How to stop rats from living under your hood, ruining your car and leaving you with a big repair bill

If you're one of the many drivers whose cars have been damaged by rats chewing through wires, you might be able to blame the epidemic.

According to the New York Times, there has been an increase in the number of rats in cars.

The common use of soy-based wiring in modern vehicles may be part of the reason for the rise in New Yorkers' car registrations.

When COVID-19 was imposed, rats had to find other ways to get food, according to a rat expert. He said that they were attracted to people's home because of the food.

Rats weren't leaving for the suburbs but were moving close to the closed restaurants, so calls fell in the first six months of the epidemic.

According to NYC Open Data, the number of calls to the 311 hotline increased sharply between 2000 and 2011.

While we have mostly returned to normal life after the Pandemic, rats have not.

What can you do to prevent rats from nesting in your car?

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There are a number of ways to stop rodents from bedding under your car hood.

1. 1. Even if you work from home, do not leave the car sitting unused for long periods of time – drive around the block and repark. At the very least, use a remote starter to make some noise under the hood, and open it from time to time.
   2. Do not park above or near storm drain basins or openings to sewers – Norway rats are called sewer rats for a reason.
   3. Understand that cars provide refuge, and in some cases, feeding opportunities for rats. They like soy-based wiring but will also seek out discarded candy wrappers too.

If you don't heed the advice, you could face a bill for hundreds of dollars. A woman told The Times that a rat chewed through a sensor wire in her car.

"I see new cars, old cars, everyone is coming in now with these rat problems." It brings me a lot of business.

It isn't always known that rats need to grind their teeth in the same way fingernails do.

Pets should be even more cautious. Rats are attracted to homes with animals because of the smell of pet food and the fact that pet waste contains essential vitamins and minerals.

Leaving food out for your pet is not the right thing to do. He said that they're unintentionally attracting rats or other rodents to the property.

Don't expect your pet to chase rats. Cats don't always control rats, according to research. A well-fed cat might share a meal with a rat.