work. Sorry about it ruining your night sky.

And they're far more of a threat to your tow vehicle than your trailer, since they like to nest in the engine compartment and chew the wires. Leave the hood of your tow vehicle open in an infested area.

[Viajante]

Originally Posted by Tam2004

We camped at Gilbert Ray Campground in AZ last week and loved the night sky. We even attended a volunteer led effort to view stars through telescopes. After we walked back to our campsite and tried to continue to enjoy the stars, we couldn't due to our trailer neighbors having a string of lights circling their entire rig - on the ground! As we walked through the camp site - we saw several people doing this. Some lights circled both the trailers and the tow vehicles. What is up with this? The owners were inside the trailers and sure wouldn't see the lights much for any reason that I could figure. BTW I was trying to post a picture of this lovely spot - but for some reason I can't get that feature to work.

I question whether the lights are due to concern with rats. Some people in campgrounds around North America like to have strings of lights on the ground because they like the looks and it gives them a sense of safety. Once the stars are out the outside lights should be too.

Note to moderator: retitle as a rat thread for clarity.

[Jim Bennett]

We do have some mice and voles around here, but with the exception of some politicians and lawyers, Alberta is rat free.

[Hecolvin]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

We camped at Gilbert Ray, and at Organ Pipe National Monument we camped 10 feet away from a packrat nest. At the advice of well seasoned Arizona resident, who is a star gazer, we used three bars of Irish Spring soap in the engine compartment, a bar at each wheel, and Gain dryer sheets were also wrapped around the vulnerable wiring in the engine compartment. It's quite odoriferous to say the least. While I saw the packrat come and go at Organ Pipe our pickup was left alone. There is no need for obnoxious rope lights.

One camper just used bright motion lights underneath his camper and said they worked quite well. We now have a set of those also and find they double as lights when we walk to our camper. They rarely turn on, and underneath the truck aren't that obnoxious, but turn off after motion is undetected for 20 seconds. We have about 1/10 the false turn-ons from these lights vs the home motion puc lights we were using.

Enjoy,

Perry

We camp in the southwest a lot and usually in the winter. We put a harbor freight solar powered rope light under the hood and close down the hood. We do it to discourage the packrats. Our lights are keyed to flash, but since they are under the hood they don't bother o u r neighbors. We have not had damage from the little rascals, but have talked to people that have.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Upfisk

The reviews on Amazon sound like this sound device is also a failure. Friends gave us some 120V devices to make the same ultrasonic noise. Guess we'll start with more testing soon. We store one car in a Mennonite made garage structure for the winter. Mice are a problem there and packrats cannot get through the rollup door as the mice can. Mice just nest and poop, they have not yet chewed. While mice are not our friends, they are at least nicer than packrats.

Fox urine, we will look for it.

Feral cats: Our county animal control lets us buy "barn cats". We have to cage them for a week to 10 days near the problem, then leave food and water out indefinitely for them. The owls, red tail hawks, bobcats, cougars, foxes, and other preditors will make short work of a city raised barn cat. We need a wary, country raised cat, that knows all about preditors. The food and water will be an attractant in our desert environment.

We need snakes! Had a colony of packrats living in a pile of lumber while we were building our off grid house (those piles are long gone). One winter a group of king or gopher snakes moved in. By spring the packrats were gone. We moved, burned, used up the lumber piles that year. We would not mind rattlesnakes living near the cars, they are polite and sound out warnings if you get too close, we can live with that. Rattlesnakes love to eat packrats.

Seems to me the same predators for the cats should be taking care of the packrat population, snakes, owls, hawks, and bobcats would be the pack rats natural enemies rather than adding cats to the mix, otherwise you are just feeding the cats to their predators rather than the packrats. In the cities we have a rats and feral cat issues and use TNR to keep both under control

[Mike Lewis]

How about sprinkling snake repellant around your trailer / TV when parked? It has naphthalene in it, like moth balls, and might repel any critter.

I have a bad squirrel problem at home. I haven't seen them around my trailer, but they have found a way into my house and have chewed open other accesses. They are hard to get rid of. I've heard / read that one can put a plastic trash can in the yard, put about a foot of water in it, then pour a layer of peanuts on top. They will get into the trash can to eat the peanuts and drown, similar to the bucket method. The idea makes me cringe, but I'm getting desperate.

[Merlin]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

How about sprinkling snake repellant around your trailer / TV when parked? It has naphthalene in it, like moth balls, and might repel any critter.

I have a bad squirrel problem at home. I haven't seen them around my trailer, but they have found a way into my house and have chewed open other accesses. They are hard to get rid of. I've heard / read that one can put a plastic trash can in the yard, put about a foot of water in it, then pour a layer of peanuts on top. They will get into the trash can to eat the peanuts and drown, similar to the bucket method. The idea makes me cringe, but I'm getting desperate.

Mike, you might try this: www.amazon.com/Tube-Trap-Squirrel-Standard/dp/B00K6JKVK4

It is brutal but if they are in your home it might be needed. It is not for everyone. Also, it does not discriminate between squirrels and bunnies if that is a concern. Or beneficial animals either. My shed is current clear... should last for a few weeks before the neighbors squirrels figure out there is a vacancy.

[EscapeBoulder]

While I can't directly address the desert packrat, we've had good success with "Rid-A-Rat" (index) magnetized under vehicle flashing LED lights keeping the little critters from chewing our vehicle wires here in the Rocky Mtn foothills. Rid-a-Rat's were recommended to me after I had several incidents which eventually cost > $2,000!

[reetired]

Originally Posted by MyronL

Fresh Cab. This stuff works. Got mine at Tractors Supply.

We too use Fresh Cab, smells wonderful, works and is the solution to light pollution.

Pack rat infestation? Ewwww

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by Merlin

Mike, you might try this: http://www.amazon.com/Tube-Trap-Squi.../dp/B00K6JKVK4

I haven't heard of this. Thanks for giving me another option.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

How about sprinkling snake repellant around your trailer / TV when parked? It has naphthalene in it, like moth balls, and might repel any critter.

I have a bad squirrel problem at home. I haven't seen them around my trailer, but they have found a way into my house and have chewed open other accesses. They are hard to get rid of. I've heard / read that one can put a plastic trash can in the yard, put about a foot of water in it, then pour a layer of peanuts on top. They will get into the trash can to eat the peanuts and drown, similar to the bucket method. The idea makes me cringe, but I'm getting desperate.

Mike, your solution reminds me of a joke, years ago.How do you catch an elephant?
You dig a hole and fill it with peas and cover with ashes. When the elephant comes for a pea, you kick him in the ash hole.....

[Doug2000]

I live in southern Ontario. Here we pour salt on the roads. Every fall I take the truck and car and get it oil sprayed. Aside from protecting the body and preventing rust, it protects the electrical system, the brake and fuel lines, and yes the chipmunks hate it. My neighbor has had wires chewed a couple times, not us.

[cpaharley2008]

We used to have our cars undercoated with a company called Zeibert, but they went of business. I have 93 Jeep that was done, it is just starting to rust as it has not be reapplied in 25 years. I mush prefer what they used in western Pennsylvania, slag from the steel mills ground up and spread, very dirty but no rust.