MouseProofing the Prius

My G3 sits in an open carport here in rural NE Oregon. Last year we had a soccer ball sized mouse nest removed from behind the glove box/cabin air filter and all air/heater ducts cleared of debris. Now we have a closed-bait station purchased from an agricultural supply situated in the carport. Poison bait is non-toxic to pets as are all of the dead mice they find. Working so far. Cost: $100+ w/ several year's supply of bait blocks.:nod:

 

I live in Manitoba (North of North Dakota) and work in a fleet tractor garage and often see mouse or OTHER rodent issues and have rodent "proofed" and repaired rodent damaged prime movers
A rodents and other mammals need salt in there diet and will lick/gnaw on parts of your car to get it
B they in the fall want somewhere worm to NEST
I have found washing in/under your car helps a LOT and SS steel wool in the vents/openings helps
and another area of attack is behind the front fenders @ the door hinge area where the wiring go into the car

 

Pack Rats

One day my Prius would not start and gave wierd engine codes.
Anyway, I opened the hood and it looked something like this:


Here in the south, we have Pack Rats... they are kinda cute:



Well, apparently the car didn't start because Pack Rat urine had corroded a couple of the wires connecting the main battery to the engine. $500 dollars in labor finally fixed it.

 

I have heard of this mouse problem in Prius, but so far so good until last week. Got the mouse dropping in the car and the lower glove compartment. Yak! This is health hazzards and the safety hazzards. As it is due to the first 5000-mile sevice, I asked the dealer if they could do anything. They told me that I should get an exterminator. We live in the wood, and it is impossible to exterminate every single mouse in the wood! Should have considered not to buy a car from the city dealers.

This project is way over my head. Does anyone know someone who can do this in the Westchester county, ny or in CT??

 

What you see in these photos is very easy to do. Any mechanic can do this work if you provide the photos. In addition, this is easily within the scope of a do-it-yourselfer: You can buy the mesh at Home Depot or Lowe's, along with pliers and cutters. You use cardboard to fit a piece to the correct size, then you cut the wire mesh to the correct size. They're held in place with sheet metal screws -- you might need to pre-drill the holes, which would be the hardest part.

But you could take your car to any local mechanic, and armed with the photos from this thread, he should be able to do the job.

 

What you see in these photos is very easy to do. Any mechanic can do this work if you provide the photos. In addition, this is easily within the scope of a do-it-yourselfer: You can buy the mesh at Home Depot or Lowe's, along with pliers and cutters. You use cardboard to fit a piece to the correct size, then you cut the wire mesh to the correct size. They're held in place with sheet metal screws -- you might need to pre-drill the holes, which would be the hardest part.

But you could take your car to any local mechanic, and armed with the photos from this thread, he should be able to do the job.

 

My hardware store has self tapping stainless sheet metal screws----very quick and nice.

 

Bad enough I have deer that like to run in front of cars and idiot drivers around here... now mice to worry about?!

We already have mouse/rat poison in the garage prior to getting my Prius and I am hoping that is more attractive than eating up the wiring in my brother's Tacoma or my Prius.... my ex had $700 worth of damage from one rat that ate the wiring in his Subaru... and I never had more satisfaction than trapping and killing that rat!

Lead therapy in the barn was fun as well to get rid of rodents... while laid up from knee surgery I could quickly shoot rats and mice on the fly....my dog would take them outside to dispose of them for me... supervised, of course.

 

I am chagrined that such means of ingress for rodents have been allowed on a car with a reputation for high quality and engineering standards. We have lived in the country for 40 years, where we have a LIST of different types of mice that inhabit the manor, and not once in that time (or in a dozen & a half vehicles) have we ever had a mouse INSIDE a car or truck. Now when it comes to under the hood, that's a whole other story. Best remedy I've found is to locate a nice spot for a bait block (available at finer stores everywhere) and leave one in the engine compartment of each vehicle.

Digression: We live in a house that had its hundredth birthday last year. Keeping mice out is futile. Keeping traps out is good, but bait is better. Someone basically said it earlier in this thread: the mice you will always have with you. Take a dime and a field mouse, and you'd swear the animal couldn't go through a hole that small. Wrong. They can and will.

 

There is a related thread over at Lotus Talk

Irish Spring = Mouse Repellant?? - LotusTalk - The Lotus Cars Community

 

Was there any update on this for a 2014? Haven't found one yet. Cute little bastard:

 

lol, looks more like a chipmunk! dale?

 

Just one question. Is not easier to kill the mice?

 

Yes, in most cases not only easier but better too.
If they are getting into your CAR they likely are getting into your HOUSE too.
Cute they are but they carry all kinds of nasty diseases.

