Finding Pack Rats in Vehicles
Eight species of woodrats, more commonly known as pack rats, can be found throughout the United States. These pests thrive anywhere from dry deserts to lush forests. They build their nests in empty animal burrows, caves, and vacant buildings. Pack rats are even attracted to parked cars as nesting sites.
Identifying Pack Rat Nests
As their name implies, these pests like to gather interesting items like keys, bits of tin foil, or jewelry. These finds are then brought back to their burrows, which have two separate areas: the nest, where they raise their young, and the midden, which is built from plants, waste, and the objects they collect. Pack rat homes can reach four feet high and eight feet across.
Damage Caused
In addition to constructing their large, smelly nests, pack rats in cars:
- Shred upholstery to collect material for their midden
- Gnaw on wires, which can lead to electrical shorts
- Carry a number of parasites like fleas, mites, ticks, and lice.
Prevention & Removal
To keep pack rats out of vehicles, make sure that windows are rolled up and all doors seal properly. Cleaning out clutter also makes vehicles less attractive to these pests. Be sure to regularly check for nests under the hood and in the seats of cars in long-term storage.
Pack rats also attract many types of predators, including snakes and coyotes. As such, it can be dangerous to allow the pests to remain. If pack rats in cars are causing trouble, contact Critter Control. A team of professionals will remove the infestation and offer tips to avoid future problems.
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Customer Reviews
It has been very effective at reducing the number of mice, lizard, and snake sightings. During one visit Edgar removed a rattlesnake he came across. We may see a snake maybe two to three times during the spring and summer months, but it has been far less than before.
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Wildlife & Rodent Control in San Diego
Full service. Excellent job of extracting raccoon, cleaning all animal waste, sanitizing, and spraying anti-parasitic substance. They closed all potential ports of entry, though the work did not match the vinyl, and it looks kind of tacky. They added blown insulation, which added a lot to the cost. They provide a one year warranty against animal intrusion, with an option to extend the warranty at the end of each one- year period. They were willing to work with me one the price. I will probably extend my warranty, and will definitely use them it the future.
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Chattanooga
I was really impressed by these guys. Got a call within a few hours of making an inquiry. Had a rep out to inspect the situation by the end of the week, and when they laid out the timeline they kept if not exceeded listed times.
Rob, Travis, and Jim were all professional, polite, and courteous and after months of hearing squirrels in my ceiling they are gone and the repair to my flashing looks excellent. Can't recommend these guys enough.
Jeff was incredibly professional and helpful. I'll use them again and would recommend them to anyone.
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Detroit, MI
Critter Control did a great job of evaluating our house for sites of entry after we found bats and a squirrel in our attic. They completed their work promptly and professionally.
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Seattle, WA
We heard some noise from the corner of our house. Concerned that it could be inside we called for an inspection. Jessy arrived as scheduled and conducted a complete inspection of our home. Based on a recording we made he determined we had a tree frog on our roof. I was pleased that we didn’t have any rodent in our house. And his inspection could a few spots I can tighten up around my house. I am very happy with the outcome.
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New Hampshire
We have a vacation home in
Western Mass and haven’t been there much during the pandemic as we live and work in Atlanta, GA. On our most recent visit we noticed that we had some rodent intrusion as well as some un-welcomed wildlife who decided to make our vacation home their home.
We contacted Critter Control and Mr. Cahoon was quick to set up an appointment as we wouldn’t be in town very long. He came out and assessed our issues. He informed us of our options to both eradicate and control future intrusions. Keeping in mind that wildlife is wildlife! He quickly got to work eradicating the rodents and wildlife from our home and addressing the intrusion issues. We feel much better leaving our vacation home for periods at a time knowing that Mr. Cahoon and Critter Control did their job and did it right! Thanks again!
We bought an old cabin last spring , it was used for years as a summer vacation cabin, therefore maintenance wasn’t a priority. After our project to remodel started, we found evidence of
mice droppings.
We immediately called Critter Control and they came and gave us a reasonable estimate to remove all remnants and insulation. They sanitized and replaced with new insulation and sealing up points of entry .
Seeing their professional work made us feel confident and secure that the problem was solved ! Everyone we worked with continued to show professional and respectful work. Highly recommend this company! We continue to use critter control monthly to be sure we are mice and bug free!
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