Avoiding mice, not enough snakes up here!

crashz · Aug 18, 2005

My uncle is graciously storing my machine for me in trade for using it to mow his lawn and fields. I don't mind because he needs the tractor and I need the space.

But there is a slight problem with mice. Since my uncle is only using it a few hours a month (he's put six hours on it all summer), it has been sitting for a long period of time. When I checked on it last weekend, I found a nest of mice right where the fuel injectors are. I scared the mice away and cleaned out the nest, but need something to keep them out perminently before they start doing damage. The machine is sitting in the field next to his house, and inside storage is next to impossible.

Anyone got some great ideas to keep these critters out? I'd use moth balls, but they dissolve quickly and wouldn't want them in the engine compartment anyway. Thanks in advance!

DMF · Aug 18, 2005

Well my suggestion was the mothball trick; my wife's grandfather used to set onion bags/discarded nylon stockings with them all over his tractor. He claimed it worked. He'd just pull them off before he mowed. I don't recall them disolving all that quickly...?

Cat? Since you don't want to use the mothballs, and inside storage isn't available I think this is your only option...

What about those electronic repelents?

slowrev · Aug 18, 2005

They could be Deere mice !!! If so you might be out of luck /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Ben

crashz · Aug 18, 2005

</font><font color="blueclass=small">( They could be Deere mice !!! )</font>

Thats a good one! But in that case their gonna be especially hard to kill. On the other hand they may be slow enough to catch!

1bush2hog · Aug 18, 2005

What about rat poison?

Mouse traps?

Yeah I know...but I ain't the one tippin' cows /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

beenthere · Aug 18, 2005

I have had a similar problem, and once the mice find a nesting site they are particulary hard to discourage. Seems they urinate on the area and 'claim' it as their own.
What I think worked (no more problem after this) was to spray the area just cleaned up with a strong bleach solution. The smell seemed to ward off coming back, or they couldn't smell their old 'tracks' anymore.
This has also helped the problem of racoons 'dumping' on my deck. Until I sprayed the area with bleach, they would nightly make a deposit which was disgusting, to say the least. After the bleach, no more problems. I also trapped many racoons after that, but still know there are some around, as I see their tracks. But the coon trap is always set, the mice traps are always set, and mice poison is always out. MMmmmmm - I don't seem to have a problem now, wonder why?? /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

BB_TX · Aug 18, 2005

I had mice or rats build a nest under the hood of my truck. Chewed wires and vacuum lines. Expensive repair. Someone suggested getting some Red Fox Urine cover scent from a hunting store and spray it under the hood. I got some and spray a little under the hood on the inside of each fender well and behind each front tire every month or so. Hasn't happened since, but that was only a few months ago.
In my "barn", I set traps regularly and would catch at least a mouse a week. That got old, so I put out some boxes of poison. The first week, they ate 2 boxes. I saw a couple dead ones laying around. Since then they have hardly touched the stuff. Don't know if they got smart or if they all died. But I don't see nearly the sign of them anymore. But I don't have cats to worry about.

Phred · Aug 18, 2005

In my expereince posion is the only solution that works.
Cut a piece of 3" or 2" PVC about 2' long and put an end cap on it. No need to glue the end cap, just press it on so it will come back off.
Then fill wiith a small amount of poision.
This way you will not kill wild life other than the rodents.

I use a micture of the pellets and the blocks. They will carry off the pellets which could be a bad thing or a good thing. I suspect they store the pellets for later, and may not eat enough to die. The blocks are to heavy to carry off. But if they carry off the pellets they may end up feeding them to the young ones stuck away in your tractor some place.

beenthere · Aug 18, 2005

I believe as you do. Every once inawhile, I will stop feeding the poison. I figure then they will clean up some of what they squirreled away somewhere. Then I buy fresh poison (some is made from sweetcorn I believe) and after a couple weeks put more out. Now is getting to the time of year that the mice will be looking to come indoors for the winter. I'll be waiting with fresh poison. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif