Mice, how to?

[David Paul]

I searched but didn’t find a past thread on this topic even though I thought there was one. How do I keep mice out of a semi daily driver? The car is new with 2000 mikes on it. I found evidence of mice in the engine compartment. Seeds and nesting material in the oil fill recess. Car is garaged, driven twice a week or so.
I’ve seen the electronic modules that are supposed to keep them away, but do they really work? Of course I can set traps which I will do. I’ve read about the sents you can use, etc, and how the new wire covering attractes mice.
Turning to the GJ crowd for what works. Thanks.....

 

[Lucid Moments]

Get a cat. Nothing works better than the presence of a predator. I like cats, but a good terrier will work well also if you are a dog guy.

 

[ransil]

I use the green blocks in 1 1/4 pvc around house and garage and rat zappers inside when needed. Rat zappers outside for chipmonks when i see them.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

[CJM8515]

Mothballs in a pantyhose or sock tied somewhere where they dont get damaged by the engine.

 

[Tinkerman66]

House, 30x48 garage, 7.5 acres, TWO CATS, no mice.

 

[seang81]

I don't think those electronic sound boxes do anything.

I caught some using the "5 gallon bucket trap"...search google or youtube if you haven't heard of it.

Last winter i spotted a few in my garage. I wasn't out there that much because of the cold. This winter i've been in the garage more with the radio on and haven't seen evidence of them.

 

[Stuart in MN]

You need to figure out how to keep them out of the garage, and then they won't get in the car.


People always suggest mothballs, Irish Spring soap, or Bounce dryer sheets...mothballs may have worked decades ago but they're made of a different chemical compound nowadays, and I've seen them eat soap and make nests out of dryer sheets.

 

[Richard Cranium]

My Sister had 2 cats and still had a mouse problem.

 

[Bretny]

Cats **** and some dont catch mice.

Put a plain old snap trap on the valve cover. You will get that sob.

 

[b-boy]

It's impossible to completely get rid of them. All you can do is put out traps and seal any holes that they can use for access. Make sure there's nothing for them to eat in the area as well. They can get through any opening that that their head fits through. They can climb straight up a wall better than a squirrel.

Several times I've started my tractor and had a mouse, followed by a bunch of bedding material, shoot out of the tailpipe. One time they built a nest on my engine. I didn't notice until it started burning.

 

[c39er]

I use traps for a couple weeks... each of the 2 cycles they seem to bother my truck.
I set two of them on the head... catch maybe four of them and that's it until about six moths later and I have to do it again.
Traps and watching them everyday lets you know if they are still active too.
I clean the urine markins and droppings afterwards too.
Stinky!

 

[bochnak]

Check out Shawn Woods on U-Tube - he's the expert (I think that he has even eaten some.)

Yup, just made a rolling log trap for the shed. Caught 3 in 2 days. Didn't even add more bait.

 

[rburke65]

Please don’t get a cat just to catch your mice. Get a cat because you want one. Traps...I like using raisins as a bait. They are “gummy” and mice have to work getting it off the trigger.

 

[Tinkerman66]

My Sister had 2 cats and still had a mouse problem.

Lazy cats

 

[Tinkerman66]

Cats **** and some dont catch mice.

I've had 20 years of proof otherwise. Never had one in the house or garage. They love to bring the dead bodies to the back sidewalk to show their worthiness.

 

[Bruce Amacker]

1. Remove their food and shelter- using plenty of vegetation killer around my buildings to eliminate all weeds, grass, etc reduced my mouse problem by 90%. (a few years ago they ate 4 complete green blocks in 5 hours!)

2. Put a whole box of moth balls on the floor under the car. If you put them inside the car you can't stand it. Replace moth balls every 3-6 months.

3. Bucket traps- I put 3 traps in 3 buildings and have only caught one mouse in the last month.

 

[David Paul]

Thanks guys, pretty much what I thought. I’ll set traps, including the bucket one. Seal around the areas I can. I know it’s not rocket science but was hoping for some new modern marvel way. I’ll see about some barn cats also. Thanks again.

 

[SpiderDave]

I use the sticky traps, not very nice but neither are the mice. My wife's car wouldn't start one morning. Found the air filter box and fresh air hose completely full of plum seeds form the neighbors tree. LOL! Sounded like I was vacuuming the gravel driveway. (darn chipmunks)

I do build little wood boxes for the traps to go inside of. Mice like that space to investigate. And it keeps the dog or cats from being stuck. You can even put them outside to catch them before they come in - to keep population down. These traps are infallible if a mouse of rat gets on it. Usually they touch one foot and then use the other to pry themselves lose. At that point, it's over. It was very common to have 2 mice in the same trap before I got things under control. They follow each others scent trail and get stuck. Another good point is they don't need resetting between replacement.

