Do you marmot proof your car?

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RyGuy
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by RyGuy »

TomPierce wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 1:46 pm Is this a seasonal thing, e.g. post-hibernation May/June thing? I ask because I've been going up into the mountains for decades and never had a single marmot/car problem (although I've had a few marmot/pack problems). But I also haven't typically gone up this time of the year lately, I've done all the couloirs of interest, I'm more a September-alpine guy.

-Tom
This is part of the cause. https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/ ... 578398002/
A lot of cars now use plant-based wire insulation. So better for the environment but far more inviting for the local rodents.
Think of when packing peanuts started getting made from popcorn. You totally can smell it when you open a box. Same thing for the rodents with new wires.

-Ryan
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by TomPierce »

Ah, interesting. I thought I was safe with a 2013 Toyota but apparently not.

-Tom
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by E_A_Marcus_949 »

RyGuy wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 12:42 pm So now I carry a black plastic snow-fence and some bungees that I use to protect my vehicle if I am above 11K. It's worked quite well, no issues since 2016. Easy to deploy, doesn't harm the environment (Moth balls) and make your car smell like s**t (Moth balls/Coyote Urine) and isn't a big deal to bring with me. Seems stupid, but if you do this sport enough...it'll happen.

-Ryan
I have chicken wire to use and am always worried about it scratching up but the plastic snow-fence is something I've considered... just wasn't sure if the rodents could chew through it or not?? Have you noticed any bite/chew marks or them getting into or past it? Definitely preferable to chicken wire I'd think!

I agree with you though - seems silly to use, especially when no others at the TH wrap their cars, but at the same time, I do not want to be caught in a bad situation because I'd be unable to rewire/wrap/tape-up wires under my car if it came to that (that's great you were able to do that!). I've used mothballs and carried the chickenwire but haven't deployed it yet. The mothballs worked but just so dang potent!! Even in bags/boxes/cling wrap.

-Emily
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mtree
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by mtree »

Not to rain on anyone's parade, but mothballs, peppermint oil, cayenne, garlic, and salts won't do a thing to repel varmints. Some (salts) may even attract them! And this is based on science not just theory. If you think about it, why would garlic repel anything other than a vampire? Mix that garlic with some onion and you have quite a tasty scent going on. Or it smells like garbage and what animal doesn't like that smell! And salt? No scent at all, but tastes good. Peppermint oil? C'mon. I grow tons of peppermint in my garden and it doesn't repel anything. Cayenne...maybe if you can spray it all over your wires it'll keep an animal from eating them, but how do you know the varmint doesn't have a taste for spicy food? I had a cat that would regularly steal a dried hot chili from a ristra I owned and sit behind the couch munching on it. I'm serious. I grew jalapenos outdoors and animals ate them. Go figure. Mothballs? Nope. Not even close to the amount of Naphthalene needed to repel a mouse. Works for moths and beetles though.

As for coyote or fox urine, I dunno. Would a marmot even know what those animal urines smell like? Would they care? Some folks swear by human hair to repel animals from their gardens. Does that work? I've mentioned soap and have used it, but I don't know for sure that it worked. Maybe just dumb luck. If you really think about it, odors are generally going to rise and dissipate in open air so why do we think they'll have any affect on critters. There are weird smells all around us and our vehicles. I'd think the less scent the better.

I think the only reliable and verifiable repellent would be a physical barrier. Otherwise, we're all just taking placebos and crossing our fingers.
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by Trotter »

mtree wrote: Fri Jun 12, 2020 10:30 am Not to rain on anyone's parade, but mothballs, peppermint oil, cayenne, garlic, and salts won't do a thing to repel varmints. Some (salts) may even attract them! And this is based on science not just theory. If you think about it, why would garlic repel anything other than a vampire? Mix that garlic with some onion and you have quite a tasty scent going on. Or it smells like garbage and what animal doesn't like that smell! And salt? No scent at all, but tastes good. Peppermint oil? C'mon. I grow tons of peppermint in my garden and it doesn't repel anything. Cayenne...maybe if you can spray it all over your wires it'll keep an animal from eating them, but how do you know the varmint doesn't have a taste for spicy food? I had a cat that would regularly steal a dried hot chili from a ristra I owned and sit behind the couch munching on it. I'm serious. I grew jalapenos outdoors and animals ate them. Go figure. Mothballs? Nope. Not even close to the amount of Naphthalene needed to repel a mouse. Works for moths and beetles though.

