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SAAC Forum => SAAC Forum Discussion Area => Topic started by: SFM6S087 on August 30, 2020, 09:38:55 AM

Title: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: SFM6S087 on August 30, 2020, 09:38:55 AM
There’s a mouse in the house and I want to keep it out of my Shelby. I think this has been discussed, but I searched and can’t find that topic. Maybe it was on forum 1.0? Any advice appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: pchmotoho on August 30, 2020, 09:50:56 AM
I use mothballs and dryer sheets.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: JD on August 30, 2020, 10:04:54 AM
dryer sheets and Irish Spring soap, open the boxes and place them in the car and trunk has worked well for me.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: CSX 4133 on August 30, 2020, 10:05:36 AM
Well there are exterminators, but truthfully you can do as much yourself. First search your residence inside for any gaps that a mouse can get through (think small, if a mouse can get it's head through it can get inside) and seal those up. Steel wool packed into the crevice and sealed with caulk works well.  Check underneath all your cabinets, plumbers are notorious for leaving 1/2" to 3/4" gaps around plumbing fixtures, seal those up, the same goes for any piping going through walls such as gas, electrical, etc.
The tried and true mouse traps will work if they haven't any other food source available, don't leave pet food dishes out overnight. If you don't want to use them, try disposable mouse bait stations which make disposal easy and worry free. The same preventative measures work on the garage as well. Seal any gaps (garage doors, pedestrian doors, inside plumbing,etc) and then set out your traps of choice. FYI, there are outside mouse and rat bait stations that are childproof that work really well as outside remedies before they get inside too.
Some will tell you moth balls will work, and others tell you placing drier sheets in your car and around it works. These don't work, sealing problem areas and either traps or bait stations inside and out work year round.

Here's a link to just one source for bait and traps.

https://www.tomcatbrand.com/en-us/library/using-baits/using-bait-station

If all else fails, get a cat!  Lol!   :)
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: Rickmustang on August 30, 2020, 10:31:34 AM
Glue trap. No chemicals and they don’t die and smell. I just drown them in the trap in a bucket of water.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: vtgt500 on August 30, 2020, 11:48:22 AM
Serious problem in my area.  Especially living on a rural, dirt road.  Tried every known remedy.  Only 100% effective solution is a Car Jacket storage bag. 
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: trotrof1 on August 30, 2020, 11:54:29 AM
I like the Tom Cat snap traps. Bait with some peanut butter and place somewhere like behind a water heater. Dont worry they will find it. Deadly and reusable.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: CharlesTurner on August 30, 2020, 12:01:04 PM
Glue trap. No chemicals and they don’t die and smell. I just drown them in the trap in a bucket of water.

Glue traps aren't the most humane, but I've found them most effective.  So, +1 on this solution...
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: papa scoops on August 30, 2020, 12:36:26 PM
.22 auto. glue traps also work, but don't tell your truck driver buddys "don't touch them" because they will...phred
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: kjspeed on August 30, 2020, 03:04:26 PM
Feral cat. And don't feed it.

If you don't want to do that, snap traps baited with peanut butter work pretty well as others have said.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: 69mach351w on August 30, 2020, 03:07:05 PM
.22 auto. glue traps also work, but don't tell your truck driver buddys "don't touch them" because they will...phred
Nevermind Honey, I'll cover the holes with spackling ::)
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: 557 on August 30, 2020, 03:58:32 PM
Pet snake.....preferably a cobra 8)
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: prototypefan on August 30, 2020, 05:17:21 PM
I catch at least 50 a year

Good old mouse trap

I only use fruit snacks, let them dry out a bit and crimp them in the trap. I've used the same fruit snack for 5 years, they work like a charm and never get licked off without setting the traps.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: CSX 4133 on August 30, 2020, 05:59:52 PM
Pet snake.....preferably a cobra 8)

I have a couple of rat snakes that live near my garage area. I leave them alone and let them do their job. I think they eat well, given their size of approx. six foot.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: Jimbc123 on August 30, 2020, 06:24:22 PM
I had a mouse in the house we could not catch. I tried an electronic device that plugs into an outlet. That night the rodent committed suicide trying to get get out of the house via a toilet. Surprised me first thing in the morning but I never had a mouse problem after using that repellent.

Jim   
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: Side-Oilers on August 30, 2020, 06:28:42 PM
Had a giant rat snake fall out of the rafters onto my head once at my Texas ranch.   That's a definition of "surprise."

