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Oh RATS!!!

Started up the Dodge Ram yesterday and the parking brake light and ABS light stayed on. Popped open the hood and immediately saw that rodents had been VERY busy overnight. They pulled down a bunch of insulation, and chewed through several wires:eek:

I initially didn't see where the ABS wiring had been cut, and I wasn't 100% sure that it even had been cut, I thought that it may have just been a coincidence so I took the truck in to a local shop and had them put their ABS scan tool on the system. Showed up as a bad right front ABS sensor. Followed the wire up from the wheel and sure enough, the rat had chewed through the wire loom, and both of the wires running to the sensor.

Besides the ABS, the rat also chewed through both the positive and negative leads for my digital gauges. One of the wires had been completely severed at BOTH ends, and the wire had been taken to the opposite side of the engine compartment where the ABS wire had been chewed:confused:

I spent the last couple hours rigging up sheets of semi-rigid plastic, and aluminum as barriers to prevent the suckers from getting back under the hood.

Additionally I bought four adhesive strips and placed them under the front of the truck. I'm hoping to catch the sucker!! I figure if it gets stuck to the strip, Clyde can take care of it from there:D
 



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X2!
 



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Caught one last night:D Peanut butter on a big snap trap.
 






Any one who has had a similar problem knows what your going through. The feild mice have a field day in the F250 as it doesn't move too often anymore. The minute you open the door it reeks. Well I seem to remember that lately it doesn't smell as bad but oh wait the windstar that only gets used for long trips now reeks. Mom has cleaned and shampooed the carpet multiple times. It seems as though all the plastic has now been stained in smell.

Edit: Oh and as for dying in impossible to find locations, never seems to happen. We have found them dead in the middle of the car in the past. And the latest dead one was funny to watch as he scared mom as we were starting the 91 x. Then once we tap the starter she turns over, it has an oil into the intake problem well again long story short the pretty blue smoke killed it while it tried to run off.

Long story short. Resolve the problem in the engine bay. Once they find an entrance into the interior your going to smell it anytime you sit inside.
Sorry if my stories seem to drag on.
 






I think the rat crisis is over:D

Killed one rat in a snap trap and another the first night I put out the Victor electronic trap. Nothing since:chug:

No more rabbit damage either. I have a florescent shop light under the hood of the truck that's on a dusk/dawn timer.
 






Oh Rats, wanted to see the electro trap do it's thing. But glad you got rid of the problem. Could always go to the pet store and buy one of those feeder rats for large snakes...just to make sure the electro trap does works, of you know what I mean ha ha.
 






Oh Rats, wanted to see the electro trap do it's thing. But glad you got rid of the problem. Could always go to the pet store and buy one of those feeder rats for large snakes...just to make sure the electro trap does works, of you know what I mean ha ha.

Didn't see it in action, but the sucker was pretty stiff the next morning. Big heavy rat too.
 






My neighbor has it outside his shop.. He killed some cat looking thing with the big Vector electric kill trap.

~Mark
 






My neighbor has it outside his shop.. He killed some cat looking thing with the big Vector electric kill trap.

~Mark

The locals love to talk about the chupacabra over here. Some are afraid to go out at night.:eek:
 






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