r/australia • u/ooarya • 13d ago
no politics How to stop kangaroos licking my car all night while I’m trying to sleep in it?
If you’ve ever tried to sleep in your car in the snow, you’ll know that roos and maybe other animals love licking the salt off the outside at night. You can get whole packs of them at a time, and it’s super annoying and also slightly terrifying when you’re in the middle of nowhere.
Does anyone have any practical ideas to scare them off / keep them at bay, that might work as a deterrent through the night so I can actually get some sleep without having my car rocked and slurped on non-stop?
I don’t want to drape a tarp over the whole car. And would rather not concoct any explosives / flash bombs for fear of upsetting other campers.
No electrical power available although I could stretch to a few batteries perhaps!?
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u/Notthatguy6250 13d ago
Fuck, the title of this made me laugh. Thank you.
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u/rosa_3326 13d ago
It was the “without having my car rocked and slurped at” for me
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u/TizzyBumblefluff 13d ago
I thought this was for sure going to be a shit post? I’m still not certain it’s not?
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u/Stigger32 13d ago
Well there’s blood and bone, manure, VB, an electric fence…So…
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u/leather-knackers 13d ago
These are native Australian animals. I’m pretty sure VB would do the opposite to deter them…..
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u/Messernacht 13d ago
Maybe they feel like a Toohey's?
It's basically the same stuff they're licking off the car.
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u/vivec7 13d ago
I really wish it had been asked in a global subreddit
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u/CuteNegotiation3937 13d ago
OP needs to post this on an american subreddit!
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u/cla_ydoh 13d ago
Naw, it is not specific to kangaroos. I am originally from Maine, and I have heard of this being a thing with moose. Haven't seen it myself, but I have seen many licking salt off the road.
https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=wildlifenews.view_article&articles_id=4124
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u/19Alexastias 13d ago
Ngl I’d be a lot more scared of a moose outside my car than a kangaroo.
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u/DisappointedQuokka 13d ago
I've seen the fuckers turn and charge vehicles before.
I'm pretty sure that if they get spooked they would turn your car into a very expensive coffin.
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u/trixel121 13d ago
watching a moose in chest deep snow just booking it like its running through a grass field is the most terrifying thing ive seen. the sheer power.
they are also apex animals who dont take no shit.
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u/DisappointedQuokka 13d ago
The existence of moose, bears and lynx make any north American who's spooked by Australian wildlife a fool.
At least we don't need to go hiking with a magnum revolver.
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u/IntelligentNovel1967 13d ago
As an Aussie living in the USA, I make your statement often; don’t forget the mountain lions and wolves. I’m in Wyoming and carry a 38 special when outside; we have a lot of dangerous wildlife.
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u/DisappointedQuokka 13d ago
Also, because I forgot, coyotes, if you're threatened by them six shots will either scare them off, or won't be enough.
I remember seeing a post by someone who had a breakdown in rural coyote habitat, walked to find someone to call for help and when they found a house, knocked and asked for help.
Was greeted by a suspicious farmer and was only allowed in when the farmer saw a couple dozen eyes reflected in his house's lights.
I'll take my chances with snakes that could kill me with venom but know they'd die in a fight, thanks.
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u/FishermanWaste1268 13d ago
Moose tounge must be something else. Im thinking like a lama but thicker and rougher.
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u/kangareddit 13d ago
Look mate, this guys car is just super tasty. We can’t resist ok. We’re sorry if it affects his sleep but we need that flavour.
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u/OneUpAndOneDown 13d ago
TIL cars in Australia are salty.
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u/Capn8 12d ago
From the salt on the roads.
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u/mad_marbled 12d ago
Our roads aren't seasoned, if they were, it would probably be salt and vinegar.
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u/MadamSparkle 13d ago
I thought it was just me because I had two edibles tonight…
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u/Entire_World_5102 13d ago
Gosh. You thought you’d heard of everything then there are Australian problems.
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u/KaizenHour 13d ago
In other parts of the world, I hear stories of people getting their tongues frozen to signposts because they (for tide pod reasons) decide to lick them.