In my experience, the glue traps are the most effective.  They've also caught lizards, small snakes, scorpions, spiders, worms, a rat, and a ton of crawling bugs trying to get into my garage over the years. 

The mice in my area (SoCal hills) chewed on the Irish Spring bars and made their comfy nests with dryer sheets.  "More, please."

The electronic devices did not work on them either.  (Possibly a different type of mouse than others have.)
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: ChicagoChris on August 30, 2020, 09:36:51 PM
Dryer sheets do not work in my area-spring traps with peanut butter bait and the green blocks of poison are best.
I've got chipmunks as well as mice so I'll try the clue traps
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: 98SVT - was 06GT on August 30, 2020, 11:34:35 PM
Use bronze wool not steel - that rusts when it rains and leaves streaks when it runs down the wall. Tape the glue trap down so the critter doesn't drag it off. The old DeCon stuff worked great - the new not so good. I think mice like wires with current. The don't seem to bother the wiring if the battery is disconnected.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: Grumpy on August 31, 2020, 04:53:00 AM
pepper.. been using it for years with the cars in a barn.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: shelbydoug on August 31, 2020, 06:56:33 AM
Well I must have the Einsteins of mice here? They don't like peanut butter, cheese, run around the glue traps and seven cats have been ineffective against them.

Using an AR15 is a little over the top. They are too fast for a stun gun.

Allstate is right. Mayhem is alive and well out there...and in here.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: propayne on August 31, 2020, 07:53:32 AM
I've found putting a portion of a caramel cube in a snap trap is more effective than peanut butter.

Very sticky, so the mice really need to work at getting it, setting off the trap.

Also, mice run along the edges of walls, using their whiskers to feel their way, so place the traps with the bait side up against a wall where you think they are active.

- Phillip
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: JohnHouston on August 31, 2020, 12:20:00 PM
The electronic chasers ran the squirrels in the attic off.  For the garage, my little black cat (he prefers "panther") accompanies me.  It is easy to lose him, though, as his favorite place to sleep is in the black/black/black Tiger. . . .

John
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: KR Convertible on August 31, 2020, 12:24:44 PM
You may want to put a couple of glue traps in the car in case one does get in.  My mom had one in her car.  It kept chewing up the tissues she kept in her cup holder.  I got right on that project before the mouse started chewing wires.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: mk31755 on August 31, 2020, 03:33:44 PM
I gave up years ago trying home remedies.  I live out in the county and the mice run rampant. ( In the city they have rats.)  I put all my cars in bubbles.  I haven't had a problem with mice since I started using bubbles. My wife has  a 97' Z3.  Ever since the mice got in the trunk, nested and ate the wiring , I surrendered. The repairs were very costly.  Thank the lord it was not my Shelby. Car bubbles have been my answer to the mice problem.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: FL SAAC on August 31, 2020, 04:26:55 PM
Peppermint oil, cayenne pepper, pepper and cloves.

Mice are said to hate the smell of these. Lightly soak some cotton balls in oils from one or more of these foods and leave the cotton balls in places where you've had problems with mice

If you have a friend who is an exterminator, gas them. This should be the end.

But if all that fails, a nice old fashioned (my favorite) barbaric swing trap with the smelliest cheese doused with peanut butter will certainly neutralize your little friends
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: Don Johnston on August 31, 2020, 05:03:17 PM
They have lots of cats available at your local animal shelter.   8)
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: GT350DAVE on August 31, 2020, 05:21:33 PM
I live in a heavily wooded area and have had mouse problems every winter in a barn on our property. I've tried ultrasonics drier sheets, irish spring soap, peppermint oil, mothballs, poison blocks and just about everything else you can think of. Mouse traps catch some of them (more than a dozen a year) but others seem to ignore the traps. Moth balls work in a small area like under a hood.
We have had extensive damage done to our every day vehicles, including having to replace part of the wiring harness in my F150.
The idea is to prevent mice from ever getting in the building to begin with.
This summer I bit the bullet and hired a company that seals buildings. They showed up with metal forming equipment and covered every possible area with aluminum flashing. I have been all around the building with a light and it appears to be sealed. This winter will tell.
Dave
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: Bob Gaines on August 31, 2020, 07:12:04 PM
As has been mentioned use the car jacket car zip up bag .I used to have to store vehicles in a shed and while there were plenty of mice none got into the bag.  It is a nuisance on a frequently driven car to unzip it and drive out of the bag every time but for weeks at a time storage like in the winter it is hard to beat the piece of mind that it gives knowing the car is safe from rodents.   
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: KR Convertible on August 31, 2020, 07:42:47 PM
All you need is a mote and draw bridge.   ;D
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: Greg on August 31, 2020, 08:35:33 PM
A cat is really a great deterrent.  They will take care of mice, muskrats, squirrels etc...
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: TOBKOB on August 31, 2020, 09:39:01 PM
I've never tried this but I have seen several versions of this trap. It looks like it would work pretty well... ;)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYCqWSz6lNg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SIlYiiCGLI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJc89N9ECNw

