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Distinguishing rat from squirrel damage

Damage in a loft to mains electric cable, some animal had chewed insulation off. How to distinguish gnaw marks of rats from squirrels ? Some spoor-like material around, cream coloured cylinders, that look as though they may be anti-rodent measures from a previous occupant - how to tell if spoor or bait ? Chewed up paper and plastic bags but that could be rats or sqirrels presumably. Why did this animal only choose to nibble the live 240 volt wire and not the neurtral. As its feet would be on insulated material it wouldn't get a shock as such but do they get a "buzz" from this ? if they just like gnawing then they would choose equally the live and neutral. Obviously avoided the uninsulated earth wire as no dead critter thereabouts

Reply to
N Cook
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Without a microscope and *EXTENSIVE* knowledge of rodent dentition, your chances of knowing which one actually did the chewing are somewhere between slim and none, and I hear slim left town last week. ,

Could be either rat or squirrel. No help there.

Or mice, or birds, or...

Why does *ANY* animal choose to do what it does? Answer that question, and you've answered your own. But don't hold your breath...

Hard to say.

It's not a question of "like" - Rodents *MUST* - If they don't continuously wear their teeth down, pretty soon they'll be so long (and usually curled around) that the owner will either die of starvation, or from the festering sore that results from one or more teeth curling back and penetrating the skull.

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Reply to
Don Bruder

A forensic pathologist or a palenontologist or a zoologist or a biologist could help, I suppose?

A forensic pathologist or a palenontologist or a zoologist or a biologist could help, I suppose?

The colors used to dye the insulation of the wires all have a unique smell and taste.

No shock unless their big mouths cross two wires at the same time. Not likely.

They don't like copper but do love modern insulation materials. Ask any farmer.

Reply to
Charles Schuler

Would only be a rat in Australia, or maybe a possum.

--
John G

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Reply to
John G

not too easy to tell by just looking at teeth marks but it's more likely to be squirrels

Reply to
philo

Assuming it is squirrels gaining entry through chewing through the eaves ventillator plastic grill would they be able to gnaw through wire chicken-mesh if laid inside or outside over this grill ?

Reply to
N Cook

i had squirrels in my attic some years ago and ended up *once i made sure none were still in the house* sealing the holes with fairly thin sheet metal. they never came in again

that was 15 years ago... and i was rodent free until this year when my 19 year old cat got too old to hunt mice!!!!

Reply to
philo

So was it the cat or the metal that kept the vermin out?

Cheers.

Ken

Reply to
Ken Taylor

definitely the metal... my cat was only up on my roof one time... and that was because i left a window open. i never saw him catch anything larger than a mouse... even in his good days...

though he did manage to keep even the largest of dogs out of the yard... he had no influence on those darn squirrels !

Reply to
philo

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