Rodents

[memyselfandI]

I need to ask a question that puzzles me. Why do rats, mice, muskrats, beavers,etc. chew on electrical cables? I have two pond pumps that have chew marks on the pump cables from a muskrat, I know it is a muskrat because I've seen his little...well you know. Some say it is them keeping their teeth trimmed, others say it is that frequency that freaks them out. What say you all?

 

[cowboyjwc]

I've heard that they like the taste, but I can't confirm that. Here's a trick that stopped my stupid dog from chewing cords, the shock didn't work, try a little dish soap on the cords and see if that helps.

 

[infinity]

We have the same problem with squirrels eating the flexible natural gas hose going to the barbecue. Ended up installing long spring coils around the hose to keep the squirrels at bay.

 

[ceb58]

Rodents must chew on something to keep their teeth trimmed down. If not the teeth can grow through there head or bottom jaw. De-con can be your friend. If you dont want poison around the house mix yellow cake mix and hydraulic cement together. The eat it because it is sweet and then when they drink water they become solid as a rock

 

[K8MHZ]

The last two 'chew throughs' I have been on the rodents (1 indecent of hamster, one of field mouses) not only chewed through Romex but nested around it.

Indeed, there may be something attractive about it. I wonder if the same problem was encountered before PVC sheathed NM.

 

[flashlight]

When I was a kid (1960's) pack rats ate all the romex out of my dad's garage and it had to be all replaced. I haven't trusted it since. In NYC where I work it's illegal except in 2-3 family residential and I wouldn't use it even if it were legal. Upstate, where we get jobs sometimes, you can use NM or AC or MC. I won't use NM in most circumstances.

 

[Nium]

The sheath is peanut butter flavored same as the phone wire the squirrels chewed through for my house.

 

[iMuse97]

The extension cords or lamp cords at my house apparently taste like mice or tuna fish, because the cat chews on them. The cat almost died the day he ate the cables for my synth. set up.

But house wiring is run in EMT so the mice don't bother us.

AS to the original question, mice will chew on anything, and wire is often run in small places where it it convenient for mice to hide, travel, etc., and muskrats and beavers will chew on anything, it seems. They'll build their homes from it, if they can. I've run schedule 80pvc for protection from their instinctive/destructive nature.