tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post1559156332698823422..comments2024-03-28T08:06:43.198-04:00Comments on The Silicon Graybeard: Rats and the Law of Unintended ConsequencesSiGraybeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-81004108298085591262018-05-17T08:14:50.191-04:002018-05-17T08:14:50.191-04:00Wonderful story! Thanks.
Wonderful story! Thanks. <br /><br />SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-56709996731288951892018-05-17T00:49:03.667-04:002018-05-17T00:49:03.667-04:00Not really a new problem. During WW2 Illinois used...Not really a new problem. During WW2 Illinois used a combination of soy and fiberboard for license plates. I remember hearing stories of dogs eating the plates on cars.<br />http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2016/06/1940s-illinois-license-plates-were-made.html<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-62567946226864056112018-05-11T14:46:06.306-04:002018-05-11T14:46:06.306-04:00And sonic units don't kill, so there's tha...And sonic units don't kill, so there's that.Malatropenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-18591012003050436782018-05-11T07:21:17.314-04:002018-05-11T07:21:17.314-04:00Not a joke. My wife's Honda Roadsmith trike h...Not a joke. My wife's Honda Roadsmith trike had rodent chewed wiring in our carport. She rides it only occasionally (once a month) because she has other bikes that need the exercise. About $1800, insurance was pissed but they took it in stride - not their 1st rodeo in this department.<br /><br />She now uses one of those plug-in sonic units and confines the dog near the carport where she has easy access to the motorcyle. Not sure if its caught any rodents, but it has killed several 'possums' so its earning its keep.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-77937545868085188932018-05-11T01:23:22.439-04:002018-05-11T01:23:22.439-04:00Damn. I can sympathize. Bahama adds on a 45% surch...Damn. I can sympathize. Bahama adds on a 45% surcharge for any parts shipped into their country, or at least they did while we were there. Cruisers who can't head back to the States to get the repairs done spend a _lot_ more having it done anywhere there. Plus the rule is that everything costs a thousand bucks (BOAT stands for "Break out another thousand") As far as Bahamians are concerned, if you are there on a boat (even a used former charter cat like ours) you are wealthy and won't mind being overcharged.<br /><br />We were stuck in Marsh Harbor for a while because the guy in Marathon who installed an AGM battery bank and inverter/charger (Xantrex) for us wired _every_ power source through the inverter. When it failed - after only four months - we couldn't use the engine alternators, our built-in diesel generator, or even shore power.<br /><br />The circuit board that needed to be swapped out for a new one cost us an extra 45%, so what should have been done at no charge on the warranty ened up costing us $430. Reg Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14099612693763932005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-49157253047150998502018-05-11T00:52:33.523-04:002018-05-11T00:52:33.523-04:00Moth Balls also may discourage them.Moth Balls also may discourage them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-8482496851415723972018-05-10T12:13:31.317-04:002018-05-10T12:13:31.317-04:00A number of years back there was a lot of soy wire...A number of years back there was a lot of soy wire related incidents at Denver International Airport in the parking lots....not with rats, but rabbits. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-27704265771331566232018-05-10T11:55:44.777-04:002018-05-10T11:55:44.777-04:00Rats chew on things. And for reasons I don't u...Rats chew on things. And for reasons I don't understand they are usually around the water. Keeping them off boats was a consideration that everyone dealt with. <br /><br />The dog breed schipperke (pronouced "skipper key") was bred in part to be a rat-catcher. <br /><br />The worst case I remember is a friend who picked up a rat in the Bahamas. It did about 3000 dollars of damage before they got it trapped and off the boat. It is MUCH harder to get rid of rats than mice. Zendo Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00094772654735415974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-33219949098255259312018-05-10T11:43:06.673-04:002018-05-10T11:43:06.673-04:00One possible solution (works) is to buy those cake...One possible solution (works) is to buy those cakes of urinal soap and put them in the engine compartment. Rodents hate the camphor smell and will avoid the area.LLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05538854359365988863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-91562735670266177242018-05-10T10:37:26.231-04:002018-05-10T10:37:26.231-04:00You could always just convince carmakers to ignore...You could always just convince carmakers to ignore the idiot green fascists and let them make a product that is designed properly, instead of building feel-good virtue signalling puppet models of "automobiles".Malatropenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-48981793837895296622018-05-10T08:40:24.929-04:002018-05-10T08:40:24.929-04:00If you can't convince those owls to move into ...If you can't convince those owls to move into your neighborhood, you can always go the 2A route. 12 gauge with magnum loads does an admirable job eliminating rats. And after the first few shots, it does wonders for improving your marksmanship as well...<br />}:-]Mark Matisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-78165208707609250422018-05-09T22:27:51.109-04:002018-05-09T22:27:51.109-04:00I had this problem with my old '97 Toyota Taco...I had this problem with my old '97 Toyota Tacoma, which we stored in an open garage while we were cruising the Bahamas on our sailboat. Some rat filled the engine compartment with all sorts of sticks, branches, and odds and ends (e.g. knobs off of someone's old car radio, so I'm guessing maybe a pack rat). It was so tightly packed that it took me several hours to get most of the trash out. Then I discovered it wouldn't start because the critter had eaten through much of the wiring on the engine.<br /><br />I found out that my insurance policy (USAA) had a clause for "rodent damage", so it was covered minus my deductible, thanks to the young man who I hired to tow it to the nearest Toyota dealer. It never occurred to me that such coverage even existed. Reg Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14099612693763932005noreply@blogger.com