Foam is an excellent material, which can easily be used to close cracks, gaps between building components. With its help, the spaces between the frames of the doors and windows are closed during their installation. But will polyurethane foam save mice and other rodents? In other words - do mice and rats chew on mounting foam?
Mice and their ability to gnaw hard materials
In all rodents, the teeth grow without ceasing. As the upper part grinds away, the teeth gradually grow back. And they grow regardless of whether their upper part was drained off in the process of vital activity. Therefore, rodents have no choice but to grind the front of their teeth forcibly, otherwise too long incisors will cause animal discomfort and interfere with eating.
Will the filling of mouse passages with foam work?
Do mice gnaw at the foam if they close up the old mouse moves? According to the owners, who were trying to close up mouse holes with this building material, this is useless. If a mouse or rat has been walking here for a while before, it will easily restore its past passage. All types of rodents who love to live at someone else's expense, that is, mice, rats, Sonya, ferrets, can easily gnaw materials such as OSB, chipboard, plastic and even brick. Therefore, such a porous and malleable material as a frozen mounting foam is not a hindrance to them at all.
Do mice eat foam? Of course not. But this does not stop them from grinding it into dust. Often females use this trash to equip their nests. The material perfectly retains heat, just what is needed for rats and mice, expecting an offspring soon.
How to protect the mounting foam from gnawing?
There are several simple ways to protect the pliable and porous building material from gnawing by rodents. To do this, when filling the cracks with mounting foam, you will have to tinker a little longer, but in general it is worth it. These preventative measures are based on:
- adding caustic solutions that seal off rodents between the layers of the mounting foam during the sealing process;
- equipping a slit or holes with an additional physical barrier that mice will have too much for;
- adding small objects to the foam that could injure rodents when trying to bite through a frozen construction foam.
Rodent Repellent with Bitter Substances
If in some places mice gnaw through the foam, you can give them an unpleasant surprise. After each passage through the foam, spray its layer with bitrex (denatonium benzonate). Foam, hardening, will still contain in its mass this extremely bitter substance. Having felt it in the mouth, the rat or any other rodent for a long time will lose the desire to bite into the mounting foam in this place.
Option with a physical barrier
At construction forums on the issue of whether the mice are chewing on mounting foam, reviews contain tips on strengthening the middle part of the opening (gap), which needs to be closed with a reinforced barrier. A simple galvanized metal mesh with small cells is best suited for these purposes.
If the slots are narrow enough and there is no way to install it across, you can put it along. No matter how strong the teeth of rodents are, they have not yet learned how to cope with metal. The rat (or mouse) gnaws the foam from the back, but, having stumbled upon a metal barrier, will be forced to retreat, no matter how much it wants to restore its previous course.
As for small damaging inclusions that can injure rodents
In places where rodents appeared earlier, small fragments of sewing needles can be embedded in the mounting foam. Regardless of whether mice gnaw construction foam in this area, needles will be a good means of deterring. As soon as a rat or mouse feels an injection and blood on its stigma, it will set off eternally without looking back.
Broken glass is also a good tool. It is also capable of causing significant damage to rodents. Covering it between the rows of injection foam, you can be calm. The mice in this place are unlikely to make a move.
Conclusion
So, do the mouse foam gnaw at the mouse? We found that definitely yes. Especially if they need to make (restore) the passage or insulate their lair with fragments of porous building materials. Just so the rodents will not pose for it. Foam is an inedible substance, and therefore, as food, it is uninteresting to them. And with an insignificant “rigging” you can completely protect your construction foam seams from the encroachment of rodents on them yourself.