wild animal proofing a sofa?

[joshua]

We got a new sofa for the living room at my house and since the salvation army or veterans (or whatever it is) doesn't take large items like that my dad decided to move it to the garage. I am wondering what we could do to try and keep animals from accidentally getting in and nesting in the bottom of the sofa.

I was thinking perhaps putting a couple layers of tin foil on the bottom as that is a trick you use to stuff old pipes or other places where small rodents can get in because they don't like chewing on it.

Anyway, we are going to clean things up a bit out in the garage and since nobody even uses it for storing their car it will become a clubhouse for the men of the house. For me, I will have a place to relax and smoke if its raining or something. For my dad, he plans on using it for recording music.

 

[Prometheus]

Moth balls work.

 

[joshua]

Moth balls work.

Hmm I wonder if we could line the bottom with a panel of cedar or something. Right now the bottom of the sofa is a little broken. My dad is way not handy with this kinda stuff so I would have to do it.

 

[kirscovitch]

when we used to have our ferrets, they would constantly chew through the fabric on the bottoms of our couches and shred everything inside. we got a roll of heavy duty wire mesh. (kind of like chicken coop fencing but with smaller holes) stapled along the edge and covering the bottom, it kept them out fine. but they could still get in through the cushions.

 

[joshua]

when we used to have our ferrets, they would constantly chew through the fabric on the bottoms of our couches and shred everything inside. we got a roll of heavy duty wire mesh. (kind of like chicken coop fencing but with smaller holes) stapled along the edge and covering the bottom, it kept them out fine. but they could still get in through the cushions.

Thats a pretty good idea. When we were discussing this with family over the weekend somebody had a story about how they had a ferret at one point and without them knowing the ferret found a second place to drop deposits other than the designated litter box or whatever. Turned out to be inside the underside of the couch.

 

[kirscovitch]

yea, it worked fairly well for us untill the little bastards chewed a hole under one of the cushions and could get in that way. i suppose you could cover the top of it with the mesh too.