I know I had to age at least a couple years in that one moment

Okay so I'm walking back down the driveway after taking the trash can to the street and notice something hanging from underneath my truck. Been doing quite a bit of maintenance lately so I'm immediately concerned wondering if something has come unfastened. I get down on one knee for a closer look and I see what looks to be a tie wrap maybe, hanging from the back of the skid plate. So I reach in and take hold of what feels like a piece of rubber trim. I begin to pull and what falls out? Holy shit - a dead rat!! You talk about scaring the shit out of somebody, I don't know what I was expecting but it certainly wasn't that.

 

It's a wonderful you made it out alive!

 

I've never seen a rat but I'm pretty sure under the same circumstance I'd have shit my pants.

Last summer it was copperheads on a path on my property I jog in the morning before work. Even after the first & seconds sightings (near death experience at the time IMO...lol) and I was expecting them, I still about jumped outta my shoes!

 

Wonder what wires it chewed up?

 

Rodents will absolutely destroy your wiring! If that rat fell out of your truck they almost certainly made a nest in there somewhere. Check very carefully, even in your air box and the space under you windshield wipers. Then do everything humanly possible to keep them out of your truck. I'm sure you will get lots of advice on keeping them out but I'll share a couple that work for me. I use bailing wire to attach a couple of poison bait blocks in my engine compartment. Keep them away from things that get hot, they're made with wax. The other is good old fashioned snap traps. Bait them with peanut butter and put one near each of your tires. You'll know the next morning if rats are visiting your truck. Moth balls have never worked for me, my rodents shredded up a sock full of moth balls and made a nest with it. I heard peppermint oil works but haven't tried it yet. Good luck.

 

Reported to PETA.....

 

Better dead than alive

 

Dammit man! As if I don't have enough to worry about. Popped open hood and found evidence pointing to the fan being cause of death (chunkage, shrapnel etc). Then it all comes back to me ~ two mornings ago (5AM) I fire up the truck to go to work and hear a pronounced "thunk" from engine bay area. I recall thinking "what the heck was that" but didn't investigate further. I did scout around all areas looking for nest/bedding etc. Will continue to monitor situation. Thanks to all for comments as well as advice.

 

KILL THEM! KILL THEM WITH FIRE!!!!!!!

 

Give this guy a call:



(great movie)

 

Within the first month of owning this truck I had seen footprints of some creature under the hood of mine too.

 

Unrelated, but one winter day I was driving my mercury colony park wagon (big) to work and began to smell burnt hair. When I got there I popped the hood and found a cooked cat wedged between the exhaust and engine.

It must have crawled up there to get warm...well, he did get warm. A bunch of the skin just peeled off while I was prying it out with a broom stick.

 

Sooooo, there's more than one way to cook a cat?

 

definitely gross...

 

That would be a nasty cleanup!

 

Hell, looks kinda fresh, I woulda cooked-n-ate that mo-fo fo sho!!!

 

I lost that new truck smell less than a year after purchase with mice nesting in the blower box. Pulled the wipers, cover etc and screwed 1/4inch screening over every possible opening. Stuffed steel wool everywhere else. They've invaded a Camry, Tacoma, Subaru Outback...basically any import I've ever had. Don't they have mice in Japan?

Ralph

 

Do you really think mice wont invade a domestic vehicle? Clearly you've never owned one.
Anyway, steel wool works good but it rusts and makes a real mess. Try bronze wool like. It wont rust and disintegrate.