I have stories to tell of disasters. Over 30 years I have had the craziest of challenges with nests, chewed wires and some pretty expensive repairs. But a recent one is a hoot. Where we live now we have a mix of wood rats and mice. They don't seem to get along well together - note that.

Recently my wife's 250 was in the shop awaiting an engine compartment wire harness. 3 months, $3000. Around that same time something chewed into a coolant line on a JD410j going to the hydraulics. I hope they got a good drink of the sweet stuff that flowed out. Fortunately it was outside the fence line. My 'ol f250 v10 is down, instantaneously, and I know its chewed wires. But this last one is a hoot. No critters wanted my newer 2021 F350. Until last month.

Where your rig is parked is critical. In one place its the rats. In another its the mice. I was puffing my chest out telling my wife she was parking in the wrong place. Until I got hit. How do I know this? It's what the nests are made of. Where I thought I was safe happened to be by the fowl pen. The heat/AC ducts were packed with chicken and guinea feathers. All mice. They're really artistically built. In my wife's rig it is acorn shells. In the 'ol f250 it is acorns, leaves and whatever. In the JD their are no nests as they were shopping.

Don't talk about poison. We don't do that. The work dogs don't eat the critters but carry them around as the day's critter de jure if they didn't catch them running. That's enough to kill the dogs. Traps? There is not enough time in life to clean them and, besides, the critters get smart and avoid them. So see this:


I would've used 1/4" screen but was out. But at least this should cover the mice chewing through the filter and screwing up the fan. I'll get a new filter on the next trip to town but this should stop the invaders.

The wire cover slips in and out and can be re-used.

 

Mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks., voles....got them all here.....heck, I even had an Eastern Bluebird attacking my '07 F-250. The stupid thing kept trying to attack the bluebird that lived inside the passenger side mirror. The passenger side of the bright red truck was covered with white bird droppings.(Not a good look) I finally ended the reign of terror by covering the mirrors with plastic grocery bags each time I parked.

 

I have an outdoor cat that routinely leaves mice, rats, and birds on my door mats. You need a few cats....

 

I had a family of mice living in my HVAC system that ruined the fan motor and cost me $700 to get repaired.

 

If the rats and mice hate each other then you should alternate parking spaces...

 

Damn. I was hoping Ford had moved to less rodent desirable plastics and insulation by now. I just repaired mouse damage on my 2011 F-150 EcoBoost screw yesterday.
My son borrowed the truck over the weekend and brought it back with the CEL on. The code was P0299 (low turbo boost). I found that a critter got under the engine cover, shredded the insulation and built a nest between the intake and valve cover. It also ate the wires from the blow off valve control module. Lucky for me, there was enough wire left on the ends to solder in new wires.
Back when the truck was only 2 years old, a squirrel (or squirrels) got into the engine bay and ate major pieces of the engine harness, fuse block and even ate a big hole in the battery. To preserve the warranty, I had the repair done by the local dealer at the tune of $1500! After that I stashed 6 boxes of rat poison around the engine bay and had no further problems until now. I cleaned out the engine bay about a month ago to prep the truck for sale. Go figure.

I did spray the whole engine and engine bay down with peppermint oil yesterday. I'm going to hurry up and sell it now before they strike again.

I hope the peppermint oil and rat poison trick works when my 2022 super duty shows up. The thought of them eating a $90K truck makes me sick!

 

Love kitties. But three Cataholas are curious as to sharing their space. Like NOT. Kitten would be a a sad story. We don't want that.

 

Sir, that's what we do. PEPPERMINT OIL. It lasts a few days. But these dang critters spend their whole life defeating your best efforts.

What else do they have to do? They are just trying to survive. You mean guy. You have all that wire and hose just waiting to feed the next generation. Just park the rig and let them have at it.

As for me/us, we are in a continual battle.

 

That engine must smell great the first time you warm it up after a peppermint oil bath.

I've tried the same technique with Pennyroyal oil. That didn't work.

It might not have discouraged mice, but it did discourage freeway tailgaters for a few days.

 

I'm pet friendly and all, but mice and rats, no thanks. I use traps, poison, & anything else to keep them away. No mouse is worth thousands of dollars & downtime.

 

We were camping at Bodega Bay California for a few days last September. I started the engine to move the truck and found this had fallen against the inside of the front right tire. This photo shows exactly how it landed



As it turned out, this rodent had built a nest in the engine's valley and upon me starting the engine, I assume it panicked and jumped into the fan effectively ending its life instantly. I have never had rodent issues until this truck. Upon returning home, I did a bit of research and found this product on Amazon (see link below). I am a bit skeptical but it cost under 30 bucks, gets good 4-1/2 star reviews so we'll see if it works.

 

I have tried the ultra sonic pest control before and, for me, it did not work.

 

Mice chewd the insulation on my 2021 while it was sitting in kentucky waiting on a chip. Not bad but who knows if they hit wires too.
dealer wont fix. Dealer says the insulation and wire wrap made from some plant and mice like it.

It also had a windshield replaced down yhere.

 

That seems to be a bluebird thing. They do that on the windows of our house too.

 

My nephew went to start his truck and the engine wouldn't turn over. Found a cat with its neck between the belt and pulley. Yeah, the cat didn't make it . . .