What works against rodents

[TractorGuy]

I did have one incident where a mouse chewed through a fuel return line on my backhoe,,, TWICE. I put a small amount of rid a rat on the intake and it didn't happen again.

 

[DieselBound]

What works better than peanut butter on the snap traps?? The little buggers here just lick it off without tripping the trap. I catch a few when the traps are new, but then the catch rate drops. If the (copper?) plating on the wire gets rusty, I think they tend to stick and not fire. Good suggestions above. This is my first winter in the country, and need to prepare for battle!

The Victor electronic trap seems worthless. Never catches anything, but the little light flashes as if it fired...

I provided a solution in a previous post: smoosh a dog kibble down on the peanut butter. I have yet to have a trap baited in such a way as this get emptied.

Get the heavy duty Victor plastic traps. I've found, however, that the plastic wedge ones, while readily empty-able, have issues with being set (too sensitive). Old style, heavy duty, plastic Victor (they're beige).

 

[newbury]

I apologize if this is in the wrong forum. I just got another vehicle (van) back from the shop to repair damage from some kind of rodent eating the wiring. We have tried moth balls, Irish Spring, coyote urine but nothing seems to keep the little buggers away. They haven't found the tractor yet, but we park our car/truck outside. My wife doesn't want me to put poison out since we have a herd of Corgis that are in and out of the vehicles on a daily basis, but I am at wits end. I am looking for suggestions.

We want pictures of the Corgis!!!
But back to the thread -
I've been lucky, up until Covid 19.
I've the place in Mississippi with 5,400 sq ft of "workshops"

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Had a MAJOR mouse problem to begin with (the last guy used the sheds for party and food scraps were all around). Careful application of poisons (up high enough the dogs couldn't reach) and allowing snakes nocked the population down. But I have been using mothballs in the tractor engine compartment. No wiring damage yet

BUT with Covid 19 I got "stranded" in Mississippi and did not move my 1988 Ford E350 van in Virginia. The van has been setting basically as a "storage" area for 8 years or so. Only driven about 20 miles a year, mainly to get inspected. Finally got back form Ms. found they had chewed the wiring

That van had been sitting in about the same place since 1988.

I'd recommend the snake poop.

 

[CausticUrbanCoast]

What works better than peanut butter on the snap traps?? The little buggers here just lick it off without tripping the trap. I catch a few when the traps are new, but then the catch rate drops. If the (copper?) plating on the wire gets rusty, I think they tend to stick and not fire. Good suggestions above. This is my first winter in the country, and need to prepare for battle!

The Victor electronic trap seems worthless. Never catches anything, but the little light flashes as if it fired...

Dried fruit, jam it on. They cant lick it off and it sticks to their teeth, have never had an empty rat trap with the bait missing since going this route.

 

[mschech]

as someone else mentioned - kibble on the PB. or a peanut. Also, ultrasonic noise things, if u have AC power.

 

[beenthere]

I apologize if this is in the wrong forum. I just got another vehicle (van) back from the shop to repair damage from some kind of rodent eating the wiring. We have tried moth balls, Irish Spring, coyote urine but nothing seems to keep the little buggers away. They haven't found the tractor yet, but we park our car/truck outside. My wife doesn't want me to put poison out since we have a herd of Corgis that are in and out of the vehicles on a daily basis, but I am at wits end. I am looking for suggestions.

Use poison.. the kind that is a green block of bait. You can place it in a tube or box that other critters can't get to.. That is "if" you want to get rid of the mice, and not just allow them free reign.

To keep the mice from re-nesting in the same spot (they come back to their pee smell and are hard to discourage after that) use a spray mix of water and bleach. That will cover their pee smell and they won't come back.
Forget the idea of moth balls. Doesn't work.

 

[coobie]

Peppermint oil poured on cotton balls in a old pill bottle and moth balls..

 

[ParkWhite]

I use Bounce dryer sheets in my pickup cab and tractor cab with good results.
Also remove trash especially anything worth eating.
From what I have read mice leave a urine trail wherever they go that other mice will follow. Perhaps a good soap down and pressure wash might help.
My spouse uses cotton balls and peppermint oil in the basement but they only last a few months at best so I keep traps out baited with peanut butter.

 

[SnagDump]

I use a combination for mice and chipmunks:
>Dryer sheets in openings they want to crawl thru.
>Keep the hood open or the skid steer door open all spring summer and early fall.
>Toss some of those fabric softener pellets into the engine area and cab every now and then. At least some of them will land in a spot where they'll stay.
>An unbaited trap in one corner of the skid steer cab where they have to go to climb up to the headliner which is a spot they want to get to.

 

[TractorGuy]

I use a combination for mice and chipmunks:
>Dryer sheets in openings they want to crawl thru.
>Keep the hood open or the skid steer door open all spring summer and early fall.
>Toss some of those fabric softener pellets into the engine area and cab every now and then. At least some of them will land in a spot where they'll stay.
>An unbaited trap in one corner of the skid steer cab where they have to go to climb up to the headliner which is a spot they want to get to.

A good solution for openings is steel wool. I owned a building onece with a pipe coming through a wall they would enter around. I tried packing stuff in the hole and taping it up and they would chew through. Finally packed it with steel wool and no more mice.