[robgt]

I was viewing new posts today and JoJo's latest with the mice crawling all over the cat got me thinking... (yes, a dangerous proposition.)

Creatures & Critters, anyone have any decide to try to make your E their home?

Case in point: We went out camping and had a squirrel store nuts in the air intake of my wifes Suburban. It wasn't until the service mechanic pulled the air cleaner that we'd found out the critter had even been there.

Case 2: Okay, this one will make you shutter, and I swear I'm not making this up. I was coming home the other night and witnessed a rat climb on board a Nissan Pathfinder at the light in front of me. The nasty thing actually cruised out across 2 lanes of traffic and climbed on board! It rode on board until the next light about 1/4 mile away and then climbed out. Probably couldn't find a way in, but it did eye my E as if it could make itself home there! If I hadn't been on my phone at the time I would have video taped this. Definately the weirdest thing I've seen lately!

 

[GaryS]

If I hadn't been on my phone at the time I would have video taped this.

You were driving while using your phone? That's pretty scary.

 

[robgt]

You were driving while using your phone? That's pretty scary.

Actually, I bought it from the dealer with a Bluetooth that has a microphone and pipes the sound back through the stereo speakers, so it's hands free. California had just passed the new cell phone law when I bought the car and the dealers at the time where pre-wiring cars with these add ons. Considering I like the blast the 270 watts sometimes it's really nice that the unit turns down the radio and rings the phone through the speakers.

Coming from the dealer directly I probably paid a little too much for it, but it is fun watching passengers freak out when it rings. I just about wet my pants the first time I had the unit turned up loud and heard the phone ringer at 270 watts of stereo power!

 

[GaryS]

I just about wet my pants the first time I had the unit turned up loud and heard the phone ringer at 270 watts of stereo power!

Holy CRAP!

If the other cars around you are giving you funny looks just say: "It's your mother and she wants her car back."

Okay, on with the scary stories...

 

[robgt]

Holy CRAP!

If the other cars around you are giving you funny looks just say: "It's your mother and she wants her car back."

Okay, on with the scary stories...

:lol: Thanks for making my night! That is the perfect line for that situation! Wish I'd thought of it, but definately will use it when the opportunity presents itself again.

 

[Jojo]

Sunny has been host to many critters, mosquitoes, tree frogs, and tons of spiders, she's kind of a mini ecosystem.

heres some pics of the teardrop at one one of our camping trips this year, Wrens decided to make it their home. After we pulled out their nest, they started making another one inside the cabin.

I've also seen birds making nests in cars/trucks parked at rest stops, whats wrong with these birds? don't they know those cars aren't staying?

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[robgt]

I'd take birds as visitors over rats any day!

I haven't seen too many frogs as it's to dry in most areas of SoCal, but we do get our share of snakes. Gotta especially be on the look out for them when we dessert camp.

 

[buttermilk]

 

[Jojo]

Zombie Yeti

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[gryhoundz]

I had a nest of mice under the back seat of my Explorer a few years ago. We were on the road and stopped in a parking lot and dumped the new babies into a dumpster (couldn't continue with them in the car!).
Also had an air filter full of some sort of stuffing (likely chewed paper towels) in my car before that one. don't know how long that one was there before I checked and found it.

 

[buttermilk]

This thing is displayed in Cuz's Antique Store in Lebanon Tennessee. I heard it was made from the back end of a deer, but it does look pretty real though.

 

[redwing blackbird]

Wrens make false nests. They do it to prevent competitors from nesting in the same area. We have wrens that try to take over every potential nest site in our yard each spring. They have one real nest and tend to all the false ones till their done raising their little ones.

We have a pair of Carolina wrens that come through and stay late summer, fall and sometimes the winter. That looks like what you had in your tear.

This past summer we were summer camping at a Michigan State park. While we were sitting around the fire drinking coffee a skunk came and checked out the E. My daughter left the passenger side door and suicide open. It climbed in sniffed around and got out. I didn't have the cajones for getting up and trying to shoo it away. All I could think of was rabies and big stink!

 

[Dom.five]

Anyone got any creature stories?

\ All that question tells me is,

YOU Have Never Been To an EOC Meet !! :lol:

Dom

 

[Bluebell4ME]

campground critters

When I camped at Lily Bay SP, I had to get up in the middle of the night to shoo raccoons off the E. Silly me had put the food inside(good) then left the vent open(bad). Pawprints went from the hood up the windshield to the roof, where they tried to reach through the vent. They'd moved on to the next car by the time I got there. They gave me attitude, took some yelling and prodding with a stick to make them move on.

That story of the rat was neat. It was hitching a ride, very smart. Must have had a hot date and couldn't find a cab!

 

[robgt]

This thing is displayed in Cuz's Antique Store in Lebanon Tennessee. I heard it was made from the back end of a deer, but it does look pretty real though.

Okay, the Zombie Yeti is definately high up on the weird-meter.

 

[robgt]

\ All that question tells me is,

YOU Have Never Been To an EOC Meet !! :lol:

Dom

LOL, ah things to look forward to! Hopefully sometime in the future I'll be able to make it out to one of the EOC meets.

 

[robgt]

Yeah, I wouldn't mess with the skunk either! I went camping last weekend and left the front windows open. Some birds where checking it out as it was a good place to get out of the heat, but I hadn't thought about smelly critters! I think I'll be keeping stuff shut from now on!

 

[robgt]

When I camped at Lily Bay SP, I had to get up in the middle of the night to shoo raccoons off the E. Silly me had put the food inside(good) then left the vent open(bad). Pawprints went from the hood up the windshield to the roof, where they tried to reach through the vent. They'd moved on to the next car by the time I got there. They gave me attitude, took some yelling and prodding with a stick to make them move on.

That story of the rat was neat. It was hitching a ride, very smart. Must have had a hot date and couldn't find a cab!

Did the racoons scratch the paint? I did the same thing last weekend while camping (put food in the car, inside solid plastic tote). We saw racoon tracks nearby the lake, but we never got any visitors.

When I'm out back packing I usually hang my food and then leave all the zippers open on my pack. I've heard racoons will tear open your gear to take a look at what's inside.

 

[Sprunch]

When I worked at the VW dealership I saw a plethora of critter related repairs and a couple of which took up residence in vehicles...hmm where to start...

The VW hippie bus from Az? Yup, live scorpion, tech came across it, caught it, had it in a coffee cup. Tiny with tiny claws = very poisonous, he was lucky. Same bus, small coral snake died and was coiled up and mummified, pretty cool looking.

V-12 Jag had a family of field mice living in the V of the engine and ate the insulation off all the wires...

The New Beetle with a starting problem, opened hood and found the mice had stripped the insulation off the plug wires...

I've seen squirrels go inside wheel wells and stash food...

I'm into vintage Vespas and the mice like to get into the monocoque body and set up house there...

Then there's this, glad I don't live in Fla!

 

[robgt]

Yikes!

They say it tastes like chicken...but...I sure wouldn't want to try cooking one on the engine block like that!

I can only imagine how nasty it must have been cleaning the gutts of that thing off the engine pully's.