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Rats!

laser_jock99

By laser_jock99
in DIY Observatories

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laser_jock99

laser_jock99

Posted
Posted

Came to power up the 12V to the EQ6 and dew heaters the other night, nothing - no power to either device. This forced an end to the planned observing session.

I pulled up the obsy floorboards the following morning to find this- rats (or something else able to bite through 2.5mm sq copper) had cut the 12V lines in several places and had a good go at the USB's too. The 240V cables to the pier had not been touched fortunately.

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The cables in question were pinned to the joists but not in any kind of conduit- they are now!

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It has taken the best part of eight years for this attack to occur- but in future I will put all rodent accessable cables in some kind of trunking.

And just in case Mr Rat decides to make a return visit - I left him a present.....

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Charic

Charic

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6 minutes ago, laser_jock99 said:

The 240V cables to the pier had not been touched fortunately.

Mores the pity, that would have sorted the rats, or mice,  both love to chew and sharpen their teeth. 

Find their entry/exit point and block/shield that some how. Could possibly re-enforce your cabling through conduit.

 

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SW130p

SW130p

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I feel for you! I just found a mice nest in my obsy pc with two mice still inside. Had to chuck it out as it was contaminated and chewed through several wires. I wondered why it wouldn't work. Then after a few months they had nested in my battery box. that I could save with some washing. They chewed a few wires in there too. I have located where they have entered and now blocked off. 

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Charic

Charic

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Sorry - missed some of the text between the images. 

I see now you mentioned conduit, thats good.

Whatever you block or shield, wire gauze is useful, the stuff they sell in Halfords for body work repairs! Its easily manageable, but you still need and do need  some ventilation under there.

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Charic

Charic

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6 minutes ago, emadmoussa said:

Oh, Wow!!

Your rats must be mutants, otherwise, this would happen to them... 

Thats gotta stink!
I can visually deal with most things messed up, blooded, dead, you name it, but smells..Oh no! that heaves my stomach :icon_puke_r:

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pete_l

pete_l

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1 hour ago, Spikey said:

Probably mice, not rats. They seem to like the PVC shielding. I've seen them make quick work of aviation electrics and electronics in rural hangars ?

Yes, I've had a mouse chew through a low voltage cable. I know it was a mouse because the cable was powered. It turns out that 12V is enough to zap a small furry rodent. There does seem to be something that attracts them to plastic.
There is also the issue that as nights draw in, wildlife starts to look for places to over-winter.

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JamesF

JamesF

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Not just rats and mice, either.  Rabbits can be tempted too, so I've been told by more than one person.

Years back some friends of mine had "house rabbits".  I was probably more amused than I should have been when told that one of them had eaten all the buttons off the television remote control :D

James

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JamesF

JamesF

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My plan is to run my underfloor cables in waste water pipe, as I seem to have a fair bit of that lying about.

Rats and mice can be total ninjas when it comes to getting at something they can eat though.  My chicken feeders are suspended on chains from a piece of timber screwed across the tops of two posts so there's nothing for rodents to climb up directly to the food and even if they came down the chain there's a hood that overhangs the food by quite some margin.

A few months back I caught sight of a rat taking a run-up to get up one of the posts and then jumping directly over to the food before it ran out of steam, pulling itself up by its front legs!

I now have the posts much further apart :)

James

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JamesF

JamesF

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1 minute ago, Alien 13 said:

Get a cat problem solved :icon_biggrin:

Alan

Sadly not.  Well, not if you feed the cat, anyhow.  They're as likely to bring the rodent into the house to show you how clever they are.  Alive, like as not.  And then they get bored and let it go.  Having a loose rat in the house is no fun, believe me.  I've had to shoot them with the air rifle before now because we couldn't trap them.  And you've got to be sure, too.  The last thing you need is a maimed rat crawling off somewhere inaccessible to die and stink the place out.

I am aware of people who use cats for rodent control, but it always seems to involve making sure they stay hungry and I find it all a bit disturbing, personally.

James

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Alien 13

Alien 13

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5 minutes ago, JamesF said:

Sadly not.  Well, not if you feed the cat, anyhow.  They're as likely to bring the rodent into the house to show you how clever they are.  Alive, like as not.  And then they get bored and let it go.  Having a loose rat in the house is no fun, believe me.  I've had to shoot them with the air rifle before now because we couldn't trap them.  And you've got to be sure, too.  The last thing you need is a maimed rat crawling off somewhere inaccessible to die and stink the place out.

I am aware of people who use cats for rodent control, but it always seems to involve making sure they stay hungry and I find it all a bit disturbing, personally.

James

I must be lucky then had a massive mouse infestation one year and borrowed my daughters cat, within a day they were gone never to come back and the cat stayed too.

My cat is well fed but I still find the odd dead rat in the garden if they stray close to the house, not a mark on them like they have been killed by a ninja.

Alan

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JamesF

JamesF

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I do think you must be lucky.  Ours bring in mice, rats, rabbits, birds, shrews, moles, even a nest full of pheasant chicks once :(  I have no idea how they got that last one through the cat flap.  And often it's just to play with.  That might be the case with the rats you find outdoors, to be honest.  They'll catch something and then let it run just so they can catch it again, until the poor creature basically dies of stress and exhaustion.  Sometimes to make it a bit more tricky they'll grab the animal by the scruff of the neck and flick it up into the air as well.  Then for no apparent reason they lose interest and if it still has the will to live or has found a place the cat can't reach it the "victim" may find a place to hide and recover.

James

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Alien 13

Alien 13

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Unfortunately my cat is a killer, he soon learnt having bits of his ears chewed off that he had to finish them quick, he is a big Maine Coon so will take down anything smaller that a horse. He loves dogs though.

Alan 

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Astrokev

Astrokev

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I have to say that I hate cats!

A major contributor to the huge reduction in indigenous wildlife, especially bird life. Cats are a bigger problem than rodents in my opinion (although admittedly they don't chew through cables!). 

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Gina

Gina

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I had a rat infestation in the house a while back - it was absolutely horrific!!!  Cured eventually thank goodness.  Now new neighbours have two cats who visit my garden and I've not seen trace of a rat since.

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JamesF

JamesF

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1 hour ago, Astrokev said:

A major contributor to the huge reduction in indigenous wildlife, especially bird life.

This isn't actually a view supported by the RSPB.  They reckon domestic cats have no impact on bird populations in the UK.

James

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Macavity

Macavity

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I leaned that my (bloomin' neighbour's) "Bee-friendly" ground creeping IVY
"provides a good home" for Rats. ? But, nature is a complex Web right? ?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/There_Was_an_Old_Lady_Who_Swallowed_a_Fly

Some Cats seem to be inate killers. Some seem (accident or [owner] design)
to have no idea! Good feeding, Keeping kittens "in" until maturity may help? 

I felt very uncomfortable recently reading of the number of species (we) as
humans had "erased"... and still continue to do so... It's a hard question... ?

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Waldemar

Waldemar

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9 hours ago, Alien 13 said:

Unfortunately my cat is a killer, he soon learnt having bits of his ears chewed off that he had to finish them quick, he is a big Maine Coon so will take down anything smaller that a horse. He loves dogs though.

Alan 

To kill and eat you mean?

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Waldemar

Waldemar

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2 hours ago, Gina said:

I had a rat infestation in the house a while back - it was absolutely horrific!!!  Cured eventually thank goodness.  Now new neighbours have two cats who visit my garden and I've not seen trace of a rat since.

But how about the smell of cat pee and poop and all the dying plants ...?
I love all animals except flies and musquitos, but not if they ruin my yard, moles, rats, mice or cats alike.

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