I Hate Mice

RJM62

RJM62

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Jun 15, 2007
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13,157
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Upstate New York
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Geek on the Hill
I check under the hood of the car daily this time of year, when rodents too stupid to realize that things that move make for poor nesting locations tend to build nests in the engine department. I found no nests, but I found some nibbling.

i-hate-mice.jpg
I applied a corrosion inhibitor and taped it up for now.

That wire is part of the engine harness from 2015 on. Figure about $3,000.00 to $3,500.00 at the dealership, plus tax, to replace it; or about half that if I bought the harness and did the work myself.

Fortunately, on pre-2015 vehicles, the coil leads were on a separate harness, and the connectors on the coil side haven't changed. So I ordered the old harness from RockAuto for $12.04 plus shipping. I'll splice one of the connectors into the existing harness. Done properly and covered with shrink wrap with a waterproof adhesive, it should last as long as the rest of the car.

This is another of those days I'm grateful I went to a vocational high school.

As an aside, the connector itself (not the harness, just the connector itself) is listed at $88.10 from a company that specializes in those sorts of odds and ends, or $0.08 plus shipping directly from a manufacturer in Zhejiang. Talk about your markups.

Rich
 
They chewed through the wiring on my air inlet temp sensor on my truck. I was able to splice it back together easily but I hate the little bastards as well. My problem is more pack rat than mice but we have both.
 
I have a couple mice in my house that I have not got around to catching. Lately, I keep my dog's food bowl (dry food) in the microwave and the bag of food in the dryer because those little suckers chewed through a thick plastic container I was using. I bought some traps and need to catch them and release some miles away.
 
Zeldman said:
Mix 67% peppermint oil and 33% spearmint oil together. Apply on cotton balls and place in areas mice hang out.

They can't stand the smell and will leave.



https://www.dreamingearth.com/catalog/pc/Mouse-Away-Concentrate-p356.htm
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I actually have some packages of an herbal mixture that keeps them out of the generator shed. I wonder if hanging a few under the hood might help?

Another option would be to go to DEC and reactivate my Pesticide Applicator license. It would just be a test and a fee. Then I could buy and use rodenticides that actually work to quickly dispatch the little bastards.

I'm also pondering electronic solutions. It's easy enough to build an electrocutor. The hard part is keeping non-target animals from getting zapped. Some sort of enclosure would be required.

Rich
 
Timbeck2 said:
Such an exact concoction. How could it fail?
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Ok, try 2/3 peppermint and 1/3 spearmint then... :lol::lol:

Also this stuff won't harm dogs, cats and children... and it might make the tower cab smell better.!!
 
Zeldman said:
Ok, try 2/3 peppermint and 1/3 spearmint then... :lol::lol:

Also this stuff won't harm dogs, cats and children... and it might make the tower cab smell better.!!
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Doubt it. There is a guy on my crew who likes broccoli and fish. We make him go downstairs to microwave it but he brings it back up to eat it. Not much of a choice manning wise.
 
It's the new soy based wire insulation. The greenies decided dinosaur based wire insulation isn't good for the planet and now you get to feed the mice with your car.
 
Little effers, I had a 6 month old Jeep that the fuel pump failed on after I hit a bump. Thought it would be under warranty until the mechanic showed me the mouse nest and chewed through wires. I hate mice.
 
We had a wiring problem with an older Mercedes that I leave at the Boulder airport. It was alleged to be rabbits or squirrels not mice. I didn't believe It until one day I opened the hood and found a big rabbit right there on top of the engine in broad daylight!
 
It's been a big problem for Honda; a lawsuit about it was filed but was dismissed in California. They offer a rodent proofing tape to wrap around wires, p/n 4019-2317.
 
kia-soul-hamsters-2.jpg
 
alfadog said:
I have a couple mice in my house that I have not got around to catching. Lately, I keep my dog's food bowl (dry food) in the microwave and the bag of food in the dryer because those little suckers chewed through a thick plastic container I was using. I bought some traps and need to catch them and and find a hungry snake to feed them to.
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FTFY.

I'm all about animals living good lives. I volunteer more hours at the animal shelter than some welfare cases work in a whole week. But mice, rats, pests that damage homes and cars, they had their chance and they effed with the wrong dude. Time to die, rodent!
 
Hire some cats. We have 4 outdoor cats, they do a great job of taking care of the mouse problem.
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Hire some cats. We have 4 outdoor cats, they do a great job of taking care of the mouse problem.
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My wife just adopted one from the shelter. Seven, that's right seven, boxes from Chewy showed up on the porch and I had to assemble this massive four-level cat tower.

