Do Pack Rats Chew Through Wire Mesh?

Homeowners doing their own research often ask whether sealing an entry point is actually worth the effort if a determined pack rat can just chew through the material anyway. The honest answer depends entirely on what material was used.

What Pack Rats Can and Cannot Chew Through

Pack rats, like most rodents, can gnaw through wood, standard expanding foam, plastic, soft caulk, and even soft metals like aluminum flashing. Properly installed steel mesh and hardware cloth are a different story, since the material is simply too hard for rodent teeth to effectively wear down.

Our exclusion service page covers the exact materials and installation approach we use.

Why This Distinction Matters So Much

• A sealed entry point using the wrong material can fail within a single season
• Steel mesh installed correctly can last for years without needing to be revisited
• Many DIY sealing attempts use foam or caulk alone, which explains why the same gap reopens repeatedly
• Material choice matters more than how thoroughly a gap was initially sealed

What Proper Installation Actually Looks Like

Steel mesh needs to be secured firmly enough that a rodent cannot pry or pull it loose, not just stuffed loosely into a gap. Edges should be fastened, not just tucked in, since a determined pack rat will work at any loose edge over time if given the chance.

Schedule an inspection if you are unsure whether your current seal will actually hold.

Common Mistakes That Undermine Good Materials

Even steel mesh fails if it does not fully cover the actual opening, leaves a gap around the edges, or is combined with softer material as the primary seal rather than a secondary filler. The mesh needs to be the structural barrier, not decoration around a foam-sealed hole. Think of foam as a shaping aid at most, never the actual line of defense against a determined rodent.

Is It Worth Paying More for Proper Materials?

A cheaper sealing job using foam or caulk alone may look identical to steel mesh work immediately after installation, but the cost difference shows up later when the same entry point reopens and the whole process has to be repeated. Paying for the right material once is generally more cost-effective than repeating a cheaper fix multiple times.

If a previous fix has already failed once, our post on why rodent problems return after treatment covers this exact scenario in more depth. Get a free quote for a proper exclusion job done once, correctly.