Your hybrid approach makes a lot of sense—I've done something similar myself. My house is pretty old, so keypad locks felt a bit out of place at first. Eventually, convenience won me over, but I still trust mechanical locks more. Funny enough, my hidden spare key ended up being discovered by squirrels who thought the container was a snack... Has anyone else had wildlife sabotage their backup plans?
Your squirrel story made me laugh—I had a similar run-in, but mine involved raccoons. A few years back, I thought I was being clever by hiding my spare key in a small flowerpot near the back porch. It seemed like the perfect spot, totally inconspicuous. Well, apparently raccoons disagree. One night, they knocked the pot over while rummaging around for grubs or something, and the key vanished into thin air. Took me forever to realize what happened—spent days convinced someone had stolen it until I found it half-buried in the dirt nearby.
Honestly, wildlife can be surprisingly resourceful when it comes to messing up our carefully laid plans. After that incident, I switched to a combination lockbox mounted on the wall. It felt less charming at first, but at least it's raccoon-proof (so far). Still, I get your hesitation about keypad locks on older homes. My place is vintage too, and modern tech sometimes clashes with the aesthetic. I've found that certain brands offer more subdued designs that blend better with classic architecture—might be worth looking into if you ever reconsider.
I'm curious though—has anyone tried those fake rocks or garden ornaments designed specifically for key storage? They always seemed a bit obvious to me, but maybe animals wouldn't bother with them as much...?
Your raccoon story cracked me up because I had a similar experience, but with crows. I tried one of those fake-rock things once, thinking it was a genius move. Turns out crows are smarter than we give them credit for—one morning I caught one pecking at the rock, flipping it over repeatedly until the key fell out. Pretty sure he was plotting a home invasion... Anyway, lockboxes have been my go-to ever since. Wildlife definitely keeps us on our toes.
Your crow story made me laugh because it reminded me of my own run-in with squirrels. Ever tried hiding a spare key in a flowerpot? Thought I was being clever burying it under some decorative stones, but nope—came home one day to find a squirrel enthusiastically digging through the pot, scattering dirt everywhere. Pretty sure he thought he'd found buried treasure or something. After that, I switched to a lockbox too. Has anyone else noticed how wildlife seems weirdly determined to outsmart us? Makes me wonder if they're secretly watching and plotting their next move... Anyway, lockboxes definitely seem like the safest bet. Have you had any trouble with yours, or has it been smooth sailing since you switched?
Lockbox has been pretty reliable for me, honestly. Had one freeze shut once in winter, though—wasn't fun standing outside with a hairdryer trying to thaw it out. Anyone else had weather-related lockbox fails?