As for coyote or fox urine, I dunno. Would a marmot even know what those animal urines smell like? Would they care? Some folks swear by human hair to repel animals from their gardens. Does that work? I've mentioned soap and have used it, but I don't know for sure that it worked. Maybe just dumb luck. If you really think about it, odors are generally going to rise and dissipate in open air so why do we think they'll have any affect on critters. There are weird smells all around us and our vehicles. I'd think the less scent the better.

I think the only reliable and verifiable repellent would be a physical barrier. Otherwise, we're all just taking placebos and crossing our fingers.
What "science" are you basing this on? Sounds like personal ideas, not science.

In a couple minutes of googling I found this. Sounds like science says some repellents are effective against rodents. And of course, marmots, pikas, and field mice are rodents.

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... Open_Field
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2014/249284/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12974352/

"We can therefore conclude that these natural extracts can repel the rats as determined by rat's behaviors in the circular open field"
"Present studies reveal the potential of eucalyptus oil in repelling away R. rattus;"
"Applied to poultry feed, capsaicin may be effective as an aversive agent to deter rodent feeding"

Interestingly enough, in my very quick research, mothballs and garlic seems to be ineffective at keeping away rodents.

I do agree that the most reliable repellent is a physical barrier.
After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. -Nelson Mandela
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by mtree »

Trotter wrote: Fri Jun 12, 2020 11:07 am
What "science" are you basing this on? Sounds like personal ideas, not science.

In a couple minutes of googling I found this. Sounds like science says some repellents are effective against rodents. And of course, marmots, pikas, and field mice are rodents.

https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... Open_Field
https://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2014/249284/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12974352/

"We can therefore conclude that these natural extracts can repel the rats as determined by rat's behaviors in the circular open field"
"Present studies reveal the potential of eucalyptus oil in repelling away R. rattus;"
"Applied to poultry feed, capsaicin may be effective as an aversive agent to deter rodent feeding"

Interestingly enough, in my very quick research, mothballs and garlic seems to be ineffective at keeping away rodents.

I do agree that the most reliable repellent is a physical barrier.
If you do some research you'll find info all over the intergoogle. Obviously, you can pick and choose your statistical bias, but the vast majority of what I've read finds those listed repellents as not effective. My own first hand observation from my long lost and rodent-eaten gardens also support my findings that peppermint, cayenne, garlic, vinegar mixtures, dog hair, human pee, and even aluminum foil "barriers" were all ineffective against varmints. Soap and soap shavings were possibly effective against deer. Undetermined against rodents. A chicken wire barrier 100% encasing a plant was VERY effective.

Oh yeah. A live dog or cat were poor repellents, but mildly effective as "traps". Same with actual mouse traps. The dog caused more harm than good while feverishly digging in the garden for rodents! Snakes are not an immediate remedy, but effective long term.

None of the remedies listed were effective against hail.
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by pvnisher »

mtree wrote: Fri Jun 12, 2020 1:53 pm None of the remedies listed were effective against hail.
Lol.
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by Altitude High »

mtree wrote: Fri Jun 12, 2020 10:30 amI think the only reliable and verifiable repellent would be a physical barrier.
I think you're right. At least, that's the only thing that you can count on. We just don't know if coyote urine and so forth will repel marmots.
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by NE2007RLTW »

I used mothballs until a huge marmot would not leave me alone all night below Sneffels. Scratched the underside for hours, no matter how many times I ran him off. I bought chicken wire the next day, along with a (green) varmint granular repellent (like sand). Haven't had an issue since.
Separate story, I've been that guy that got stuck high up. The rocks on the side of the road gave way and I slid sideways, almost rolled my 4Runner at 12,500 ft. I had to walk back down to a phone and got a hotel. Next day a local drove me up and got me out. Initially he didn't want money but I gave him $200 (all I had). Found out a tow would usually be $1000+. Scary for a flatlander who goes solo. I've had people ask about the mothballs/chicken wire. I even had a bunch of college kids from Ohio make fun of me for it before Redcloud/Sunshine. But the 5-10 minutes install/takedown is worth it. Insuring my investment.
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by BillMiddlebrook »

Yup, I’m a fence-around-the-truck guy, too. I used to use a large roll of chicken wire and some saw horses to keep it away from the paint but now I use green, rubber snow fencing that has 1.7” hole size. It keeps the porkys away, which I’ve found to be more of a problem than marmots.
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by osprey »

Can you post a picture of your vehicle with the snow fencing?
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Re: Do you marmot proof your car?

Post by BillMiddlebrook »

osprey wrote: Sun Jun 14, 2020 5:11 pm Can you post a picture of your vehicle with the snow fencing?
I could if I had one. :) Please don’t make me go set it up.
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