I better not have to spend $3.19 on mouse traps again as long as that thing lives.
 
Fiveslide said:
My wife just adopted one from the shelter. Seven, that's right seven, boxes from Chewy showed up on the porch and I had to assemble this massive four-level cat tower.

I better not have to spend $3.19 on mouse traps again as long as that thing lives.
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Yeah, we don't do that much for our cats. We give them food, water, shelter, and make sure they're up to date on shots. They do have a cat tree, but a cheap one.

One good outdoor cat should take care of all the mouse problems, or at least the majority of them. When we moved in we had a lot of mouse issues. Now we have none.
 
flyingbrit said:
It's been a big problem for Honda; a lawsuit about it was filed but was dismissed in California. They offer a rodent proofing tape to wrap around wires, p/n 4019-2317.
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Pricey stuff, but worth it if it works.

It's impregnated with capsaicin. Same idea as adding cayenne pepper to the bird feeder to keep the squirrels from eating it. The squirrels hate it, but it doesn't seem to bother the birds at all. I wonder if it could be mixed into something that could be painted onto the wires, like an acrylic-based paint?

Rich
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Hire some cats. We have 4 outdoor cats, they do a great job of taking care of the mouse problem.
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That's another idea I was thinking about. We actually have strays that come around. Maybe if I start feeding them they'll stay around.

Rich
 
RJM62 said:
That's another idea I was thinking about. We actually have strays that come around. Maybe if I start feeding them they'll stay around.

Rich
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The trick we've found is get kittens in the spring, ideally a litter or several from a litter. Keep them outside, make sure they have food, water, and affection so they stick around. Alternately have a cat you keep in the garage at first (or on/off) to get things going.

You won't have 100% success rate, but there are a lot of cats that could use homes and you can get for free.
 
Which do we prefer... "I'll make mincemeat outta that mouse" or "I hate meeces to pieces" ???
 
alfadog said:
I bought some traps and need to catch them and release some miles away.
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Yeah, just move them so they become someone ELSE's problem:confused::confused::confused:

I've only had a couple and killed them in traps ... left them there as examples for a day or two just to send a message to the others;):p
 
Ted DuPuis said:
Yeah, we don't do that much for our cats. We give them food, water, shelter, and make sure they're up to date on shots. They do have a cat tree, but a cheap one.

One good outdoor cat should take care of all the mouse problems, or at least the majority of them. When we moved in we had a lot of mouse issues. Now we have none.
Click to expand...

She goes overboard with things like this. The cat was born in the shelter about a year ago, had not spent any time outside a cage until he came home with her last Thursday. He's a sweet little guy, that probably would have been just as happy without the tower and the 36 toys that he hasn't touched.
 
Timbeck2 said:
Too many coyotes around here for outdoor cats.
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I get animals dumped on my property occasionally and usually find homes for them. I had one long hair grey cat that I really wanted to find a good home for, but it came up missing two weeks ago. I think either coyotes got it or stray rez dogs.

There is a really healthy looking pair of coyotes running around together, I expect more in the spring.
 
danhagan said:
Yeah, just move them so they become someone ELSE's problem:confused::confused::confused:

...
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I wouldn't drop them off near someone's house. I was going to take them to someplace like an airport. Where did you say you fly out of?
 
alfadog said:
I wouldn't drop them off near someone's house. I was going to take them to someplace like an airport. Where did you say you fly out of?
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That's funny right there ...just drop them off anywhere in NM ... the Hantavirus is ALMOST under control:confused::confused:
 
I just refreshed the ‘bait houses’ today. There was some sign of activity, but overall no rodent problems.

I detest rodents around buildings.
 
I get pack rats up here. No magical concoction of peppermint, herbs or anything found on any home-remedy site will keep them away for long. Nor do those 'ultrasonic' repellers work. The best thing I've found is the electric kill traps by Victor Pest. I recently learned about the A24 automatic rat and mouse trap though, which may be getting a lot of use soon...
 
Ted DuPuis said:
The trick we've found is get kittens in the spring, ideally a litter or several from a litter. Keep them outside, make sure they have food, water, and affection so they stick around. Alternately have a cat you keep in the garage at first (or on/off) to get things going.

You won't have 100% success rate, but there are a lot of cats that could use homes and you can get for free.
Click to expand...

I think I'll do that. I can build a cat house for them. I've always wanted to be the proprietor of a cat house.

In the meantime, I'll pick up some cat food from Dollar General and see if I can't persuade the local feral cats to hang around more. Or the skunks. Either will do.

Rich
 
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