WATCH: Our mild winters causing a boom in the rodent population. It turns out with all those extra mouths to feed – they’ve found an alternative food source and they’re gorging on it.
When Nigel Matthews returned home to Richmond after a recent trip, he noticed there was something wrong with his 2014 Ford Explorer.
“The dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree,” he said.
A quick examination under the hood confirmed his worst fears.
“A rodent had decided to make a home in the engine compartment. The battery was covered in nuts, and the soft part of the engine cover was covered in hay and grass-like material.”
The rats had chewed through the wiring harness, causing over $1,000 in damage.
It’s a growing problem, says Mike Londry of Westside Pest Control. The milder winters are exacerbating the rat population – and cars provide plenty of heat and shelter.
READ MORE: Rat problem at Port Moody school an example of Metro Vancouver’s growing pest problem
“The coating on the wires are attractive to rodents,” he says.
“Rats just love to chew things all the time. They would look grotesque if they weren’t chewing stuff. In a car engine, usually wires are the best thing.”
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Londry says that as vehicles have gotten more environmentally friendly, they’ve often used soy-based covering on wires, providing a further incentive for rodents.
“It is a big issue that a lot of people are contacting us about,” he says.
“If you don’t have a contained garage, it can be something that you’ll continue to battle…these kinds of jobs can be several thousand dollars to fix sometimes.”
There are no statistics in Vancouver for claims due to rat damage, but it is covered with comprehensive insurance. Matthews now uses mothballs and has wired his battery up to $70 device called the Mouse Blocker.
But Londry says the best solution may the simplest.
“Mothballs, noise devices are not going to get rid of the rodents once they decide that your car is the best place to hang out. Shampoo it and park it in a different location,” he says.
“These are creatures of habit, so move the car…until you stop seeing rodent droppings under the hood.”
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