Regular Oil Check!

[rayofsunshinegbr]

Good evening all.

Just to prove that regular checks under the bonnet are required, please see the attached photo!

It seems that our local squirrel was setting up home in a Luxury Auto Hotel. This is a photo of my wife's CT200 F Sport 

She only uses it once or twice a week, so I decided to take it to work this morning and thought I would check the fluids at lunchtime. To my surprise I found a  nest with about 20 conkers all nestled in the engine cover oil filler recess. It had even gnawed the top of the oil filler cap!

What worries me most is where did the darn rodent get the white fibrous material from.......?

After cleaning out the engine compartment of roasted nuts, my next task is to forcibly evict the squirrel (without the wife finding out!)

 

Regards

Ray

 

[Farqui]

Cumbs, is the car parked in the countryside?

 

My wife's Golf suffered a similar fate with vermin nibbling the engine bay fabrics; Battery cover and several patches on the bonnet lining. Grrrr.

 

As far as we can tell, it occurred when parked at work out in't sticks. Over winter they also often had signs of 'visitors' in the 'offices' aka porta cabins. Thankfully she no longer works there.

 

Might your fibers also be from the bonnet lining/sound deadening?

 

Oh and well done making maintenance checks.

[rayofsunshinegbr]

Quote

 

Hi Farqui

Just a quick update. Yes I do live in the countryside and the squirrel has a reprieve!

I have just spoken with our local pest controller when he came in to work today, and he tells me that its not a squirrel but more likely to be a field or harvest mouse, would you believe??.

All I can say is I don't want to meet a mouse who can carry bunch of conkers the size of a golf ball up my manifold!

It also worries me more, now, just where he / she got fibrous material from, as a mouse is a lot smaller than a squirrel ............ but then again looking at the conkers, maybe he isn't!!!

Next move is bait boxes and traps required around the garage and car.

Ray

[Guest]

A trick that worked for me was to erect a sign saying "No Mice Allowed"  

See it a lot with motorcycle airboxes as they make a lovely mouse house.

Ideally you want to find where they get in and try and make it harder, perhaps also put a wooden crate nearby with a blanket in so they go there instead? 

I live next to fields so no point trying to kill them unless they get in the house. The next wave isn't put of by the first wave being killed.

Also can use repellents near entry points. Prevention is better than cure. The first sign you've got them can be when discovering expensive damage. Be careful with pest control companies, some are better than others and will be happy to get called out every year rather than stop them getting in. 

http://how-to-get-rid-of-mice.com/mouse-repellent-smells/

[Malc]

so Field and Harvest mice and rare Sussex squirrels are protected species as are their habitat. Now you have owned up to the residency you have to under EU law ( Article 27 sub para 32   2013 ) retain and maintain the habitat for ever or until you find them a better alternative .............  like a Rolls Royce engine bay   ........  hahahahaha      I jest             ( or do I  ) 

Malc

[Big Rat]

Or you could resort to......... 

Big Rat

[Ala Larj]

2 hours ago, rayofsunshinegbr said:

Hi Farqui

Just a quick update. Yes I do live in the countryside and the squirrel has a reprieve!

I have just spoken with our local pest controller when he came in to work today, and he tells me that its not a squirrel but more likely to be a field or harvest mouse, would you believe??.

All I can say is I don't want to meet a mouse who can carry bunch of conkers the size of a golf ball up my manifold!

It also worries me more, now, just where he / she got fibrous material from, as a mouse is a lot smaller than a squirrel ............ but then again looking at the conkers, maybe he isn't!!!

Next move is bait boxes and traps required around the garage and car.

Ray

At least it's not a Big Rat!

[colin79666]

Watch out for bait boxes. They can get the poison and then crawl off into a difficult to reach place to die. You then get the horrible smell of death but can’t get to the corpse.

By cleaning out the nest the tennant may well get the message and relocate somewhere else (hopefully not in your property) without resorting to much pest control. 

[rayofsunshinegbr]

Hi All.

Thanks for your interest in this subject.

Comedian - Thanks for the info and yes  I agree that prevention is better than cure  and no, I dont want to smell like an old mothball

The pest controller I use is very reliable and is going to put some bait boxes down F.O.C. and monitor to comply with the Britsh Pest Control Association

Malc - Reference the re-housing to a Rolls Royce Engine Bay, I live just 4 miles from the factory, so I wonder if  can smuggle some humanely captured "protected species" past RR security for them to start a new life in a new Rolls Royce  Phantom.

Lastly, Big Rat. - being a county boy, I have the means the motive and the wherewith all, but I also have a wife who has the Bambi syndrome if you know what I mean!

 

Regards

Ray

 

 

[rayaans]

I would presume if you turned the engine on,  any squirrel would evacuate pretty quickly....

 

.... or atleast try to...