You just got a new job and a decent salary, you’ve decided its time to treat yourself to something you have always wanted but couldn’t due to tight expenses, you finally decide to purchase a new vehicle. You take your new HONDA Accord [2022 hybrid] home and one night later you decide to check how the engine is, you open the hood and what do you see? Squirrels! Finding squirrels in your vehicle may be more common than you think, according to Toronto Wildlife Centre, squirrels are more likely to be inside the hood of a vehicle due to nesting (Toronto Wildlife Centre, 2022). Female squirrels will choose the inside of an engine due to it being dark and peaceful for a duration of time, allowing her babies to rest (Toronto Wildlife Centre,2022). Though the most common reason as to why squirrels will decide to use an automotive vehicle is for nesting, squirrels will most likely be attracted to vehicles due for various reasons such as teeth trimming (Dave,2017). Squirrels use acorns and walnuts to soften their teeth and if the acorns around the area may not seem to be doing the trick, squirrels will often resort to car wires to trim their teeth, resulting in damage to their vehicles (Dave,2017). Lastly, another reason why squirrels may be attracted to reside in your vehicle may be due to food crumbs and left-over food you may leave in your seats. Squirrels can easily locate food in your vehicle due to the very nature of them having a strong sense of smell, squirrels can find nuts that were hidden underground for months, food you have in your house and even during a change in seasons as they can dig through snow to find acorns (Isabelle,2021). Having rodents in your vehicle is dangerous because squirrels may chew through your vehicle, causing thousands of dollars in repair (Foran,2020), it may also cause harm to little baby squirrels as mothers may abandon their baby if spooked (Toronto Wildlife Centre,2022). Below are methods drivers could explore on keeping squirrels away from your vehicle.
1.Force the squirrels to leave the car engine by proper hood techniques, lighting, and sound.
As stated above, squirrels tend to rest inside the engine of a vehicle in order to take care of its babies. The inside of a vehicle is resistant to sound, it is very dark which allows babies to sleep in peace. Toronto Wildlife Centre reports that leaving the hood of the vehicle is one of the way squirrels would be forced to stay away from your car, leaving the hood forces squirrels inside to become irritated due to the surrounding noise around the environment, streetlights will keep squirrels awake, forcing them re-consider another place for living as light is not something squirrels are fond of (Toronto Wildlife Centre,2022). Toronto Wildlife also suggests having a radio station being played under the hood, voices that squirrels can’t understand is sure to spook them away (Toronto Wildlife Centre,2022).
2. Place Mothballs around your vehicle/ surrounding area and other types of scene to repel squirrels
If drivers feel they aren’t willing to leave their hood open in order to force squirrels away, Toronto Wildlife Centre has a few extra recommendations including scent. There are a few scents that squirrels are not fond to, one of them is Apple Cider Vinegar. The scent of Vinegar can make female squirrels feel like they are in distress, causing them to reconsider another place for their babies (Forever Green,2021). Another scent that drivers could spray around the surrounding vehicle is Ammonia. The strong smell of Ammonia is similar to Vinegar, causing squirrels to reconsider another place for living (AAAnimal Control,2022). Mothballs are little white circle shaped type of balls, they have chemicals that are pesticide resistant, causing rodents like squirrels to stay away when ever they can smell it (AAAnimal Control,2022). Drivers should look to place mothballs near the vehicle, trees and near the house to maximize the smell around the surrounding area, forcing squirrels to reside somewhere else. Garlic has always been known to have a strong smell, it is suggested drivers should cut up some garlic, mix it with sugar, salt, blend it and leave the final product near the vehicle for hours, it is bound to irritate nearby squirrels (Forever Green,2021). Drivers can also explore local retailers such as Amazon and Home Depot for nearby products, most stores have rodent repellent sprays for feasible prices. Though drivers may place foul smell nearby to force squirrels out of the environment nearby, It Is also important to clean the vehicle and get rid of any food crumbs listed above. Cleaning your vehicle will naturally stop rodents such as squirrels from coming in as a sanitized area won’t attract squirrels to smell food near your car.
Having squirrels in your car is unsafe for them. They may reside in your engine, causing the mother and babies to be harmed due to the heat of the engine, the vehicle itself may be destroyed due to squirrels using car wires to trim their teeth. Should you decide to pursue driving school, it could be very important to discuss how to prevent squirrels from attacking your vehicle, forcing you to spend thousands of dollars to repair your car unjustly.
