Mouse and the Pickup

[thcri]

Well there may be more than one. Last night he she or they ate a whole bag of almonds. Shi* on the front seat. This pickup is a 2009 F150 King Ranch Crew. I have had it three winters now and never a sign of mice. Where on this truck it is possible for them to even get it. Where do I start. I have two traps in it tonight.

 

[texasjohn]

I'd put poison bait inside the pickup...safe from pets, etc...should hit the target animals...maybe get all at once...

 

[Pete Judd]

I think that traps are the way to go. I would lend you a cat, but it is to far away, and she might do more damage than the mouse if locked in over night. But bait the trap with almond or peanut butter as you already know that that's what it likes. Also might only be one, as they will stash away the extras.

 

[thcri]

I'd put poison bait inside the pickup...safe from pets, etc...should hit the target animals...maybe get all at once...

I am not sure i want to go the poison route. If he climbs up under the seat or dash he is going to stinking and I won't find him. Of course if there is little ones I am screwed also.

 

[RobertBrown]

Sounds like rats to me. They will store food.
Most members have had success with the beer can, bucket trap. It has not worked for me. I think southern rodents are smarter.
They have a longer season and more predators.
I'm with you on the poison, only as a last resort.
I would go over the truck carefully and look for signs of residency, especially in the engine compartment.

 

[jymbee]

I am not sure i want to go the poison route. If he climbs up under the seat or dash he is going to stinking and I won't find him. Of course if there is little ones I am screwed also.

Same problem here with my 2002 GMC diesel. I laid down a virtual killing field of traps last year. Kill count was up to 24 before we had to leave for a month. Been trying to get rid of that mouse poop smell ever since. No idea where that miserable little critters get in. Also have considered the poison route but have the same concerns of dead mouse odors.

So far no apparent structural damage, but that's always a possibility. My wood splitter was outside for a few months unused and covered by a tarp. Damned if they didn't chew a hole in the top of the hard plastic gas tank!

 

[JD 4520]

I would use traps in the vehicle and poison outside of the vehicle. Poison attracts them and generally you don't put poison where you don't want them, you put it out of the way and attract them away from the scene.

If you have them under your house, put the poison outside and see if you can control them and not under the house.

Check you air filter on your truck to see if they got in there by chance. I'm curious.

 

[MIKE R]

I like to put rasins on the traps as they can not lick it off like penut butter. I have used the engine shampoo to get rid of their scent as that is what they use for there trail. I would also check the cabin filter to see if they are in there.

 

[creekbend]

We usually trap two to three mice in our Home each year. Our two outside cats keep the outside population in check. But we have had an explosion in mice populations this year. Nothing has changed in regards to hygiene habits. Trash is secure, no scraps toss out on ground.Last week, I trapped six small mice in two days under the sink and behind the refrigerator. I heard another one last night and just baited two more traps with peanut butter.

 

[dmccarty]

There can be multiple ways into the cab. There are holes to run wires and such from the engine compartment and there might be some on the back of the cab going to the bed on my truck.

I hate mice. The actually cut a wire on my tractor. Thankfully it was not an important wire and was easy to fix.

Mice have gotten into our attic and I use poison up there to rid of them. The only way they can get into the attic was to climb up the coax from Directv. I put some steel wool in that wee little hole they were using to access the attic. I put in the steel wool during the summer time. Figured the heat of summer would drive them out of the attic.

Later,
Dan

 

[thcri]

Two mice in traps this morning. Will keep the traps in and look for openings

 

[hawkeye08]

I have some mesh bags with a few cotton balls in each with a few drops of peppermint oil. I reapply the peppermint oil when I change oil, or fill washer fluid... just a few drops. Most folks don't mind the smell (goes away in a few days) but apparently, the mice do not like it... don't put it where your pets can get it, they like it and if they get too much, it can harm them.

 

[sandybeach]

Two mice in traps this morning. Will keep the traps in and look for openings

in 18 years my truck has never had mice other than a tiny problem in the engine compartment. My car did fine for 3 years. Now .... More mice every week. I've tried spring traps with p-nut butter, herbal bags from the ag co-op, sprinkled cayenne around, and poison. The ?*!#&$% mice sometimes outsmart the traps, and once they got away with a close call they stay away from the traps. I tried the sticky traps. They work, but they seem too cruel. i just put out an electric trap. we'll see ....

