....of Mice and Men

[ichthos]

I haven't seen this subject on the forum before, and I need help. I live out in the country, and I have a huge problem with mice. If I leave any of my vehicles parked for any period of time, mice get in, shred whatever they can, and build nests. With the fall weather setting in quickly around here, my car will soon be in my Costco tent carport. Obviously I can not keep a cat in this enclosure, and having an outside cat is not an option because my dogs would kill a cat instantl. Besides setting and checking traps continually, does anyone have any ideas on keeping them out of my TR6? I put a lot of time into restoring the interior, and I am not excited at the prospect of holes being chewed through it.
Kevin

 

[Geo Hahn]

I have to protect aginast rodents too, mostly chipmunks but potentially very destructive nonetheless.

On advice from others I use bars of Irish Spring soap. I have some where I've openned the box, punched a buch of holes in it, then reglued the bar into the box. Also have a couple of bars in net bags for hanging in the engine compartment.

Just to be double-darn sure I also use one of those ultrasonic rodent repellers plugged into an extension cord. I've heard that those do not work but the bottom line is between the 2 methods I seem to repel all rodents (and leave the car with a 'nice manly scent'.

 

[apbos]

This won't work? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.giftraps

 

[jerrybny]

I've heard moth balls weill keep them away.

 

[kodanja]

[ QUOTE ]
I've heard moth balls weill keep them away.

[/ QUOTE ]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/england.gif LOTS! Around the car in the garage were its being stored. But not in the car cause it will smell like your grandma's house! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/england.gif

 

[Harry_Ward]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/iagree.gif

Having left my car outside over and under a plastic tarp for almost a year the only thing that kept them critters away was moth balls and lots of them.

 

[R6MGS]

My parents live on a larger protery(for being in the city) and since I store most of my cars in their large garage I load the yard and garage up with 'warfin' rat poison....and moth balls.....Never had any in the cars at all. With that being said don't give them easy points of entry...If you've got n MG or something else with a rear position battery and a batter box cover make sure it's secured down, all windows(side curtains)are on and closed and any other easy entry points are blocked off.

 

[MichaelG]

Ditto on the moth balls. They work. Inside the car, boot and engine bay.....put them in a cardboard box lid,not on carpet, etc. Get the ones with a cedar scent...the odor fades quickly in the spring

 

[Tomster]

Agree with the Warfarin per R6MGS
Depending on the age of the mouse, they can squeese thru a hole from the diameter of a stnd. wooden pencil to the diameter of a dime! Plugging holes is rather pointless as you will never find all of them.

 

[Deleted member 3577]

Maybe a burger & fries would work........

https://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2228796688476060493&q=angry+cat&hl=en

(Thanks to Baz for posting it in the humor section)

Call it biological warfare (Felis De-Mouseticus)

 

[vettedog72]

If he had that cat I don't think he would have to worry about the dogs even much less about the mice.

 

[DNK]

Kevin- I read somewhere that dryer sheets work too. Did you figure out a solution to your top question?
Don

 

[bobh]

Get a cat. Keep the cat outside so it learns to hunt. Bring it in as needed. When I see evidence of a mouse in my garage I put the cat in there. One cat we had several years ago would catch any mouse in the garage within 15 minutes. Too bad one of the neighbors ran over him.

 

[wifegonnakillme]

Well, i think i have a really big mouse to deal with... I'm having cooling problems (think i need the rad rodded) so i had a non-stock capillar temp gauge sitting between the seats to monitor engine temperature - this morning I found the gauge in a raised garden bed - can't for the life of me figure out how it got there - it had been ripped out and was half buried in the bed next to the car...only thing I can figure is that I must have pulled it out accidentally somehow and then something was playing with it - or thought it was a really big nut...
Cheers,
Kerry /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/canpatriot.GIF

 

[ichthos]

Thanks for the suggestions. As far as having an outside cat around here, it doesn't work as there are many preditors that would eat the cat (cougar, coyote, bobcat,...) Outside cats don't last more than a year here. My dogs keep most varments away (I have many koi that have to be protected). Unfortunately, one of my dogs will kill any animal that enters my property; he especailly hates cats. I am hoping some day to get a pole shed. At least then I could keep a cat enclosed to have some impact on the mice. I have never had a perfect solution using preditors to control populations completely - all it takes is one mouse to start shredding my interior. I will use the "manly" soap for the interior, and the moth balls for the engine compartment. I'll let you know how it works out.

Don, I finally sold some stuff on Ebay and bought a top on sale from TRF. Haven't had time to put on the top yet, but I have been fairly lucky with the weather so far. Thanks for the offer on the top though. Did you end up getting a second car at the show?

Kevin