 

They got one time into my attic and from there into my house, killing them was a tuff task. Thanks God we had some termites problems and the procedure of killing the termites which require the use of some gases killed them too. After that we have managed to stay out of this issue by feeding few street cats that run wild around my neighborhood. at the beginning I was against the idea and told my wife about it but she kept feeding them and I started noticing the difference. Now our backyard and house is free of them. And believe me, it's a cheap way ;-)

 

It is easier to kill them, but unfortunately, the mice really don't submit well to death.

Bait stations, while effective, really do not keep the mice out of the vehicle. The poison bait takes a couple/three/four days to work. In the meantime, after eating said poison, the mice run around at full-strength for at least a day or two.

Feeding them does not keep them out of the Prius, because, mainly, in my experience, they are LOOKING FOR A HOME. Sure, having a lot of food crumbs and tasty soy-based wire insulation probably helps attract them, but....

Another solution is the various types of traps. The common snap traps work well, but if you have a lot of mice, you need a couple of dozen traps.....and setting them away from the Prius is less effective.

In my experience, you need to set them behind each wheel (more under the car). So, in the front, the traps are actually just under the front door hinges (more or less). In the back, the traps are about where the rear door handles are situated.

But, you HAVE to set some near the wheels. I also place them on the back sides of the wheels. So, two traps per wheel -- eight altogether. Then, I place some near any sort of wall or post that may be near the car. In all, I have about 12 snap traps out at a time.

Then, inside, one trap on the driver's side floor, one on passenger side floor.

Finally, a live trap and a bait station about 15 feet from the car, along the wall of the house.

So...WHEW...each evening....this little job needs to be done. Each morning the traps have to be picked up (don't want to run over them -- and besides -- birds are attracted to the bait and will get caught in snap traps, so the outside traps need to be picked up before daybreak.

So, yes, it is a pain to screen,,,,,but adding up all my time baiting, trapping -- and the mice that manage not to get caught and get in the car anyway, screening is the way to go.

I will say, some years are worse than others. For a few years, I had little or no problem. Recently, it picked up MAJOR>>>>

Cat solution is not all that effective in my experience. And, my cat did NOT like being locked in the Prius. Luckily, I took him out before HE did any damage.

 

What you said is absolutely true of most bait pellets.

The block baits, however, operate MUCH faster, like on the order of a few hours after a couple of nibbles. They are also more deadly for pets so you must buy a bait station to go along with them.

Disclaimer: That type of baited station should be used OUTSIDE around the foundation of the house and garage.......because the little buggers often expire only a few feet from their last meal.
I'll let you imagine the possible consequences of that.
They are VERY effective though and noticeably less activity can be expected in only a few days.

Good luck !!

 

Hey:

I think baits may have changed on you in the past several years...

Sorry, not trying to say you are wrong, but for just about anything consumers can get....it is several days until death.

My expertise is in wildlife. At my home we have white-footed mice, deer mice and woodrats.

This year there has been a BIG surge in the white-footed critters.

They are all cute little guys and I hate killing any of them, but the block baits "just one bite" "tom cat" etc. are "several day baits." We use professional exterminator stations to keep out all but target species (although banana slugs seem to find their way into the stations -- poor slugs).

Two reasons for the slow-acting bait.

1) Bait shyness: While we like to think the rodents are stupid --- not so much. Sometimes they take a "preliminary nibble." If they feel a bit sick after a few hours, they do not return. However, if they have no symptoms, they come back and really feed. So, a quick kill bait may not really kill.

2) Safety: The government wants a safety window in the event of accidental ingestion. Meaning human or an animal can get treatment after accidental ingestion.

Zinc Phosphide kills in several hours, but you need a special license to use it except in very low doses. Personally, I would never use it.
EXTOXNET PIP - ZINC PHOSPHIDE
Nearly all of the consumer rodenticides are bromethalin or cholecalciferol.

I am not entirely up-to-date on all this, so I could be slightly wrong, but if I am, the way regulators work, I am wrong on the side that even more restrictions have been introduced.

Indeed, I got a notice a few weeks ago that California is in the process of basically getting rid of most rodenticides because of wildlife die-offs from use in illegal marijuana plantations. I don't know the details, but I am sure Google News or another source would have details.

 

I am assuming a little bit.

With bait blocks in my farm shed, I find dead critters inside the building every morning in the peak fall season.
With pellet bait, that never happens; I've heard it make them thirsty and they to look for water. Don't know how true that is though.

Sounds like you are well up on things.
The point for "novices" is that it is better to control (exterminate) them BEFORE they get inside when and if possible.

 

Feeding cats may solve the mouse problem but the cats decimate a lot of other local fauna as well.
Sorry, but time to seal up the house and stop feeding the cats.