Officially, they are Neotoma albigula, the white-throated wood rat. To anybody that isn’t a student covering the flora and fauna of Arizona, they are simply the local species of pack rat. Individuals are cute little rodents that are shy and nocturnal, foragers who will chow down on spiny cacti and yucca plants as well as evergreens like juniper and desert scrub plants like rabbitbrush and the seeds of mesquite trees. To the car fan, a packrat can be an absolute and utter nightmare. At the bare minimum, the little furry hoarders can gnaw on wiring and wreak electrical hell on a vehicle. But this is a Junkyard Digs video. “Bare minimum”? Ha!
Now, it is a nice change of pace to see Kevin go after a Ford product that isn’t ready to collapse in a cloud of iron oxide. And I’m sure that both he and Mook appreciated the Arizona sun, just as Iowa goes from boring land to frigid, boring land. But I’m also sure that the second he opened the hood and saw a mess of fur and catclaw acacia pods staring back at him from what looks like a multi-generational home for wayward rodents, that he just about dropped a brick. Which would’ve been barely noticeable compared to what needed to be cleaned up from off of the hood. But…it is a classic Bronco that he scored for a reasonable price. Get the bags, get the gloves, and get to digging!
Best car channel out there, Kevin is like the car crazy kid next door that is always dragging a new project home and I for one love it. Bestest part is he’s not going to flip the Bronco like most of the YouTube yutzes would do instantly.
Gotta watch it, where there’s Arizona wood rats there’s Arizona rattlesnakes. They eat them little suckers like I eat Hershey’s Kisses on Christmas morning.
High desert CA packrats are the bane of my existance. They have made me cry. Seat belts, wool carpet, grommets, gaskets, headliners, dash pads and of course wiring and hoses. Since they poop juniper for the most part it can catch on fire if you forget to check under the hood after an overnight. They are the devil’s rodent.