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Rat issues
- Thread starter Gabu
- Start date
toss some mothballs and cayenne pepper in there, they hate it.
You could always staple some chicken wire over the ports on the inside of the cab. Spray it black before installation and it'll be invisible. It's spaced wide enough that it can't affect frequency response or air movement.
I wish
I am looking through my garage to see if there are any droppings anywhere else. Should be sure this weekend.
It looks like when my old Ampeg cab was in the garage some rats moved in for a while... Everything works... but when I was looking through the rear ports, I noticed the droppings...
Ok, got the garage vacuum and cleaned up some rat poop inside it... but I am thinking of what to do next. Since everything seems to work, I guess I just need to clear out the acoustic material that's in the bottom of this duder, replace it, and then cover the ports up.
One thing is the amount of acoustic material seems pretty low. Not sure if the rats were eating it or carrying it off somewhere else... but I am guessing it used to have more than it does now. Ampeg Yamaha does not have any info on my old PR212 cab. I guess that was not transferred to the new owners. Any tips on how much fluff to add back to this cab? Generally, I wish i could just make it like it was... I just don't know how it was.
Also, would speaker covers like these be open enough to cover my cabs rear ports without issue?
At first I was thinking maybe a cat standing guard might be a better option. Then thought about the diameter of the holes being large enough for a cat to go through and become a bigger problem than the rats…
Hey, wait a minute … can we talk this one over?
One of the most jarring facts of cultural history is that the friends of the poet T. S. Eliot called him "Old Possum."
What character from literature is this poem about?
Macavity: The Mystery Cat
Macavity’s a Mystery Cat: he’s called the Hidden Paw—
For he’s the master criminal who can defy the Law.
He’s the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad’s despair:
For when they reach the scene of crime—Macavity’s not there!
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
He’s broken every human law, he breaks the law of gravity.
His powers of levitation would make a fakir stare,
And when you reach the scene of crime—Macavity’s not there!
You may seek him in the basement, you may look up in the air—
But I tell you once and once again, Macavity’s not there!
Macavity’s a ginger cat, he’s very tall and thin;
You would know him if you saw him, for his eyes are sunken in.
His brow is deeply lined with thought, his head is highly domed;
His coat is dusty from neglect, his whiskers are uncombed.
He sways his head from side to side, with movements like a snake;
And when you think he’s half asleep, he’s always wide awake.
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
For he’s a fiend in feline shape, a monster of depravity.
You may meet him in a by-street, you may see him in the square—
But when a crime’s discovered, then Macavity’s not there!
He’s outwardly respectable. (They say he cheats at cards.)
And his footprints are not found in any file of Scotland Yard’s.
And when the larder’s looted, or the jewel-case is rifled,
Or when the milk is missing, or another Peke’s been stifled,
Or the greenhouse glass is broken, and the trellis past repair—
Ay, there’s the wonder of the thing! Macavity’s not there!
And when the Foreign Office find a Treaty’s gone astray,
Or the Admiralty lose some plans and drawings by the way,
There may be a scrap of paper in the hall or on the stair—
But it’s useless to investigate—Macavity’s not there!
And when the loss has been disclosed, the Secret Service say:
‘It must have been Macavity!’—but he’s a mile away.
You’ll be sure to find him resting, or a-licking of his thumbs;
Or engaged in doing complicated long division sums.
Macavity, Macavity, there’s no one like Macavity,
There never was a Cat of such deceitfulness and suavity.
He always has an alibi, and one or two to spare:
At whatever time the deed took place—MACAVITY WASN’T THERE!
And they say that all the Cats whose wicked deeds are widely known
(I might mention Mungojerrie, I might mention Griddlebone)
Are nothing more than agents for the Cat who all the time
Just controls their operations: the Napoleon of Crime!
Just to be up front about covering the ports. It will create noise. Wether you'll hear it remains to be told. The louder you play and frequencies around the tuning frequency will be the worst.
I say this because just so happens, today I had a Bose 301 come in for repair that had 1/4" chicken wire placed over the ports. After repairing it, I sweep tested it and at around 40Hz,where they are tuned, and below, the chuffing was audible.
The chicken wire is a great way to keep critters out, as I can't tell you how many times I've cleaned mild cases and scrapped bad cases of mice infestation out of 301's in the 7 years I've been at Bose.
Those car speaker grills will be worse than 1/4" chicken wire, which is the smallest opening wire I'd suggest you use.
I say this because just so happens, today I had a Bose 301 come in for repair that had 1/4" chicken wire placed over the ports. After repairing it, I sweep tested it and at around 40Hz,where they are tuned, and below, the chuffing was audible.
The chicken wire is a great way to keep critters out, as I can't tell you how many times I've cleaned mild cases and scrapped bad cases of mice infestation out of 301's in the 7 years I've been at Bose.
Those car speaker grills will be worse than 1/4" chicken wire, which is the smallest opening wire I'd suggest you use.
They make great pets - way smarter, and more friendly than cats.
One time, I was in my garden, and out of the corner of my eye, saw what looked like the back end of a rat scampering up the steps towards my kitchen.
Over the following weeks, we noticed the pet chinchilla food disappearing quicker than it should.
When boxes of cereal, and bags of sugar started vanishing, or getting shredded, we realised what had happened - and there were a number of comic escapades, involving DIY humane traps, or absent mindedly bursting into the kitchen, and finding it trying to haul a bag across the counter, before it panicked and got the bag stuck in a (pre-existing) hole in the skirting.
One time I was sat on the toilet, and heard it moving in the boiler cupboard next to me. I lifted the base of the airing cupboard, to reveal the rat curled up in a nest it had made around the boiler - before it looked up at me, and casually sloped off down the back (I could almost swear it winked at me).
Pretty sure it was an escaped pet, judging by its colour, condition, and good behaviour.
Anyway, after about 6 months we inherited a pair of black cats, and as soon as the rat for wind of them, it fled the house, never to be seen again.
O.P. forget about indiscriminate traps, or poisons that can have totally unintentional consequences for pets, and people - just get yourself a cat that regularly visits your garage.
Also, would speaker covers like these be open enough to cover my cabs rear ports without issue?
If you're talking about either flow of air, or frequency response - it should be fine.
If you're talking about keeping rats out - forget it. They eat through cinder block as an appetizer. If anything, it's probably better to leave them a path of least resistance, so they don't just chew a hole in the cabinet itself.
I’d open the cab and clean it out properly. An inspection camera is great, otherwise, remove the grille and then one speaker at a time. This has to be done very carefully.
Rat pee stinks and soaks into the wood, droppings are not healthy.
Rat pee stinks and soaks into the wood, droppings are not healthy.
