Do you marmot proof your car?

[nyker]

Buy a giant container or two of cayenne pepper and make a ring around your vehicle and maybe add some more underneath. If it's not raining or the ground isn't too flooded, I guarantee it'll keep ground rodents like marmots and porcupines away.

It's cost effective, easy to apply, and irritates the s**t out of them.

Or is it?
Perhaps rodents like mice and voles. But who has studied to see if its effective on marmots or porcupines? Many animals don't like it do to the taste or smell while its ON an item they might eat. Unless they're going to eat the ground around your vehicle, they might walk right over it. I used it on a garden and it didn't do anything. Something still ate it all up. Dunno what. I had a cat who looooved hot pepper. The stupid animal would pick dried chilis out of a hanging ristra and sneak behind the couch and chew on it for hours. Ate the whole thing except for the stem. Bizarro.

I've tried all these natural remedies such as variations of cayenne pepper in powder or liquid form, mint, garlic, ginger other herbs, or some concoction involving all of the above and rotten eggs, following some apparently broad guidance that rodents and other animals don't like the strong scents of these things. I think the rotten egg based deer repellent actually attracted animals like bears and foxes.

However nothing really worked except a physical barrier such as just space ie like the aforementioned comment of a lifted truck or just fencing or chicken wire or something. Didn't work on groundhogs either which are basically the East Coast lowland versions of marmots. Mice, deer, rabbits, chipmunks ...nada.

I think the approach you have to have to take is like trying to protect your catalytic converters from thieves, just block them so they can't get at them easily.

[Tim A]

Would add Grouse Gulch to the list of places to defend your car. Had a marmot get in while I was on Niagara and I didn’t know about it until I heard them moving around in the engine after parking in the dispersed camping area by Elbert’s south TH, about a 4.5 hour drive later. Fortunately just had some wiring insulation chewed on with no actual wires or cables severed.

Oddly enough, I camped two nights at Animas Forks and had no rodent issues at all up there, which is significantly higher than Grouse Gulch.

[Ryan987]

No but I should. I had a $5k damage to my Tacoma before from critters ar a trailhead

[Briere]

I only used it at Grizzly Gulch, but I've heard Wetterhorn could be good to do it at. I haven't had any nor heard of any issues in Sangres or Sawatch, but I could be mistaken. My friend did hear something throughout the night one time in the Elks off Indy Pass.

Ok, thank you. I will likely do it at both then since I have the fence now.

[mtnkub]

Anyone tried those ultrasonic devices? They go under the car hood and are battery operated. I read mixed reviews on them, of course, but haven't tried it.

Anyone tried those utrasonic devices in the meantime? Would be nice if they worked.

[two lunches]

Anyone tried those ultrasonic devices? They go under the car hood and are battery operated. I read mixed reviews on them, of course, but haven't tried it.

Anyone tried those utrasonic devices in the meantime? Would be nice if they worked.

i'll give an update on this:

Anyone tried those ultrasonic devices? They go under the car hood and are battery operated. I read mixed reviews on them, of course, but haven't tried it.

i bought some for my house and one for my 4runner.

the mice in my home do not seem to be terribly bothered by any of the devices.. (or at least not bothered enough to GTFO) so i don't think i'd recommend it.

no amount of traps, peppermint oil, tobasco cotton balls, foam insulation, rodent repellant sachets, cats, or ultrasonic irritants worked to get rid of an active rodent infestation in my home so i'll stand by part of my original statement. once they're IN, they're in.

however, i've had an ultrasonic device strapped to the battery in my 4runner for 4 years and i have never EVER had an issue with mice, marmots, porcupines, etc. chewing on wires or making a home in my vehicle. this thing has worked extraordinarily well for me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YB ... UTF8&psc=1 and i owe it a 5-star review

[mtree]

Anyone tried those ultrasonic devices? They go under the car hood and are battery operated. I read mixed reviews on them, of course, but haven't tried it.

Anyone tried those utrasonic devices in the meantime? Would be nice if they worked.

i'll give an update on this:

Anyone tried those ultrasonic devices? They go under the car hood and are battery operated. I read mixed reviews on them, of course, but haven't tried it.

i bought some for my house and one for my 4runner.

the mice in my home do not seem to be terribly bothered by any of the devices.. (or at least not bothered enough to GTFO) so i don't think i'd recommend it.

no amount of traps, peppermint oil, tobasco cotton balls, foam insulation, rodent repellant sachets, cats, or ultrasonic irritants worked to get rid of an active rodent infestation in my home so i'll stand by part of my original statement. once they're IN, they're in.

however, i've had an ultrasonic device strapped to the battery in my 4runner for 4 years and i have never EVER had an issue with mice, marmots, porcupines, etc. chewing on wires or making a home in my vehicle. this thing has worked extraordinarily well for me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YB ... UTF8&psc=1 and i owe it a 5-star review

On the flip side, I've never used anything with my Jeep for over 14 years and have NEVER had an issue with mice, marmots, porcupines, etc. chewing on wires or making a home in my vehicle. And its been all over Colorado's mountains countless times. I've left it alone during days, nights, sometimes 2,3,4 nights in a row probably over 100 times.

Its yellow. That's why. Marmots and their friends HATE yellow. I give yellow vehicles a 5-star rating!

[Wildernessjane]

To add to the list of potential trailhead hazards…we returned to our lifted 4X4 van to discover at least 6-8 mountain goats hanging out underneath it. Since we don’t have a skid plate, they did a spectacular job of scratching up the underside and pulling out various wires with their horns. Now if anyone had any ideas for how to address this problem I’m all ears.

[k_fergie]

To add to the list of potential trailhead hazards…we returned to our lifted 4X4 van to discover at least 6-8 mountain goats hanging out underneath it. Since we don’t have a skid plate, they did a spectacular job of scratching up the underside and pulling out various wires with their horns. Now if anyone had any ideas for how to address this problem I’m all ears.

I think plastic snow fencing will fit the bill there. And should also work for other critters bigger than mice. I haven't had marmot issues using it, but the method I use to attach it flimsy enough that if they really wanted to rip it down, I'm sure they could

[two lunches]

On the flip side, I've never used anything with my Jeep for over 14 years and have NEVER had an issue with mice, marmots, porcupines, etc. chewing on wires or making a home in my vehicle. And its been all over Colorado's mountains countless times. I've left it alone during days, nights, sometimes 2,3,4 nights in a row probably over 100 times.

Its yellow. That's why. Marmots and their friends HATE yellow. I give yellow vehicles a 5-star rating!

the wiring issue is due to automotive manufacturing companies switching to plant-based materials to insulate wiring harnesses instead of rubber in recent years. this was a non-issue on my 04 and 06 wranglers.

that said, i did get snuck upon by a mountain lion in my blue jeep, but never my yellow one.. and my blue jeep was totaled in an accident that was not my fault, but my yellow one wasn't. so i cannot possibly discredit that theory. yellow vehicles are, in fact, the best.

[Rollie Free]

I had my family at Handies and didn't to take a chance so we mothballed underneath all four tires. Whenwe turned a corner and saw the parking lot we saw marmots run off in all directions,so they were there. Thankfully they hadn't done anything awful. I would say mothballs and fox urine at a minimum. Why not? Building a girded fence seems excessive.

[mtree]

Yellow vehicle. That's the answer.
Two lunches just confirmed it.

If you don't want to get your vehicle repainted, maybe just wrap it in yellow something. Like mustard. That should work.