A bit of a predicament - a creature in the car

[Big Boy]

Something has got into my car overnight. I can hear it knocking about, but can't see anything. It's driving my dogs crazy.

My first thoughts were rats or mice, but my son's girlfriend is convinced it must be a snake.

I don't want to unnecessarily hurt anything, but I don't want a stowaway either. Any ideas how I can identify what the beast is please?

[Dannie Boy]

Something has got into my car overnight. I can hear it knocking about, but can't see anything. It's driving my dogs crazy.

My first thoughts were rats or mice, but my son's girlfriend is convinced it must be a snake.

I don't want to unnecessarily hurt anything, but I don't want a stowaway either. Any ideas how I can identify what the beast is please?

Turn your dash cam to record inside the cab and hopefully it will record it moving about

[PeteC]

Do you hear it in the cab, or in the engine compartment? If the engine compartment just start the engine until whatever it is comes out, or expires, from the heat. It will come out unless it went in there to die in the first place.

EDIT: I don't think a snake is going to knock about anywhere unless it swallowed something and is stuck. It's not their nature.

[Geko]

If you have a air intake on the bonnet (Toyota Fortuna style) check inside it, we had a bird nesting inside ours last year, unbelievably we drove around a fair few miles with the bird inside before we returned home and I washed the car and found the nest.

[Big Boy]

The noise is coming from beneath the rear bucket of the pickup. When I first heard it, I thought it was coming from the bucket.

DB, you've given me an idea. I've got something similar to a selfie stick for my Go Pro. I can have a mooch about under the car, whilst watching from the safety of my tablet. If it's a snake, it must be something nasty (cobras have not survived) to get past my dogs alive. The dogs went crazy about 4am this morning, so that's when the stowaway got in.

[Nereus]

More likely a squirrel. Snakes and rats do not make enough noise to be heard. I guess by "bucket" you mean the rear tub or cargo area?

[Big Boy]

Yes, that's the area.

UPDATE:

I took the car for a run around the block in the hope the beastie would get off. Haven't heard him since.

I checked under the car with the Go Pro - Mrs BB operating the stick, and me observing from a safe distance on the tablet - nothing untoward under the car.

One funny thing though, Mrs BB, who fears snakes, was operating the stick, being watched closely by the 3 dogs. Then our rottweiler's tail brushed her face - what a scream. Definitely a clean underwear moment methinks

[migrant]

Had a similar problem, recurring, creature in the car. Now I stopped telling Mrs m when I go someplace!!

[Nereus]

Mrs BB operating the stick, and me observing from a safe distance on the tablet -

Glad to see that you have the priorities correct!

[Big Boy]

Oh yes

[STEVE G]

It reminds me of when I was working in Jakarta many years ago, we were driving home from work discussing how the fan belt seemed to be slipping because it was making a noise like a cat, then I drove over a speed bump and a cat appeared in the rear view mirror at the same time as the fan belt fixed itsel!

[Ralfredo]

Some say that naphthalene works as a snake repellant. Maybe put some under your car and the snake, or whatever creature it is, will find the environment hostile and move on.

[Big Boy]

Our dogs are usually repellent enough, but I guess whatever it was caught them all napping, or it was extremely quick. Very unusual, because at least one of them is on patrol 24/7, and soon alert the other 2.

Anyway, whatever it was, has not returned

[Dannie Boy]

Hopefully it's gone and won't return, whatever it was - almost certainly not a snake though, I've seen plenty in our garden, but never heard one, and even if it was inside your truck, it would likely still move in silent mode.

[brianks]

one time I had my normal service for my Honda Jazz at the dealer. They called me to the car to show me a lizard that had gotten stuck in the fan and caused it to destroy the fan moter. Lizard was preserved between the blades and plastic housing around it--DEAD.