TOB
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: Steve Z on August 31, 2020, 10:08:33 PM
   Interesting Topic. We moved to an old farm house that was where I grew up at. My wife was from the City and had never had a mouse problem.
      Our first year there in the fall the critters came in , but they were not Mice? We set some traps in the old Farmhouse return air ducts. She was excited to see what would happen. The first night the traps go off and we run to see what we caught? We shine the light in the register , only to see a Rat eating cheese on the trap. He picks the trap up and heads back into the ductwork.
    My wife says , What the hell was that? My Response was "Field Mice left unattended grow rather Large" . She didn't buy that.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: trotrof1 on August 31, 2020, 10:37:43 PM
How about a air rifle with night scope. No reason why this cant be fun. I have picked off a few mice with a 1966 Crosman M1. Effective  but only close range accuracy.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: SFM6S087 on September 02, 2020, 10:51:51 AM
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this topic. Lots of great ideas. I’ll start with the least drastic and keep going till something works.

Steve
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: GT350DAVE on December 27, 2021, 02:50:45 PM
I live in a heavily wooded area and have had mouse problems every winter in a barn on our property. I've tried ultrasonics drier sheets, irish spring soap, peppermint oil, mothballs, poison blocks and just about everything else you can think of. Mouse traps catch some of them (more than a dozen a year) but others seem to ignore the traps. Moth balls work in a small area like under a hood.
We have had extensive damage done to our every day vehicles, including having to replace part of the wiring harness in my F150.
The idea is to prevent mice from ever getting in the building to begin with.
This summer I bit the bullet and hired a company that seals buildings. They showed up with metal forming equipment and covered every possible area with aluminum flashing. I have been all around the building with a light and it appears to be sealed. This winter will tell.
Dave
This is an old topic but a good one and meant to report back on having The building professionally sealed. It worked. Last winter, I had no mice in that building. The building has 4 overhead doors. One of the things the sealing people did was bent metal flashing strips in the lower corners of the overhead doors. These strips go up from the ground about 6 inches and bridge the intersection of the door and the outside door trim. Previous years I had found the rubber door seals in that intersection chewed. I believe these pieces stopped the bulk of mice traffic.
Dave
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: Tired Sheep on December 27, 2021, 02:56:18 PM
Can you do a photo
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: Bob Gaines on December 27, 2021, 10:23:12 PM
I used a "car jacket" car storage bag successfully for many seasons before getting a large indoor mouse free storage . No mice could get in the zip up bag. I don't know if that company is still in business but there seems to be a lot of similar alternatives .  https://www.carcoverusa.com/rhino-shelters-car-pocket-motorcycle-pocket.php
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: honker on December 27, 2021, 10:32:14 PM
not mice, but in relation to the reply #31 by Steve Z, I had red squirrels in my attic, which they were using for storing their

walnuts, I set one of those tender traps, like a cage with a door,  trying to be humane  ;)  the trap would go off, I'd go up for a

 look, the bait was gone, door was closed, no squirrel !  he'd be up in the tree laughing at me, smart buggers !
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: GT350DAVE on December 28, 2021, 09:26:07 AM
Can you do a photo
Photo:
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: Bob Gaines on December 28, 2021, 10:33:43 AM
Can you do a photo
Photo:
That makes sense now .What a smart trick. Looks like it would not be hard to make. I need to get busy. Thanks.
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: JD on December 28, 2021, 10:35:03 AM
Thanks, I'm-a get-me-sum-a-doos!
Title: Re: Mice Advice, Please
Post by: Copescobra on December 28, 2021, 01:50:04 PM
There is a car cover that has a sand weighted bottom that forms a seal on the ground.  The website is
getcoverseal.com.  I have used them along with the car bubble and both seem to work.  Nothing in my opinion can beat
the bubble but these car covers weigh about 30 lbs and have done a great job on 4 of my cars.
Hope this is helpful.