My engine bay has been invaded by a squirrel, right?

I went out this evening to check the battery terminal sizes for a project I'm working on and discovered the following. My engine bay has been invaded by a squirrel or similar creature, right? My biggest concern is where the foam came from. I'm really hoping it isn't interior foam. I'll have to check tomorrow in the daylight for damage inside.

Imgur link with all images here and more: https://imgur.com/a/brOAiBm

View from the passenger side



View of under the engine "hat"



Pile of detritus I removed


For the scatologicaly inclined

Is there anything I can spray in the engine bay to keep them out? I haven't been driving quite as much with the pandemic, but I'm still driving several times a week. I live out in the middle of the woods, so creatures are no strangers around here, although I've yet to see any rats, just a lot of fluffy-tailed tree rats.

 

I suggest hitting up the animal shelter for a few cats

 

Here ya go...here is a recent thread for this problem. Good luck...

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ath-tacoma’s-and-chewing-engine-wires.709084/

 

Looks like a rat or mouse nest to me.

 

Mouse or Rat.

 

Is it just me or do those droppings have a blue-green tinge. If they do your friend has been eating DECON somewhere and may not be building too many more nests

 

Ugh, for some reason I would prefer it to be a squirrel.

 

They definitely did, I was wondering about that. We do have a poison bait dispenser around back it could have munched on.

 

Mouse, get some Decon.

 

Buy some peppermint spray. Spray it inside your engine bay, air intake and around your home’s dryer vents. Little guy is getting that fuzz from somewhere nearby.

Definitely looks like this guy has been eating poison or something. Might want to keep an eye out for his body in the engine bay.

D'oh - Looks like the fuzz is coming from the engine cover

 

Prevent defense asap. I’ve had my truck in for chewed wire harnesses twice in the past month, caused over 3k or damage that insurance paid for.

clean your engine bay with cleaning product, set traps, peppermint spray or some folks say moth balls in the engine bay etc. I posted a thread you can check my history and a lot of people gave some good advice.

 

isnt that white foam/nest just from the critter breaking down the white insulation shown missing under the engine cover? looks like it to me.

 

Lol, right. I thought the exact same thing. Like it seems pretty clear where it came from....

 

Yikes. Same here but not the Tacoma. Check with your homeowners/renters. That's what paid for my new wiring harness. I ended up having to park my car on the street instead of my driveway.

I'd also say to stay away from poison if you have dogs or cats and/or care about other predators in your neighborhood. They may end up eating the poisoned rat(s). Poisoned rats also seem to end up crawling into a space and dying, leaving you wondering what and where the stench is/is coming from...

 

Set traps and do not use poisons. My friend had the same problem with squirrels nesting in his pickup. I told him to use traps but he insisted on using poisons. He had dead rotting squirrels under his basement and his wife was upset from the stench. Then his dog ate a dead squirrel or ate the poison bait. His dog almost died costing him about $1,500 in vet bills plus he had to deal with an angry wife.

 

Give them a reason to not go to your truck like a peanut butter feeding station somewhere away from your truck with a bunch of snap traps or a bucket trap. I hope they haven't gotten to any wiring yet OP

 

Bait traps work well but really should be administered by a professional. The mistake most people make is putting the trap next their house or a car or inside their garage or shed. They seem to work better (in my experience) if they’re placed a distance away from structures. I have three bait traps in my yard, all are at my fence line maybe 30’ from my house, travel trailer, fruit trees and shed. They seem to work well and I’ve not had issues with rodents dying inside, but then again the pest control service I use sealed my house and detached garage when I hired them.

 

I set all sorts of traps with peanut butter, and sunflower seeds in my garage where these little bastards congregate, and keep the truck out in the driveway.