My Prius mouse story

came home from florida one year only to find evidence under the hood, then dead mouse smell in the car for a few weeks. after paying a pest control company for nothing but failure for 3 years, i put this in a dish once a day for a week last fall. every day it was gone, and then it wasn't. haven't seen any evidence since. i think i wiped out the whole neighborhood
ref=psdc_3737941_t2_B003ORPOJ8

 

Most mice can fit through that screen. They are capable of squeezing their body very tightly. You need one with a much finer mesh ideally in stainless. They are powerful hole generators and can naw their way through lumber if they want to. The best solution is eradication of the particular mice that live in your car. Once they setup a nest they will return. The cubes of green mouse poison left in the general area where you park is effective and is what utilities use when necessary.

 

This might be a good idea.

 

Hey Toyota: acknowledge the issue; put mesh on at the factory.

 

Rodenticides are useful, and I’m glad that they are still legal but just beware that there are two drawbacks with their use.

1. They kill mieces....which smell kinda bad after they kick off.

B. They take a while to work. This can be hard on some apex predators who will ALWAYS eat an easy-to-catch meal when they are available.

My utility leans away from rodenticides....but then we do not use wires or fiber optic cable with plant based insulation.
We use glue traps, which are less humane for the mieces....but much better for owls, hawks, foxes, raccoons, skunks, etc.
I personally do not mind SOME of these predators being discouraged from hanging out in my neighborhood....but....rodenticide addled mieces make for an easy meal for all of them.

If you dig owls...maybe install some housing for them instead of using the poison.

If you HAVE to use rat poison, pick a 1st gen variety such as the one @bisco used.
They work a little more slowly than G2 rodenticides (which are harder to acquire) and you thusly will not sentence a fox or an owl to death for eating a poisoned mouse....at least for the first few times....


YMMV

 

Agreed that poisons can have undesirable consequences - but seem to be the go-to quick fix for most folks.

I'm especially concerned because I've had two vehicles with wiring chewed by mice and/or rats, and some rodent thought is appropriate to eat the seat belts in another vehicle. The Prius would be even more susceptible because of its low ground clearance. (It's one of things that keep me up at night.)

Another option is mouse repellent. "Grandpa's" is a brand I've heard good things about. It's made of essential oils like cinnamon and other fairly pleasant smelling stuff - though I don't think I'd want my Prius smelling like that all of the time. It's available in a spray and "sachets".

Good old mouse and rat traps are more humane than glue traps, and hopefully less likely to take out a Hawk or owl than a tainted mouse.

The biggest factor for me seems to be -where- you park, and how (in) frequently you use the vehicle. Tucked away near vegetation and not driven for days or weeks at a time are an invitation to critters. Unfortunately, most of us can't easily change where we live.mice and rats are a big problem in rural NE Texas.

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Get a Jack Russell Terrier. It will find the rats and kill them. No poisons needed, if you are
afraid to kill them that way.

 

Remember just discouraging mice will make it more likely they will move in with you.

 

we tried everything. the poison was last resort. no one died inside the house for some reason, i was prepared for the smell.
one died in my car though, no poison required

all we have around here are hawks and crows, and they're all fine, as far as i can tell.

 

love it, reminds me of chip and dale

 

A garage won't help. They can get in under and to the side of the door. Place the green blocks in the garage(s) as well.

 

"Get a Jack Russell Terrier. It will find the rats and kill them. No poisons needed, if you are
afraid to kill them that way."

Exept that then, you would have a Jack Russell Terrier...

 

I dig that mesh blocker. From the nest location in the Prius in this video, it looks like they may nest elsewhere in the cowl if they can get there (that white fluff below). But keeping the out of the cabin is still a huge win.


As for BMW being impervious -- tell that to Mini owners! Rats love those things, and find the wiring harnesses especially tasty.

 

One of the fix is to become a dog owner?

 

That actually worked for us.

 

yeah, wouldn't you think cats?