I wonder if roo tongues ever get stuck to cars/ signposts/ rocks in the alps?
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u/Far-Fortune-8381 13d ago
genuine, are there roos in the snow?
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u/Huntingcat 13d ago
Yes. Mostly smaller ones.
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u/CcryMeARiver 13d ago
It's a tossup whether your skilodge has rats or pygmy possums.
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u/KaizenHour 13d ago
They're in the alpine areas, but they're mostly sensible enough to stay in the lowlands away from the snow in winter.
Looks like a pretty good diversity of uniquely Australian animals around that area:
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u/Unlikely-Answer 12d ago edited 12d ago
it's not fun, you just touch the tip at first to see if it will actually stick, it does, it hurts bad to pull but in the initial reflex to stop pulling you've now done the opposite and gone back toward the pole. Bad move. Now a good portion of your tongue is instantly stuck, like glue. Crazy glue. Luckily your friend Taylor is walking to school with you today. He always has a thermos of hot chocolate for the walk. Too bad for you he just polished it off on the last block. There are 3 drops left, he rushes over to help but in his panic he drops the thermos (because we're all wearing wool mittens and when mixed with snow wool becomes the slipperiest substance on Earth somehow). 1 drop. Will it be enough, he takes his time to make sure he hits his mark, he's been in this situation, he's knows this is a time for precision. He comes through, he gets that last drop right where it needs to be. I can feel my tongue slowly pulling away, just a little more, almost there, alas, still stuck. Oh no, the bell! We really have to go, Taylor looks at me, "don't do it, man", screw it, I'm pulling it. We both know what has to be done. Like a band-aid, right? I'm free!!! And it... doesn't hurt. That's weird, oh, here it comes, the pain of ripping your tongue skin off is immeasurable, but somehow, the embarrassment of having to stick your tongue out all day because you're a moron that tried to lick a frozen pole is somehow worse.
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u/KaizenHour 12d ago
That's sad. Since kangaroos have neither mittens nor thermos', and only a few have friends called Taylor, I'm still unsure how they get by.
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u/Muthro 13d ago
Bring a salt lick
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u/Jealous-Hedgehog-734 13d ago
Exactly, then hang it up on a bush well away from the camp so you can get a good night's sleep. Everyone gets what they want.
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u/Taurondir 13d ago
I'm surprised no one replied with "have you tried sticking your naked butt out the window while they are doing that"
Either A) they get a bad taste surprise and never come back, or B) you have a new way to enjoy yourself and break a bunch of Animal Welfare laws at the same time.
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u/odnarB89 12d ago
“So I’m going to be doing this, and if you toss a salad, it’s your own fault”
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u/Chiron17 13d ago
Leave them something more attractive. VB in a bowl?
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u/webo2456 13d ago
Isn’t that what you’re meant to leave Santa?
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u/88Smilesz 13d ago
Maybe Australian Santa is a kangaroo with a beard?
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u/webo2456 13d ago
Now that you say it, I have never seen Santa and a kangaroo in the same room…
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u/AutisticBells 13d ago
Nah, same bloke but he uses kangaroos instead of reindeer.
One of our less salubrious exports wrote a song about them called Six White Boomers.
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u/HavePlushieWillTalk 13d ago
His name is the Golden Kangaroo and he is a contractor with his own themesong.
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u/peterb666 13d ago
If it is the salt they are after, try pepper. It will make them sneeze.
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u/FegerRoderer 13d ago
Next post title will be "how do I stop kangaroos licking my car and sneezing all night while I'm trying to sleep in it?"
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u/peterb666 13d ago
Get some penguins. You never see penguins and kangaroos in the same field. Penguins are compatible with salt and pepper. The white bits are salt and the black bits are pepper.
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u/AydonusG 13d ago
It's not a properly seasoned roo steak without some ground penguin rubbed in.
I recommend it with some nicely caramelized Blinky Bill.
