mice & screening off cabin air intake

My 2 cents: go straight to 1/4” galvanized steel mesh, over the cabin and engine air intakes. Scents only for areas where screens are not possible, essentially the engine bay.

 

Yep, I’ve used 1/4” hardware cloth to keep mice away and it works better for their bigger cousins like squirrels and chipmunks. Peppermint oil is ok but needs refreshing quite a bit. I’ve actually planted peppermint around areas to keep most critters at bay (it keeps the bigger ones away), but it is extremely aggressive. My best go to is crushed red pepper for areas that’ll remain dry or liquid pepper extract like habanero. It’s really good at keeping squirrels and chipmunks away but it is unfortunately a learned experience for mice and rats. They don’t have capsaicin receptors in their mouth like most mammals but it does cause acute oral toxicity about 4 to 26 minutes after ingesting. So it acts as more of a poison that can sicken them up to the point of it being fatal.


iPad ? Pro

 

Adding an additional question to this thread—
Earlier this week I had ours sitting three days while backpacking. Came back to find some shredded tissue in the tissue box and on the floor. Cookie bag in the lower glove box chewed into as well as an oatmeal bag on the front floor. I drove 5 hours home, hoping not to be surprised along the way by something crawling up my leg. I opened the cabin air filter area and did not find anything unusual. Vacuumed the car and have not seen any activity since. Also set three traps inside with no activity. Question-- is it likely they are still in the car?

 

not likely, but sometimes they do nest if it is a nice hotel.
have you searched the engine compartment, 12v, small storage cubby under the hatch floor and hybrid battery area?
i had one die in my ventilation system, took months for the smell to go away.

 

Screen off the cabin air intake. Watch @NutzAboutBolts spark plug video for how to get at it.

 

If they are still inside, you will definitely see some signs such as droppings, more chewed/shredded tissues or cloth, or smell. Even a single mouse can produce enough signs that would be noticeable if confined in the car for a few days. The fact cabin air filter are intact means the mice or whatever the small animal that got inside must have taken other route such as rear panel vents. It maybe a good idea to check the under the deck in your trunk. I have heard report of mice nesting in the spare tire well. Also, just to be sure, I suggest checking the engine bay for the sign of nesting.

 

Thanks for the responses. I checked the 12v and hybrid battery areas and they are clean. Hoping for the best and not having time at the moment to dive into screen-adding.

 

I thought I was clear after three days of what appeared to be no activity since leaving the site where they got into the car. This morning I discovered the peanut butter gone from two of the unsnapped traps along with a few mouse droppings. Closer inspection up front also showed some tissue tucked in a hole behind the driver's side hinge hood. So we did bring these critters back to Albuquerque. I now have a different kind of trap in the car as well as two "sticky boxes." We plan to leave in three days for a three day road trip, including food and sleeping in the car. I really want them gone by then!

 

I think my wife got tired of my tempered approach. She set eleven traps in the car this evening. Looking forward to what the morning may bring.

 

Are all 11 traps the same model? Apparently, some mouse traps work better than others. Even from the same manufacturer, some models and designs are superior. I have tried 8 different traps so far. And currently keeping only two that have worked better than others. But one is 5 gal bucket type, Flip N Slide by Rinne, not suitable for the inside of the car. Another is also a humane multi-trap that may not be what you want.

I didn't have mice inside the cabin, but they were nesting in the engine compartment of my PP where they can cause just as much or even worse damage than inside the cabin mice. It is for a PP, but you may find my post useful for knowing where in the engine bay to check.

Mouse nesting locations in the Prius Prime

 

Two sticky board boxes. Four Tomcat Press n Set and five traditional wooden Victor traps. Nothing. Also sprayed some Tomcat course repellent in various places on the car, but outside the cabin. Slept in the car last night. No signs or sounds of mice the last few days, so w are assuming they have moved out. More time will confirm.

 

My flip-n-slide in the crawl space (former mouse central) has had no visitors; been down there for maybe 3 weeks. No signs of mouse poop either. A part of me is disappointed.