Just been taking down our outside Christmas lights and it seems the squirrels have chewed through the wires of the string along the fence and a projector in the front lawn. I have heard about the damage they can cause to wiring in lofts is it they sense the current or do they have a particular liking for PVC?
Richard
It's simpler than that: like other rats, they will eat, or try to eat, anything.
PVC. It is EXACTLY right for rodents - whose incisors never stop growing
- to trim their teeth on.
It's less the taste than the consistency
The wire strands provide the friction they're after.
During the foraging season, chewing everything in sight during that time, keeps the incisors in check. In winter, pickings are a bit slimmer, so chewing on stranded copper comes in handy.
"Home sweet home"
I think its the pvc, as I've had an old wire out in the garden and something has gnawed it, and its not been powered for two years and it was alright back when I stopped using it. It was only low voltage in any case.
Brian
It's similar to chewing grass (which is particularly abrasive) to grind their teeth - rabbits do the same, and will reduce a run of cable to a row of little pieces. Mice seem to try stripping the cable rather than just slicing it.
Major cause of failure in older vehicles is mice and rats nesting under the bonnet and chewing through cables.
Yes a squirrel used the small enlosure we have for a garden water pump to store his cache, and left the evidence after him.He then proceeded to chew his way though the pump cable Lucky for him the pump was out of commision to avoid frost damage
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