As far as Rats go, if they don't get caught in a traditional spring trap, they will associate that bait with the danger and not touch it for a long while. So rotate your bait often, they are smart. But the sticky traps work on them too. Mice are scent oriented rodents too, so I imagine that applies to them as well. One time I caught 4 mice in one night, on one trap. With nothing more than a peanut placed in the middle of it. I buy the ********* ones for rats from hardware store - Lowes or Depot. I had a very serious issue, I don't anymore. I would look around for places to seal up in your building too, if you haven't already. Mice don't have bones as most know it. They can squeeze through holes half the size of a dime without trying. Under door seals and tiny gaps around garage doors are the biggest culprits. Especially when they can push their way through and don't leave chew marks to give it away. Follow the very faint pee stains of mice, and you'll know where they come from. Thats how they mark their paths to find their way to and fro. Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

 

[jd_1138]

Rescue a couple of cats (be sure they are spayed or neutered). They are nice to have around as pets too. Occasional vet checkups are pretty cheap -- way cheaper than new truck wiring.

 

[white91formula]

My father has issues with mice getting into his cars

he zip ties these under the hood and it keeps them out

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KX7CCXS/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[c39er]

I tried a bucket trap and caught mice ... but if you don't dump the water or Antifreeze it stinks....bad...

 

[ford33]

You want to kill them in your home and garage and not scare them away. Spring traps placed along the wall where it is dark and humans don't visit and baited with peanut butter or anything that is sticky. You need about 3 to 6 maybe more traps to be sure you get them all. Once they nest in your garage they multiply quickly so stay ahead of their reproductive cycle by baiting more traps. One female mouse can birth over 100 young in one year.

I have tried moth balls and dryer sheets. They make nests out of that stuff. Doesn't work.

Mice reproduce quickly so you need to be vigilant for a few months with traps. From Google...The gestational period for a litter of mice is approximately 19-21 days and females give birth to a litter of 3-14 babies. One female mouse can have approximately 5-10 litters of young per year, so mice reproduce very quickly. Female mice reach ****** maturity within six weeks of birth and males around eight weeks

 

[nadogail]

I built wooden tunnels, with sticky boards for floors. They caught a few seeking the peanut butter bait.

 

[ddawg16]

You have to find the source of the mice. If you live close to woods....that is one source. If you have trailer trash next door....that is your other source.

They are going to the engine because it's warm.

You would be shocked at just how small of a hole they can go thru....

I would suggest a mice 'hotel' outside...it's one of those black boxes...mice go in...don't come out.

Then a couple more traps in the garage. Put them along the wall and under stuff. Mice walk close to the wall for protection. They don't like being out in the open.

I like the old fashioned wood spring loaded traps. A dab of PB with a small piece of dog food stuck on top.

Chances are you will catch about 3-4 mice....then the activity will stop. It means you got the current batch. Leave the traps out and monitor. Eventually the pattern will repeat...until you fix the source problem.

Cats work well....but only when they are hungry. It's winter there right now....not a good time for cats to work.

 

[B.C.Biker]

Peppermint oil works excellent especially if you put some drops around before the mice get established. The plug in sonic units work for me also. For traps I switched to the black plastic spring traps from a dollar store. The way they are designed you can throw over hand and release the spring and mouse keeps going.

 

[BillK]

Its a big problem with a lot of newer cars because the wire insulation is somehow partly made with Soy oil so they love to chew it. They can really make a mess

As far as cats go we have always had 2 and some of them will go after mice and other things and some of them really don't care. Especially if you feed them anyway. I don't think a garage is a good place for a cat anyway. Like someone else said if you want a cat then get one but not for mousing duties.

Not sure what to tell you as far as traps go but do whatever you can to keep them out of the car.

 

[Beegs]

You have to trap them. No other way.... dryer sheets, peppermint oil etc.. don't work. Shawn Woods youtube channel:

He has hundreds of traps that he has reviewed. Pick your favorite and get after it.

The Jaws trap is one of my favorites.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DLKKYRU/?tag=atomicindus08-20
Easy to bait, easy to remove dead creature and easy to reset. I no longer struggle with mice in my equipment. I tried everything over the last 30 years and trapping is the only way.

