In the aftermath of a rat attack, this is a question that you will definitely be asking yourself. I have been in this situation for some time now and will share exactly what has worked for me.
If this is the case for you, great job of taking care of the initial problem! Now it is super important that you put up some defenses to be prepared for another wave of attacks.
If there haven’t been any signs of rodent damage in some time, you have successfully broken the habits of the rats that were frequenting your car. Depending on the solutions you used, it is most likely the case that some rats are still out there.
As referenced on the home page, rats multiply super quick. It is only a matter of time until some teenage rats start getting rebellious and start sneaking out of the house.
The absolute first thing you need to do is add the “5 minute check” (see article “The 5 minute check that can save your car (and your sanity!)”) into your routine. This will tell you first hand if you are still being attacked or if you can loosen up your defenses a bit.
Alright, here is the plan of action:
If the 5 minute check reveals that an attack is ensuing, immediately block off all entrances to the car with snap traps and head on over to the home page to figure out what other solution should be added into the mix.
If the 5 minute check shows that you are still in the clear, you need to start a rotation of things. Here is what you will need:
- 1 or more Smell/odor: Rodent Defense and/or bounce sheets
- 1 Bright Light: Flashlight or work light
- 2 Snap Traps: Tomcat Rat Snap Trap
- (Potentially) Fake Predator: I recently purchased a decoy owl.
- (Potentially) Ultrasonic Device
Now here are the exact steps that I use:
- I always have at least 2 snap traps set for each car. Place them on top of the front 2 tires. Re-bait with peanut butter once a week.
- 1-2 times a week, spray the inside of the engine compartment with Rodent Defense. Throughout the weeks I alternate in bounce sheets.
- 2-3 times a week, leave the hood up on my car overnight.
- 2-3 times a week, shine a flashlight under the car
- (Not Required) Just recently, I introduced a fake owl into the scene. Twice a week I will move the owl into different spots and then shine a flashlight onto it.
- (Not Required – I don’t use one of these) Purchase an under the hood ultrasonic emitter so that there is constantly ultrasonic noise to annoy the rat.
Typically, I will overlap the days for number 2-4, so that I have at least two of these going on any given day. For example: one day I will leave the hood up + shine a flashlight under the car, next day I will spray the engine compartment with Rodent Defense + shine a flash light under the car, etc.
The purpose of alternating the solutions is to constantly be providing deterrents that hit upon the multiple senses of the rodent and eliminate a habit from forming.
Hope this was helpful!
This page contains Amazon Affiliate links. I will receive a commission for any purchases made through these links, though at no additional cost to you.
I just had rats/mice eat (according to the mechanic) about a foot of my engine wire harness (2017 Hyundai Santa Fe). The repair bill will be in the thousands. When I discovered the problem, I cleared out the nesting materials and put a Tomcat rat bait trap in the engine compartment. The next morning there was new nesting materials and it seem that some of the bait block had been eaten. I checked morning and night for the next several days and no further sign of active was apparent. No more droppings on the carport floor. I then sprayed the carport with a rodent repellent.
My question: Is Rat/mouse poison better than traps?
Hi Doug! So sorry for never responding to you. I am around now for good. For the Rat Traps you need to use something that will stick to the bait trap for the highest chance of success. I usually recommend peanut butter. And for placement of the rat traps, the best place is to put at the bases and tops of the tread on the front two tires. This is the path that the rats usually take to get into the engine compartment.
To answer your question: Poison bait stations are ok to use, but you need to ensure you place those somewhere outside of the car, like along your house. Rats and mice always like to travel alongside a wall when getting to their destination so you need to make a judgement call on what path they are taking. You can usually see rodent droppings along the path or if you take a black light to it, you will see urine spots glow in the dark. Also, the poison bait stations actually attract the rodents to them so the last thing you want is to attract the rodents to your car. Hope this is helpful. If you have any other questions, please feel free to respond. Thank you! RKD
Hi Dave. Are you parking your car inside the garage or outside?
Hi James! So sorry for not responding to you. I am just now getting back to working on this site. I have always been parking my cars outside. It would be much better to park them in a sealed garage, but I just didn’t have that option. Hope this is helpful and stay safe out there. Thank you! RKD