What types of animals chew on electrical wires?

Lots of animals are accustomed to chewing and gnawing on electrical wires but there are certain animals that are directly linked with this behavioral aspect; rodents like rats, squirrels, raccoons, mouse, moles among other species are notorious animals that will constantly chew on electrical wires whenever they come across them.



Why do rodents chew on electric wires?

Rodents usually have teeth that have similar characteristics like fingernails in that they continually grow; therefore they have to continually gnaw them in order to keep them in proper shapes and also prevent the teeth from over growing. They will therefore chew on different surfaces that they come across including electrical wires.

Animals that chew on electrical wires:

Rats
Rats have incisors that are designed like chisels and they also grow continuously; because overgrown incisors are dangerous, rats will therefore chew on anything in order to keep their teeth in shape and electrical wires will always be one of their options.

Raccoons
Raccoons are also possible distracters of electrical wires because they are also rodents especially when they find their way into the attic.

Mice
Mice are just like rats and they will chew on electrical wires to prevent their teeth from overgrowing.

How to prevent rodents from chewing on electrical wires

Rodents chewing on electric wires can cause a lot of havoc therefore it is advisable to use certain techniques to prevent them from chewing on the wires. Some of the popular techniques include:

Use of mothballs
The benefits of using mothballs as rodent repellent are; their ease to use and they are also readily available. Moreover, they help keep away rodents from the attic which in turn prevents the electric wires from being damaged.

Mothballs are cheap and all you have to do is to scatter them in the infected area and wait for a positive outcome; they are also easy to place in areas that are impossible to reach.

Organic rodent repellents
Organic repellents are also easy to use in that you are only required to spray them to the infected area. The advantage of using the nontoxic repellents is that there is no concern of dealing with dead rodents in the attic. The repellents usually prevent the rodents from causing damage to electric wires among other items.

It is therefore important to ensure that you use techniques that will prevent rodents from getting into your home and chewing on electrical wires.

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