 

[truckin-on]

I've found the rat-sized glue traps to be the most effective in my barns and attic. Caught 4 mice on one the other day in the barn. Just toss them in the garbage and replace. They are cheap if you buy them in bulk, and they don't go bad. Just don't step in one, as it's damn near impossible to get the glue off They also do a good job of collecting random insects...

 

[ddawg16]

I've found the rat-sized glue traps to be the most effective in my barns and attic. Caught 4 mice on one the other day in the barn. Just toss them in the garbage and replace. They are cheap if you buy them in bulk, and they don't go bad. Just don't step in one, as it's damn near impossible to get the glue off They also do a good job of collecting random insects...

They work....but I don't like them. I have an issue with seeing a live mouse on it suffering....unable to eat or drink.

If it's going to die, I prefer it to be quick and easy.

 

[csi123]

They work....but I don't like them. I have an issue with seeing a live mouse on it suffering....unable to eat or drink.

If it's going to die, I prefer it to be quick and easy.

You need to check the trap everyday anyway, so they aren't really suffering. It is normal for them to not having anything to eat for a week or two. Just smack them with a shovel before you throw it into the garbage.

 

[rburke65]

I also not a fan of the sticky traps.....spring traps and it’s over immediately!

 

[Samh]

One time, I heard a mouse in the walls, so I went out and bought a spring trap. Baited it with peanut butter, and placed it in the attic. Not even 15 minutes go by, and I hear it pop. Go get it, and dump the dead mouse in a 5 gallon bucket. Set the trap back up there just to see. withing 15 minutes, it goes off again. Repeat said dead mouse disposal procedure. Fast forward a few hours, and now my driveway is starting to look like Mouseshwitz. Ended up getting 17 that day. Found where there were coming from, as they would come up the back porch and try to get in under the shingles. The kitchen window overlooked the back porch, and I would sit there with the window open at night waiting like Lee Harvey Oswald in a book depository window and would pick them off every time they came up.

Got a cat shortly after that, and haven't had a problem since.

 

[My Old Tools]

A good rat snake will also solve your problem. I had a pair of them move into my old shop. They kept the field mice and rats in check and didn't require vet visits or a litter box.

 

[CraigStu]

Traps are the best solution after sealing as much as you can. Whatever you do NO poison. Poison works but they find real hidden places to die and then you have the smell.

 

[Dzlpete]

You haven’t mentioned whether you are parked inside or outside? This is the first question to be answered.
Outside, and it is going to be very difficult- poisons are not the best, because they can eat it and die inside your car! Sticky traps are marginal, and then you have a live animal stuck waiting for some kind of disposal.
Smelly types may work in an enclosed area, but you better like the smell.
Cats are ok, but catching mice is NOT the reason to own one.

Inside, it has been proven to me that bucket traps are far and away the most effective!
No resetting, just check it daily, and dump outside, or flush down the toilet. Done right, NONE escape, and I have caught 6-8 mice in 1 nite!!

I used snap and jaw traps for years before going to the bucket.
You have to be diligent with checking each morning, unless you enjoy that most unpleasant aroma!

 

[Bretny]

I've had 20 years of proof otherwise. Never had one in the house or garage. They love to bring the dead bodies to the back sidewalk to show their worthiness.

How are they going to get in my basement or attic? The cats arnt and thats where all live in my house.

 

[Tinkerman66]

How are they going to get in my basement or attic? The cats arnt and thats where all live in my house.

Kind of like putting up a smoke alarm after a fire then isn't it?
Bought our house new and had cats from day one. No mice in any enclosure unless they brought it in dead.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I installed new man door and garage door bottom weather seals early last spring. Snap traps along the walls and Fresh Cab inside the car is working in my garage. I had a few droppings and one acorn shell inside the project car, but I also had a large opening in the firewall when I had the master cylinder out of the car. I haven't had any signs of mice inside the car since I closed up the firewall and started using Fresh Cab. Last week I did have one mouse in the trap near the man door for the first time since June. Cleaned and reset it and they're all still clear.

Dryer sheets become nesting material. Moth balls are a wive's tale. Electronics are a gimmick. I was given two different brands of electronic pest chasers. One is above the drop ceiling in the basement and the other on top of the cabinets in the garage. It made zero difference in the garage and I always got mice in the basement ceiling traps until last year when I went around on my knees and jammed pest control fabric into every little crevice and hole along my foundation. The basement has been clear ever since. The garage is a lot harder to seal up with the roll up door that doesn't really fit perfectly.

Tommy