Mice!
Nevada Hudson
Senior Contributor
Anyone know how to keep mice out of my cars stored outside? Have mousetraps, in them and have already caught 16 mice in the last six months! Have a cat, but can't leave her outside, as she would be eaten by coyotes,so she is a housecat. Stupid people around here are trying to kill all the coyotes, but I like them here. They eat mice, a lot more than an army of cats! Whenever there is a decrease in coyotes here, the mice population explodes!
So is there any repellant that works? Don't want to leave poisons, as my dogs could eat a poisoned mouse.
So is there any repellant that works? Don't want to leave poisons, as my dogs could eat a poisoned mouse.
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Someone told me that mothballs might work. There is supposedly a less odoriferous version of mothballs, possibly cedar (?).
Do you leave the doors open for the coyotes to get into the car (in their search for food)?0 -
Jon, I'm not sure I'd want to leave my doors open for critters to get in - Coyotes, and other predators, would probably do a number on the seats trying to get at any mice inside the car.
The other problem with mice is they can get down the carburetor, once they get inside the engine compartment, and build nests in the intake and exhaust manifold. They don't really need much of an opening to get to where-ever they are going. I had a bunch of the darn things in my house last spring, before the summer hot weather started. In a way it was a little funny - the cat was doing his best in the house - the dachshund mix outside was wiping out mice, gophers, moles, snakes, rats, squirrels and anything else that showed up in the yard. Is funny to watch her, along with the pit/lab mix (who drives the critters to the dachshund) trying their best to climb the trees to get at the squirrels who sit just out of reach.
By the by, Ray, we're looking for a home for these to - the dachshund would clean your car out in no time - mice, critters, upholster and all. LOL
Hudsonly,
Alex Burr
Memphis, TN0 -
Several years back I had a car stored in a carport. Here's what I did to lessen the mice problem. I put a box of the smelliest moth balls that I could find in the legs from old pantyhose and suspended them at each tire. (One small box per leg per tire, hung from brake lines, axles, etc. whatever I could find) I also used some blue mice poison blocks (I forget the brand name) that I got at Home Depot in the pest control section. I put these in the trunk, under the hood and in the floor boards. This didn't completely stop the problem, but did lessen it by 2/3 at least.0
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FYI
I put smelly moth 'crystals' into small containers on the car floors, seats, under hood and in trunk, I also but Green Poison Bait in each corner of my pole garage. Not perfect but helps control them..Always Interested in a better method though.0 -
I USED TO USE MOTH FLAKES NOW WELL I USE BOUNCE FRABIC SOFTNER SHEETS THE MICE, BUGS,SMALLAND BIG CRITTERS ALL HATE IT I HAVENT HAD A MOUSE IN MY CARS IN YEARS ALSO MY WIFE SAYS THE CARS SMELL SO NICE0
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Pauls right, Bounce will keep the mice out and it does smell nice. You dont even have to use deodorant the first few times in the spring when you drive it. Saves money too. LOL0
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Alex
You mentioned gophers. I was talking to a friend last week about the gopher problem my son is having. I don't recommend his solution to eliminate mice.
His solution: He put a burning flare down a gopher hole and closed all the gopher holes. He has not had a gopher since. That was done 20 years ago.
Lee O'Dell0 -
mix some cement and sugar together in a flat pan. place a few in each car, rats eat it, it plugs them up..dont have to worry about pets eating poison rodents.. This is OK for unrestored cars, but wouldnt want to stink up a good car...But a good car shouldnt be stored outside in the first place,should it?0
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I've been battling critters for years where I live. Mostly mice, but every vermin you can think of is trying to get into my cars. These are cars 'outside' under shelters, but not in a garage. I gave up on moth balls. In my case, they didn't deter the mice, and served to only stink up my interiors (which can take years to remove). I tried the dryer sheets, but the mice just used them for little pillows and blankets.