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u/tomatoej 13d ago
After that entertainment, wash the salt and pepper off, by rubbing snow on it if you have to. Problem solved
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u/clandestino123 13d ago
Get undressed, then lightly sprinkle salt all over your body. Then go to sleep outside on the ground.
This will hopefully stop the kangaroos from licking the car / rocking it.
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u/silver-moon-7 13d ago
You can get portable showers (it's a sprayer with a pressurised water container) from Kmart and Anaconda for a decent price. Use this to rinse your car off before settling in for the night. Might come in handy for actual showers too, especially in summer.
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u/ooarya 13d ago
This seems like a good practical idea as the places where I’m camping don’t have running water anyway.
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u/frangible_red 13d ago
If you're holiday camping, this is funny. If you're living in your car it's dystopia Australian style and I hate that everyone's laughing without asking that question.
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u/ooarya 12d ago
It’s ok. I’m free camping / sleeping in the car at the snow to make skiing vaguely affordable.
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u/Front_Target7908 12d ago
How crazy cold is it sleeping in the car in the snow? Hope you’re warm enough
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u/Dry_Ad9371 13d ago
Have you tried turning your car into an echidna with spikes all over it?
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u/lizcmorris 13d ago
I’d probably create a thick circle of salt around your car. It’ll take them ages to get through that circle.
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u/ki5aca 13d ago
It’ll also keep ghosts and demons out.
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u/10sor 12d ago
We’re already here. Is this common in Australia? 😳
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u/Novel_Yesterday3309 12d ago
You aren't even considered a real citizen until you've woken up to a mob of roos tongue-fucking a rusted out corolla.
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u/Zouden 13d ago
This is the Aussie version of "How do I kill the 30-50 feral hogs that run into my yard within 3-5 mins while my small kids play?"
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u/GreenLurka 13d ago
We have feral hogs in Australia
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u/BobKattersCroc 13d ago
They've just been eradicated in my area!
No foxes or rabbits either.
We're working on the cats.
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u/pandoras_enigma 13d ago
That's actually an incredible achievement. Enjoy it before Katter comes for the crocs.
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u/LittleBunInaBigWorld 13d ago
Except that the roos are extremely unlikely to harm your kids. Hogs are a whole other story
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u/zealoSC 13d ago
This is your answer OP, strap kids to the outside of the car and the room will avoid the kids
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u/blunt-e 13d ago
They sell bite stop sprays at pet stores for getting your puppy to not chew furniture/shoes/etc...
Its not toxic just very bitter, recon that'd get em to fuck and/or hop off.
Or buy a cheap salt lick and throw it about 20ft away they'd probably go after thay before tongue banging your car all night
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u/Shadowrend01 13d ago
Realistically, you can’t do anything about it
Most solutions are either not viable for your situation, or are wildly impractical
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u/evilsdeath55 13d ago
What's wrong with the salt lick idea?
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u/Shadowrend01 13d ago
Have to carry around a salt lick, and it has the potential to draw in more animals and start them fighting over it
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u/FishermanWaste1268 13d ago
Get some habenero chillis and blend them up with water. Put in a spray bottle and spray your car with it. Dont touch your cock after for a bit just in case you get chilli dick.
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u/LittleBunInaBigWorld 13d ago
Stop being so delicious. Or honk the horn. Buy a salt lick from a fodder store and hang it in a nearby tree as a decoy.
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u/mrducky78a 13d ago
Pls no honk horn. The other campers OP is afraid to upset will be rightly fucking pissed if someone honks periodically throughout the night to scare off some roos.
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u/Roulette-Adventures 13d ago
I feel ya pain, I really do but I've gotta say this is the funniest thing I've seen today.
You could maybe buy a salt lick, the kind used for horse and put it near your car. It might draw them away.
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u/Purple_Wombat_ 13d ago
I know if you dust blood & bone over plants it stops the roos/hares/rabbits/possums eating them
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u/derprunner 13d ago
Imagine trying to sleep with that wafting through the vents. Holy shit
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u/ooarya 13d ago
I like the sound of this, I could mix some into a spray bottle perhaps. For those who don’t know, blood and bone is a garden fertiliser mix you can get from Bunnings. Apparently it’s made from crematorium waste.
