Squirrel Chewed Through Charging Wires

[VTbuckeye]

For those with a garage, the best trick I've ever seen / read about is the ol' water bucket with a wire from edge to edge and a soda can or plastic water bottle or a similar round cylinder placed on a horizontal axis in the center of the wire, smeared with peanut butter.

The rat smells the peanut butter, climbs across the wire onto the can, the can rotates and rotates, the rat falls into water in the bucket, can't climb out...

...and the garage owner can count the harvest.

Too bad my garage gets cold enough for the water to freeze.

A few years ago some squirrels made my sailboat their winter/spring home. I never saw the adult, but there were four little cute fur balls in various places on the boat. They destroyed some dock line and one large and one medium sized fender. The line was turned into polyester fluff. The large fender was opened and became their nest of rubber pellets and polyester fibers. They chewed on the wood steps and the polycarbonate hatch cover. They chewed up some of the wiring, no more power for the radio or knot meter, (I just day sail and haven't used the instruments in years). The battery isn't on the boat, the outboard and bracket live in the garage.

I trapped them all and brought them to a couple different trailheads where I run/mountain bike. I really do not hold it against them for finding a dry protected space to make a home.

I don't worry about that now because my 14 year old has turned the boat into a giant fort for the winter. It's their safe space. Trying to figure out how they want to run the rigging differently this year and spend my money.

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