In my case, what I've found to be most effective is bar soap. I use Irish Spring. 20 (or more) bars (still in their opened box) placed all throughout the interior and trunk. Plus I use a couple of traps on the floorboard inside, but you HAVE to get into the regular habit of checking those babies. I do find a few chew marks in the soap here and there, and I still get a mouse in the traps now and then, but I've eliminated the lion's share of what I'd have otherwise. Plus the interior smells great. When I want to drive the car, I just remove the soap boxes and it's good to go.
Good Luck0 -
While we were driving the Hudson this summer through farm country, we heard an add on our AM radio for "Fresh Cab," it is supposed to keep the mice out of the cab of your tractor and other farm equipment during those long winter months when you are not using the thing?? I would look for it online.0
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sticky traps that smell like peanut butter work the best in our pole shed. gotta check them often though, they work well within the first couple days after placing them. dont use mothballs. also eliminating nearby sources of food helps out, and also making an alternative home for them to go to, someplace warm with bedding materials will offer a better alternative than your car.0
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I have a rat snake that lives around my cars under the carport and seems to do a pretty good job keeping mice away in warmer weather!0
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Funny story about mice. When my wife and I were dating back in 1961 I took my 51 Hornet sedan on a date to a drive in movie. The 51 had been stored in the garage for several months. I got it out and washed it, (cant take your girl friend out in a dusty car you know). We are sitting in the drive in movie watching the movie when out of the left defroster vent by the windsheld comes a mouse and runs across the dash into the right defroster vent. Didnt bother me but, had a serious effect on her. We left the movie in the middle (It was a John Wayne movie) and I took her home. The next day I completely demoused the 51. She married me anyway so there was a happy ending. (I think) lol0
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Several years ago I purchased seat covers for my '49 Sedan. My wife and kids were out back in the pool so I decided it would be a good time to install the new covers. I moved the coffee table and side chairs out of the family room so I would have a nice open area to work. Working on our new area rug.
Well, the front seats were no problem. Installed the new seat covers brought them back out to the garage. Then I brought in the rear seat to do. As I flipped the seat over two to three dead (thank God) mice fell out on the rug. I quickly grabbed some paper towels and scooped the up. Finished installing the cover. When I brought in the seat back in the same thing happened. This time there were about six dead mice.
About a half hour later my came into the house and asked me how things were going. I said fine. To this day I never told her about the dead mice.0 -
And the longer you are married the better that advice is.0
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Tried Irish Spring soap, didn't repell the mice, but they seemed to like chewing on it.
The gopher snakes here take care of the mice, but they hibernate in the winter. That's when most of the mice invade!0 -
YOU GUYS STORYS MADE ME THINK OF A MOUSE STORY FROM WHEN STEFI AND I WERE JUST HITCHED I BOUGHT A 38 T SEDAN WE WENT TO PICK IT UP I TOOK MY TOW BAR AS THE CAR WAS ONLY 12 MILES FROM MY HOUSE SO OFF WE WENT I GOT EVERY THING HOOKED UP BUT WHEN I WENT AROUND A CORNER THE T'S STEERING WOULD NOT COME OUT OF THE TURN SO ONE OF US HAD TO STEER IT HOME WHILE BEING TOWED WITH OUR 68 CHARGER R/T SO I OPEN THE DOOR FOR STEFI TO GET IN THE CAR SO SHE COULD STEER OUT RUNS A MOUSE RIGHT UNDER HER FEET WELL NOW SHE WILL NOT GET IN THE CAR SHE SAYS SHE WILL DRIVE THE CHARGER AND I COULD STEER THE T WELL THAT WAS OK WITH ME BUT COMING HOME WAS A BIT SCARY FOR ME THE CHARGER IS NOT AS WIDE AS THE T THE ROAD WE WERE ON ROAD HAD PHONE POLES CLOSE TO THE ROAD I THOUGHT WE ALMOST HIT 20 OR 30 OF THEM WE GOT HOME SEE ASKED WHY I WAS SO PALE LOL I JUST SMILED
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