Damn mice!

Friendchicken

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Apr 9, 2002
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Little bastards decided to make a home on top of my engine right where the injector wires are on the side of the eaton. The vermin chewed halfway through one of my injector wires and clip.... and get this... they made their bed using my battery warmer! Half my batter warmer is crammed under the fuel rail :gt:

Has anyone found a way to kill these things without poisoning every outdoor pet that comes around?
 

ADR

Greased Lightning
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Drive that thing once in a while, that should stop it. :-D
 

mswaim

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I recently had a similar experience. I live on a lake community where construction has begun on a second phase. The area being developed has been open land for quite a few years adjacent to the lake, harboring all kinds of critters.

Needless to say as they began work on leveling the lots, our pest problems escalated. In the last month I've trapped 6 rats and 10 field mice in my garage, something we had never experienced before.

My car sits most of the week in the garage since I have a Company vehicle to beat on all week. Last weekend when I went out to start the car I decided to push it out of the garage instead and wash it before starting it. After moving it, I noted a pile of rubber material under the engine area.

A rat/rats had gotten up into the engine compartment and chewed all of the foam insulation off of the air conditioner lines, completely destroyed and removed the heat shield insulation surrounding the wires that run along the firewall behind the motor, and chewed through the main harness at the point where it turns towards the motor on the drivers side. I also found severl chew points on the injector harness as well as the shielding on several of the vacuum lines.

I found three wires on the main harness completely chewed through, and a half-dozen more in various stages of damage. My insurance will cover it, and my agent was nice enough to allow me to fix it if I so desired, or I could take it in. I already know they will not repair the harness they would want to replace it, so I felt I'd rather repair it myself. The foam and heat shield were easy, the harness required a bit if work but it's back together with no after-effects.

My agent told me to keep an eye on it and if I found additional damage or felt I wanted to have the harness replaced he would still cover it, no problem.

Overall, a real PITA experience.
 

Friendchicken

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Thanks mswaim. There are houses being built arount here, but I also heard the infestation is not new. I have to repair my injector harness and I think it will be ok. I'll check the rest of the engine bay tonight.

harry gilbert, we used to have outdoor cats here, but the coyotes have taken care of that.

I'll try to park away from the mice highway (back my car into my stall instead of drive front end in). I think the heat from the engine attracted them in the first place. I hope they try to make a home in my tailpipe now... maybe I should paint a bullseye on the wall behind me and see how many points I get.
 

oldmodman

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Cats work.
I live in Los Angeles but we still have mice and rats even in the suburbs. I own the last two houses on my street, everything else is apartments. When people move out and abandon their cats they always seem to find the sucker! Me!
I've got five semi feral cats living out in my backyards and they kill about two mice a week. They get them before they get into the garage. Last week they even got a snake!
 

Cobra835

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I have in the past had similar issues with car storage. Moustraps work very well (the spring kind), and what I do is screw them down onto a larger board to prevent the trap from being dragged away by a animal trying to eat the mouse. Bait the trap with licorice, as it doesn't crumble and fall off the trap; mice can't resist the sweets. Also try sprinkling cayenne or black pepper on the floor and under the hood. They don't like when that stuff gets in their eyes and nose.
 

ADR

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See my problem is my cat, when ever I come back from a drive in the evening my cat likes to get on my hood and snuggle right down into the vents, and the next day there's cat hair all in my hood vents and cat foot prints on my hood :nonono:
 

cito

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Sticky traps work well.

Peanut butter is a good bait.

I recommend deep fried in an egg batter with crunched up saltines. Mice taste kinda like chicken.....
 

SnoracerX

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moth balls work wonders i live in the midwest lots of mice and long storage periods throughout the winter they hate the moth balls after storage it takes two or three days to air out the smell but i would rather it smell then be junk

also for all moth ball users place them in a dish of plastic so you dont hurt your carpet or impregnate the smell into the carpet trust me from experience

dont you metal tray the ammonia like to eat it and put stains on the carpet

i have also heard dryer sheets work but can neither confirm nor deny this remedy wut i would love to know they smell better
 

mswaim

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Alot of good suggestions, I've tried and like the sticky traps (rat size ones) baited with peanut butter/peanuts. They seem to love them and can't resist getting into the sticky stuff. I also nail them down to keep them from wandering off.

I tried the electronic devices but even the manufacturers tell you that effect is temporary, and the mice/rats will come back.

My pellet gun and piles of peanuts on the patio work really well too. You just have to watch how much beer you drink in between shots.....................

Good luck 98kobra.

BTW - hard to have cats here, my dog thinks they are part of nature's food chain.
 
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