[GTO]

Despite trying out all kinds of solutions, the rat menace still prevails for most of us. I've personally tried it all: Tobacco (didn't work), Tufkote (useless) etc. Currently testing Varna Suraksha (audio repellent) & Auto Shine (repellent spray). The problem has become so severe that some BHPians have resorted to extreme measures, as this picture illustrates.


Original post

There's also a safety issue (e.g. short circuits) if rodents mess up your wiring . I got my building rid of the buggers with BMC complaints & pest control contracts; that definitely reduced the problem, but rats from neighbouring buildings started jumping in! It's a bigger problem for my cars as they aren't driven every day. Cars without daily running are the worst hit by this menace.

Link to the main thread. Pouches, devices & poison can be discussed there.

On this thread, let's see if we can find a workable hardware solution. I'm thinking of building a partition around my cars which would (ideally) make them inaccessible to rats. I own the building, so society permissions aren't an issue. Space is plenty too.

BHPian 2cents placed a chicken net around his car. Is this good enough?

Original Post

On the other hand, someone from the US built this:

Source and a related PDF

Here's another one, with a detailed build guide - Source:






Another option is a Car Capsule, but I'm not convinced. What if rats chew through the plastic cover? Then, it's Rs. 60,000 down the drain. I'd need a constant power supply and the effort involved in taking the car out & parking it back seems too much:

Related thread

[GTO]

Questions:

1. Which one of the above would you choose & why?

2. If chicken net, how tall should it be? Trust me, we have BIG rats in our building.

3. Given the material texture of the chicken net, won't rats be able to easily climb over it?

4. I'm becoming increasingly keen on the white fence (Honda Accord pictures above). I thought of placing (foldable) transparent acrylic panels around the car. Since the material is smooth, rats won't be able to climb over the sheets. Plus, transparent acrylic / plastic sheets will be aesthetically pleasing. What height should these panels be?

5. Any alternate fencing solutions you might suggest?

6. Any other tips, advice or things to keep in mind?

7. For those looking at sealing up gaps & holes, a highly recommended product - Stuf Fit.

Thanks!

Pics & Suggestions from BHPians:

Full border with tar brushes


Tar brush

Rat-Proof Tape

Wooden frames

Cricket net

[condor]

I dont think any of these will work. Rats can climb - so even the mesh wont work. If they want to, they will dig hole & cross in.

The plastic capsule ? Should not even be here - it looks more like a capsule to protect that car from the elements.

Rats need to chew on hard stuff to keep their teeth in shape. So they will cut through most things. Those who have had gardens have even tried glass pieces buried in the ground, along the compound wall (for some height). This seems to work for sometime, though.

Best bet still remains a rat trap ..

[abirnale]

Originally Posted by GTO

4. I'm becoming increasingly keen on the white fence (Honda Accord pictures above). I thought of placing (foldable) transparent acrylic panels around the car. Since the material is smooth, rats won't be able to climb over the sheets. Plus, transparent acrylic / plastic sheets will be aesthetically pleasing. What height should these panels be?

I would personally prefer this, for two reasons. First - its easy to procure, maintain and fit/ remove. Second - this is expected to work practically if the height is at the least 50 cms and above. Of course this is also subjective to the surroundings where the car is parked. If there are stepping things for rats, you need the panels to be taller. Take your call based on 50-60cms height or perceived rat sizes and their ability to jump from the place where you have car - whichever is higher, it should be the height.

I have seen the metal sheet being applied on the tall coconut trees in grooves - just to avoid rats climbing all the way up to fruits and eating them. The plain slippery surface will make rats fall down.

The same logic if applied here, should work. But I do not have practical experience of doing this before :(

And something totally different - why not work with neighbouring apartment/ house too to make sure that the area is free of rodent. Challenging but obviously no one would want to live in the places where there are too many rodents! Time to do some clean up

[roy_libran]

How about making a 6 inch tall brickwork surrounding your car with smoothened ramp on one side for entry and exit of the car, and filling it with 2-3 inch Water?
Total enclosure size approximately 2 meter wide x 5 meters long, depending on the car.
In case you don't like the idea of the wheels standing in water for prolonged periods, simply create 4 humps (again 4-6 inch tall) for placing the tires.

You got the idea?
Max cost 2000 bucks.

P.S. Before someone points out, Rats do Swim. However, from what I have seen, they don't PREFER TO, and only get into water, if they desperately HAVE TO.

