Has your car been sitting for a while since you no longer need to commute to work? Well, you might want to check to make sure rats haven't moved in!
No, seriously...
Caity Weaver at the New York Times says there are anecdotal reports of nests being built in the engines of what they are calling 'pandemic-abandoned' vehicles. If rodents get in inside of your, they could chew through the wiring, or just leave droppings everywhere...
According to Snell, the bill to replace her rat-chewed wires turned out to be $400... But it could have cost her thousands.
The best preventative advice, according to Fordham University rat scholar Dr. Michael H. Parsons, is to avoid parking over sewers and drainage catch basins, as well as starting and moving the car every once in a while if you can.
Michael Deutsch, an urban entomologist and the technical director of the Arrow Exterminating Company, says that rats "get a certain amount of comfort by just chewing." And we all know how much we need a little more comfort these days...
“Their nature is to explore," Deutsch said. "They do exhibit a behavior called neophobia, which is fear of new things. But they can overcome that.”
So stay safe, and check your parked car for rats... What a time to be alive.
Check out the full report on The New York Times.