Preventing Rodent Damage During Tractor Storage

[wagne223]

I do not understand the relationship between "euthanasia of laboratory rodents", and "Preventing Rodent Damage During Tractor Storage".

There is no relationship. I was rebutting your incorrect statement in reference to CO2.
One you made a week ago by quoting my post and one from yesterday quoting another member.

 

[radios1]

I don't believe in killing unless you absolutely have to.

If I had no other choice than to kill them, I would use the snap-trap because at least it is quick. Drowning takes a long time. So does poison. I give mercy and hope for the same at my death.

what you are doing is giving the problem to your neighbors, who may not appreciate a mouse/rat infestation.. maybe some people don't mind that..

 

[PhysAssist]

Exclusion and repellent are the best and most effective methods. Seal up the structure, and put repellent in the tractors, and set traps to catch what gets in anyway.

The exclusion you mentioned reminded me-

A few years ago, we had a problem with rodents getting into the air-filter boxes of our truck and tractor [witnessed by the large caches of hickory nuts left in there], so I used some of the expanded metal they use to anchor masonry to concrete, and made pre-filters that slide in and keep anything too big to fit through the narrow mesh out of the air box.

1/2" hardware cloth will also work, but the openings in chicken wire are too big.

We also put it in the outlets for our bathroom exhausts, otherwise we would hear the little pikers scratching all night long trying to dig/chew through the metal [thank GOD the builder didn't cheap out and use plastic hoses] exhaust pipe/hose.

For the air intake, I just made an oval approx the size of the orifice, and then cut around it leaving 4 strips in a cross-shape, which when folded at 90 degrees, fit inside the duct and hold the screen in by friction.

 

[PhysAssist]

This is the best advice in the whole thread. Standing dead trees are essential for a huge number of birds, most of which are beneficial. (Several species of owls among them)

They also make good homes for rodents

Any number of times I have found families of mice and/or furry-tailed rats living in hollows of standing deadwood that I have cut down to burn, usually because we need some supplemental firewood, and standing deadwood is usually dry enough to burn shortly after felling...