[NPV]

Originally Posted by GTO

Despite trying out all kinds of solutions, the rat menace still prevails for most of us. I've personally tried it all: Tobacco (didn't work), Tufkote (useless) etc. Currently testing Varna Suraksha (audio repellent) & Auto Shine (repellent spray).

Since you own the building, is it possible to fix a large garage door so that physical access is limited for the rats unlike an open car porch/parking space ? And inside the garage you can still try multiple products like repellents, etc for more protection.

Also, came across this one called Autoguard on the internet - Link

Originally Posted by roy_libran

How about making a 6 inch tall brickwork surrounding your car with smoothened ramp on one side for entry and exit of the car, and filling it with 2-3 inch Water?

As per this article, it is best to keep rats away from food & water as much as possible - Link

[vinair]

If space permits, how about checking out a used shipping container (that comes in a dimension that suits your need). On net, I could find quite a few costing any thing between 40K to 1lac.

You can customize it the way you want and also with the overall construction being in solid steel, you should be able to keep the rats at bay without any regular maintenance.

[tsk1979]

Our building had a severe rat problem. Very severe.
At first I tried poisons and stuff. Nothing worked.

Next step was taking matters in my own hands. I started setting traps every day. Would hunt down atleast one rat a day. After thirty rats down(four hunted down after 3 hour chases), I realized they breed faster than I can kill them.

So I needed and exterminator. I had spotted a cat around, and soon, I started making our apartment building cat friendly. The litter was well fed, and and slowly and slowly it grew.

Now there are 10-12 cats in our apartment building. They take care of the flying rats(pigeons) as well as the non flying one.

Ultrasound, poison, nets etc., will not work. You will need to build a slippery fence. But if you can invite 10-12 cats in your apartment complex, the rat problem will solve itself.

[saket77]

From my experience, I have found the rat trap to be the most effective method to curb the menace. Rat cakes probably are absolutely delightful stuff for the mice. Not to mention, I have found it to be not effective at all. I think that they like the taste as well (& survive pretty healthy); feels like a party for them on our expense. I recommend use of rat traps. The only grouse with it is that you need to check that everyday (if your car is not driven daily) and once a prey has fallen to it, you need to release the POW at some distance to ensure it does not come back attacking.

Thanks.

[Grand Drive]

Originally Posted by GTO

1. Which one of the above would you choose & why?
2. If chicken net, how tall should it be? Trust me, we have BIG rats in our building.
3. Given the material texture of the chicken net, won't rats be able to easily climb over it?

Put a car cover, choose the chicken net accompanied with a cat. The reasons for me to choose the chicken net over other options are as follows :

• It's very cheap.

• It hardly takes few minutes to put the net post parking.

• Rats won't dare to climb the net or even come near your compound because of cats.

• Cats cannot enter the engine bay because of the net.

[sridhar-v]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Our building had a severe rat problem. Very severe.
At first I tried poisons and stuff. Nothing worked.

Next step was taking matters in my own hands. I started setting traps every day. Would hunt down atleast one rat a day. After thirty rats down(four hunted down after 3 hour chases), I realized they breed faster than I can kill them.

So I needed and exterminator. I had spotted a cat around, and soon, I started making our apartment building cat friendly. The litter was well fed, and and slowly and slowly it grew.

Now there are 10-12 cats in our apartment building. They take care of the flying rats(pigeons) as well as the non flying one.

Ultrasound, poison, nets etc., will not work. You will need to build a slippery fence. But if you can invite 10-12 cats in your apartment complex, the rat problem will solve itself.

That is the best solution. In our office we encouraged the neighbour's cat to loiter around. Her kitten took a liking for the wheel well. Now both have shifted elswhere (heavenly ways) so we need a new resident.

[riturajsharma19]

I place naphthalene balls on top of my car and on the hood. I also throw a few around the parking area. Apparently, these rodents can't stand the odour and keep away. At least, that's what I have found.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Now there are 10-12 cats in our apartment building. They take care of the flying rats(pigeons) as well as the non flying one.

This is probably the best solution, predators. At Manipal, both in my home and office, we have lots of snakes around. There are also neighborhood cats that hang around in my home compound. So rats are well controlled.

[Aditya]

The chicken net will be eventually gnawed through.

The silver one from the US or the white fence is the best option. However, please be careful in the dark. Someone might trip over it, damage the car and himself.

Cats don't attack big rats. They just kill the small ones. In my building, we've got rat traps on every nook and corner.

[ani_meher]

Cats will help, but the two wheeler seats will be shredded regularly. And in their mating seasons, they will keep you updated on the status of the relationship by their wonderfully emotional songs at high pitch.

But still, it is better than rat menace that can turn life threatening.