My better half prefers catch-and-release, but that doesn't seem to work in the car. I kill them reluctantly, but it has to be fast kill. I don't like to see an animal suffer - although I might make an exception for coyotes.

A friend wound up with $4000 damage to his Prius - a scary thought, considering that my mouse-mobile is also a Prius. Here's to hoping that Old Sparky - and maybe some peppermint oil - will settle the matter.

 

[cmbertrand]

Couple weeks ago discovered a major rat nest under TC40da dash. I cleared it out but they had already wrecked the wiring. Local dealer was able to patch it up without total wiring harness replacement but they still set me back a couple hundred bucks. I am gone for a month at a time in Middle East for work and will need to be sure to park on concrete slab as well as keep it loaded with the rat poison and diesel. They had built a mansion which included a couple of heavy duty plastic leaf bags, small boards and host of other junk.

 

[wedge40]

Go catch some snakes and put in the car(s). Mice problem will gone. Not sure I'd like the idea of a snake on the floor board though.
I use the sticky traps. Once a mouse is stuck I just take it out to the trash can in the garage and toss it out. Dont care if it's alive or dead. I live in the middle of the woods, they have the everywhere outside to play in, once you cross my threshold they're marked to die.

Wedge

 

[Dutch445]

i've been dealing with them more in this new house, as the "shop" and garage had both been used
to house animals by the previous owners. even though both buildings are insulated, and steel sided on
the inside, there's tons of gaps and they are both alive with the critters. i stored my camper in there
from feb onto summer, and had mice in the camper, they always find a way to get in. i am resorting
to leaving traps set (caught about 7) and i think i'm going to set out some poison, i really know the
damage they can do, and i have my tractor, bike, boat, camper, snowmobiles etc all susceptible to
damage.

 

[Dr Dave]

Well there may be more than one. Last night he she or they ate a whole bag of almonds. Shi* on the front seat. This pickup is a 2009 F150 King Ranch Crew. I have had it three winters now and never a sign of mice. Where on this truck it is possible for them to even get it. Where do I start. I have two traps in it tonight.

I found mouse crap in my 2007 F 250 ths weekend, did a search and found a thick foil cover, over an opening,on the left side, firewall, between the mastercylinder and fender. there was a dime sized hole, chewed thru it, this must be an acess hole for future acessories? I dont know if the F150 is the same?

Dave

 

[turnkey4099]

I use d-con, keep a pack in the trunk and under the seat of the car, under the seat of the PU. Oddly, mice that die from d-con only have a mild, short lasting odor. Cleaned thehouse of mice using it also. Reminds me it is time to put more out, 'mouse dog' insists there is at least one in the house. Carpet cleaners were here 2 months ago, found two dead ones under the couch - no noticeable smell whenever they died.

Harry K

 

[Deere Dude]

In my pole shed mice just move my poison around and I find it all over the place. I don't think they eat it.

I have been putting a 5 gallon bucket with 3 gallons of water in it with a layer of sunflower seeds in it. I get a board or branch to make a ramp for the mice, and then sprinkle sunflower seeds up the ramp and around the base of the ramp to coax them up. I have gotten 8 mice in one loading this summer. It dwindles down eventually to a couple every couple days, but that really cleaned them out around here. This also cleaned out my chipmunk population down from around 30 chipmunks running around to almost nothing. It probably isn't as humane as a snap trap, but oh well. What can a guy do.

It freezes now and the bucket with antifreeze and a suspended can with peanut butter works also. I just enjoy the sunflower seeds setup better. But I set about a dozen traps around where I think they come in and haven't gotten any this year yet, so the bucket trick really cut down the population.

 

[955Lincoln]

We usually trap two to three mice in our Home each year. Our two outside cats keep the outside population in check. But we have had an explosion in mice populations this year. Nothing has changed in regards to hygiene habits. Trash is secure, no scraps toss out on ground.Last week, I trapped six small mice in two days under the sink and behind the refrigerator. I heard another one last night and just baited two more traps with peanut butter.

Same here, I have never seen them so heavy and a friend in SD is also having major problems. I have to wonder what could cause this and is it a countrywide thing?