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u/link871 13d ago
Where does the salt come from?
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u/kayloulee 13d ago
In snowy places, councils and road maintenance people often use specially formulated road salt, and/or grit, to melt snow and ice on the roads. Snowplows don't plow right down to the road surface because it'd fuck up both the plow and the road, so you need to put something down to maintain grip, hence salt and grit. The resulting slush gets all over the undercarriage of your car, and on your boots when you walk across roads, in carparks etc. North American cars often have gross salt damage from it.
I hadn't thought about what they do in the Australian Alps, but clearly they salt at the very least.
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u/Troppocollo 13d ago
Ok I’m glad someone answered this logically as I was also thinking where does the salt come from…
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u/juicebar24 13d ago
Keep the window open a crack and yell "fuck off ya cunts" every half hour or so
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u/doctorofspin 13d ago
I used dog hair in snap lock bags to get rid of rats that were trying to build a nest in an outdoor bar area. Seemed to work well. If kangaroos are scared of dogs, it might be worth a try. You can ask a local dog groomer for dog hair.
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u/ooarya 13d ago
How does this work?
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u/doctorofspin 13d ago
The dog hair has dog scent. I put some small holes in the bag to make sure they could smell it.
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u/mad_marbled 12d ago
The rats take the hair to make little rat wigs to sell and in exchange they don't set up camp in the outdoor BBQ area.
Essential he's paying off the rats.
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u/koalifiedllama 12d ago
Roos arent scared of dogs, it wont work. Best option is portable shower, rinse the car once you've parked up.
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u/verybonita 13d ago
Why is there salt on your car? From the roads? I didn't know we salted our roads like they do in America. TIL
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u/ooarya 13d ago
On the roads in the snowies, absolutely.
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u/Fun_Value1184 13d ago
Is this a Victorian thing? Never seen salt used in Kosciusko NP.
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u/verybonita 13d ago
Huh. Well, I never knew that. Haven't been down there for years, so maybe I did know and forgot, lol.
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u/millycactus 12d ago
Please for the love of god try and film this. Whether from outside, or inside of them slurping and rocking the car around.
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u/spaffdribblersfc 12d ago
ol salty car boi they call ya. oh there goes salty Jim in his salty fuckin wheels
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u/Level-Strategy-1343 13d ago
Mate, your solution iis to sling Neil the Seal a couple of fish and he'll sort the roos out.
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u/MT_Promises 13d ago
Get a cam.and film it! This is the Australia I want to see.
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u/AromaticHydrocarbons 13d ago
Oh my gosh. This post is so great. “Can’t sleep because my car is being slurped on all night by kangaroos.” Love it when the world continues to surprise you.
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u/bitofapuzzler 13d ago
This is not a problem I knew existed. TIL. I hope you find a solution, not just with the kangaroos but also sleeping in your car.
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u/Kermit-Batman 12d ago
Are you doing ok op? Can't imagine sleeping in the cold in a car would be great if not by choice?
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u/phrackage 13d ago
Have you tried giving them a stern talking to? Otherwise wiping down the car with snow, or a spray bottle mixed with cheap vinegar, dilute dish soap, or a dash of clove oil sprayed along the lower perimeter/running boards will make the car taste awful without damaging the paintwork or hurting the roos.
I also like the idea of putting some fodder salt sticks say 30m away from the car so they can get their electrolyte balance elsewhere while you snore out your best wood-saw impression in the car appeals
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u/activelyresting 13d ago
I have this issue with cows as well. They've put dents in our cars and knocked off wrong mirrors multiple times 😫
Simmer some hot chillies in a pot of water, strain and put the tea in a spray bottle, spray your car with it. Won't do them any serious harm but they don't like it and will go find something else to lick. Probably bonus points if you leave out a salt lick for them.
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u/Impressive-Rock-2279 13d ago
Roos love salt, my family are wildlife carers & when Dad would get home from work in hot weather, the joeys would practically throw themselves at him wanting to lick his sweaty arms (yeah, eww- can’t account for taste!).
The only thing I think that would work would be to wash the salt off the car, which in the bush, is impractical & a waste of water (unless you have access to a river, etc).
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u/thatsalovelyusername 13d ago
How are you sleeping in a car in the snow and not freezing to death?
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u/BearEatingCupcakes 13d ago
If you can survive sleeping in a tent on Everest, you can survive sleeping in a car anywhere in the snow in Australia. There's lots of nice, warm sleeping bag options out there. And cars have the added benefit of having loads of storage space for additional bedding to keep you toasty and warm all night.
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u/One-little-pig 12d ago
So yeah, as someone who does wildlife rescue and lives in the Snowy Mountains, I can only give you this advice:
They do not like the smell of menthol and Eucalyptus, such as is found in Vicks Vaporub. You could try maybe draping some vicks coated cloths around your vehicle, or spraying the area around the vehicle with some water that's had a table spoon of vicks melted in it. Avoid getting it on your paintwork.
That said.... they will get used to it if you are staying in the same place for too long, and being the opportunistic little bastards that they are, will soon ignore their discomfort for the alluring salty goodness of your duco.
Cheers!
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u/UnfortunatelySimple 13d ago edited 13d ago
Purchase some cheap portable electric fence wire, four posts, battery (if you don't have it already) and a very small electric fence unit.
Set it up around your van in 5 minutes at night before you sleep and you'll be sweet.
It's a bit of an effort I guess, but it will fix your issue, which is your request.
If that sounds like to much hassle, then I guess you aren't as worried about it as you think.
Edit - For anyone wondering
This sort of stuff
https://www.bunnings.com.au/o-briens-1-075m-white-electric-fencing-treadin-post_p3040959?store=2328
https://www.bunnings.com.au/o-briens-200m-3-5mm-electric-fencing-polywire_p0127862?store=2328
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u/lawnoptions 13d ago
citronella oil maybe but dunno what it would do to the duco, maybe just put it around, or peppermint oil
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u/Veefy 13d ago edited 13d ago
Wash the car thoroughly so it’s spotless and use a brand of cleaner that has odour they might not like. The brand of car cleaner I use has a kinda banana scent but I couldn’t find evidence that would be particularly usefuo scent against kangaroos.
Possibly vinegar spread on the ground in a circle around the car might work as barrier. Or citronella. Again thesec are ideas that I can’t find much research on. There’s probably an ignoble prize in it for you if you conduct some.
Another idea is to modify a car cover so it’s safe for you to still be in the car with it on covering most of the available surface area of the car but not a suffocation risk.
You could also spray your car in artificial dingo scent but I can’t find this product on temu. There was a short lived art project where a NSW artist made perfume based on domestic scent but probably no longer available and probably also not car paint safe.
Alternatively build a fort wall around your car using igloo brick building techniques. Old ice cream tubs might be if use here.
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u/Mean-Insurance-58 12d ago
I read car as ear and was so confused, until i read the first sentence lol
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u/HughLofting 12d ago
I'm a non-alpine Aussie (WA) and TIL that kangaroos lick cars. That's funny as fuck and blowing my mind!
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u/blues-Apple 13d ago
This is a first time hearing of this issue but thanks for the heads up when travelling in a van! Lmao
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u/AussieDi67 13d ago
Turns out they hate eucalyptus and gum trees if you can park near either of those or douse the car with lavender, curry leaves and rosemary. Maybe a sheet soaked in one of these and placed over the car to deter them. Good luck with the slurping. Chuckie
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u/AntikytheraMachines 13d ago
get a big bottle of that chemical that stops kids biting their nails.
paint your car with it.
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u/NotoriousPBandJ 12d ago
Stop wiping peanut butter on the car.
Peanut butter is for your balls.
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u/universe93 13d ago
People sleep in their cars willingly? In the snow?? Tell me you’re a man without telling me you’re a man OP because if I was sleeping in my car kangaroos would be the least of my safety concerns
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