Today's Surprise!

[suitcase_sally]

I have several vehicles, and one small car I park right in front of the front door. There is a small grove of pine trees in the yard also. There is one linden tree in the front yard that is still alive, but is hollow inside. There are 3 or 4 red squirrels living in it.

A couple of days ago I drove the small car to the store and it started missing. When I got back home, I opened the hood and this is what I found.










There were pine cones, acorns and dried mushrooms packed in every crevice. The squirrels put the cones in there when they were green. The motor heat caused them to dry out and expand open. They were down in tiny crevices and wrapped around wires. I spent over an hour with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers prying them out!

[countryfied2011]

I know it is not funny but I had to giggle, can you just imagine how hard they worked..

Sorry you had to go through all of that..

[suitcase_sally]

Well, seeing that it's Christmas and all, and I'm feeling jolly, I collected all the junk in a 5 gallon bucket and spread them in the wood shed - where the rest of their stash is.

[fordy]

Originally Posted by suitcase_sally

Well, seeing that it's Christmas and all, and I'm feeling jolly, I collected all the junk in a 5 gallon bucket and spread them in the wood shed - where the rest of their stash is.

.................Those jolly little tree rats will mess with the insulation on your vehicle electricial system just like mice and rats will ! The sooner you evict them from their tree condo(s) , the less likely they are to cause you problems . , fordy

[suitcase_sally]

Yeah, that's what DH said, so I moved the car to the other side of the yard where there are no pines. I guess I have to find the chewed wires.

[fixitguy]

You should try this product...http://www.earthkind.com/products/fe...dent-repellent

Not sure if it will keep out squirrels, but I works well on keeping mice out of cars.
I use 5-6 pouches in my old car over the winter, it works awesome.

[Honey Berry]

We used to live in the middle of a grove of black walnut trees. About 7 years ago my husband and I drove my 95 stick shift Ranger to town. We were driving along when all of a sudden the foot feed became stuck to the floor. The truck kept accelerating faster and faster and my husband could not get the engine to slow down. The truck naturally slowed down going up a big hill and that was enough for hubby to pull over on the shoulder and turn the key off.

Come to find out, some mice had been using the engine to store black walnuts and one had lodged itself in just the right position to cause the gas pedal to be stuck in the "floored" position.

[KIT.S]

We lived in the middle of 150 acres of prune orchards, and the ground squirrels stuffed our engine compartment full of prune pits! We used that car to go to work every day. They must have worked early and late to get it that way.
Kit

[suitcase_sally]

Originally Posted by fixitguy

You should try this product...http://www.earthkind.com/products/fe...dent-repellent

Not sure if it will keep out squirrels, but I works well on keeping mice out of cars.
I use 5-6 pouches in my old car over the winter, it works awesome.

Thanks for the tip, fixitguy! It's a little pricey, but I guess it's cheaper than having the wires replaced.

[7thswan]

You should see what a squirrel did to the inside of our cabin, with green black walnuts. I'm still not done cleaning and throwing out, I need a dumpster.

[fixitguy]

Originally Posted by suitcase_sally

Thanks for the tip, fixitguy! It's a little pricey, but I guess it's cheaper than having the wires replaced.

I think the web site is way pricey. I get mine at Fleet Farm, about $12 for a box of 4 pouches.

[suitcase_sally]

Originally Posted by Honey Berry

We used to live in the middle of a grove of black walnut trees. About 7 years ago my husband and I drove my 95 stick shift Ranger to town. We were driving along when all of a sudden the foot feed became stuck to the floor. The truck kept accelerating faster and faster and my husband could not get the engine to slow down. The truck naturally slowed down going up a big hill and that was enough for hubby to pull over on the shoulder and turn the key off.

Come to find out, some mice had been using the engine to store black walnuts and one had lodged itself in just the right position to cause the gas pedal to be stuck in the "floored" position.

I want to hit the "like" button, but, somehow that seems inappropriate...That had to be scary!!!

[big rockpile]

Squirrels and Chipmunks will destroy Wiring and cost you more than a Vehicle is worth.

big rockpile

[suitcase_sally]

Yikes!!!

[Jim-mi]

Some how those tree rats got into my water house. . . .Distroyed insulation and much more.
I have a totally open season on those buggers.
The Mossburg can "bark" all it wants.

You will have trouble with them until you have removed them all..........

[Awnry Abe]

I hate to see one dead at the side of the road... Vehicle, that is.

(I love all creatures, great and small. But gummed up mechanics is way over line.)

[Fire-Man]

I removed----do not feel like fighting!!!

[where I want to]

I will never look at those cartoons of nut saving squirrels stuffing hollow trees full in the same way again. That stuck accelerator pedal was especially scary.

So no more Scrat humor........

[okiemom]

Mice destroyed wires in a car that was my daily driver. How does that happen?? How knew I was a taxi for rodents.

[Rustaholic]

Originally Posted by okiemom

Mice destroyed wires in a car that was my daily driver. How does that happen?? How knew I was a taxi for rodents.

Mice chewing wires.
Thank you for the memories.
Back when when I was an electrician I saw a mouse nest with house wire running though it. I started removing the nest and laughed when I saw what was in it. A mouse had chewed the covering off the wires and what I found was a completely cleaned mouse skeleton with the jaws still on the bare wires.

I really wish back then we all had these pocket phones that would take pictures so nicely.