We had rats in the outside compartments of our fiver a little over a year ago. They got into the battery compartment and the shell over the pin and did a lot of wire damage. We put out traps, poison, and caught them all, it appears. We also put out cotton balls with mint and moth balls to help keep them away. Over a period of time, we caught them all and haven't had an issue since, thank goodness (knock on wood!). After the repairs, we covered up all the openings with wire netting. We also removed all of the bushes they had made their home in when we first moved in to this house.