Beware of The Wooooood Rat

I know what wood rats are, I just didn't think they were out to disable my car.

While we were camping at Joshua Tree, I (Tom) had an interesting exchange with a neighboring camper.

When we arrived at the campground, there were two men setting up two very large, and I imagine, expensive telescopes. As I walked with Lukas to fill up our water jug, I pointed out the telescopes and hoped that one of the men would notice and invite us over for a look. On the way back I said “Hi” to one of the men. He acknowledged me and said, “You'd better put your hood up so the wood rats don’t eat your engine wires.”

Huuunh?!? I have camped since I was in diapers, and I have camped in the deserts of the Southwest roughly 100 times (really!). I have camped with wizened old desert rats (the two-legged kind) and met many a fellow experienced desert camper, and I have never had anyone tell me to leave my hood up at night. Did I hear him correctly? Was his comedic timing off and had he failed to deliver a timely punch line? There was no grin, no snicker, no chuckle. Was there a hidden camera? Did I look especially stupid that day? I decided to ask for clarification and asked him to repeat his statement. “The wood rats will eat your wires so you need to keep you hood open at night.” My instinct still couldn’t believe he was serious, so I responded by stating that I have camped in the deserts for over 30 years and that was the first time I had heard that admonition. I bid him a good night and returned to our campsite.

As I made one last bathroom run in the dark I walked by these two gentlemen’s campsites to see if their hoods were up. Sure enough, their late model trucks' hoods were up and the family next door in the rented RV had their hood up. Well they practice what they preach, and they found one convert.

The next day I asked the camp host if they had a population of voracious wood rats with a taste for wire. He immediately pointed to the two astronomers and said that they were regulars and that they always put their hoods up. I asked him was he aware of a problem? He said that back in 2005 a National Park vehicle had a nest built in the engine compartment and that the rodents chewed on the wires. He then said with a smile that he does not put his hood up, and that they don’t recommend it to anyone.

When I got home I did a little Google research and found one specific story, with a nice picture, of a wood rat attempting to build a nest in an engine compartment (David Senesac's Journal from 2006) There was no mention of wire chewing. Yes, wood rats feasting on my car's wires is possible, but not probable. I’ll take my chances with the rats rather than letting some vacationing thief steal my battery.