Mouse in cabin

ExploreBC

ExploreBC

New member
How the hell are they getting in?
I went camping near Whistler B.C. last weekend and after sunset the campsite was full of little field mice. Both nights we stayed I went into my truck to grab some things before going to sleep and found a mouse inside the cabin. We got them out both times and it seems that they didn't cause any damage that I can find, but I cant figure out how they got in. Has anyone else had this problem and found there point of entry?
 
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ExploreBC said:
How the hell are they getting in?
I went camping near Whistler B.C. last weekend and after sunset the campsite was full of little field mice. Both nights we stayed I went into my truck to grab some things before going to sleep and found a mouse inside the cabin. We got them out both times and it seems that they didn't cause any damage that I can find, but I cant figure out how they got in. Has anyone else had this problem and found there point of entry?
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They can squeeze through tiny places, like the thickness of a pencil.

You need a trunk cat.
 
There are various past post on rodents. I have found that putting Bounce fabric softener cloths around the engine compartment helps with rodents in the AZ desert. This is also in the previous posts. You want to get them out and keep them out. They will chew on wires and cause major damage. Make sure no nest have been built up anywhere on the 4runner.
 
I would suggest checking the HVAC fresh air intake under the wiper cowl. Also check the cabin filter and blower to make sure they didn't start nesting in there.
 
Thanks for the responses. They chewed half way through the cabin filter and left droppings in it that I've been breathing in for a week now. I'll be trying a combo of trunk cat and bounce sheets next time :)
 
mice in car

ExploreBC said:
Thanks for the responses. They chewed half way through the cabin filter and left droppings in it that I've been breathing in for a week now. I'll be trying a combo of trunk cat and bounce sheets next time :)
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Those mice are feeding on scraps of food left by campers or out of loose fitting trash cans. They need to clean up that campground and get people to clean up better.

Make sure you get every last one of them out. I've seen cases of mice dying in hard to reach parts of a dashboard and they had to disassemble the darn thing before they found the carcass. When something dies in your car you'll know it.

Try leaving a mouse trap with peanut butter on it inside the car and under or on top of the hood for a couple of weeks. Check them every day and get anything that may be in the car out of there.

Good call on the intake and filter. I never would have guessed that.
 
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I don't want to scare you, but you should know about Hantivirus. We have had people here die (mainly in rural farm areas) when they are cleaning barns and such where mice have crapped.

It gets airborne from their poop and I would not want that circulating in my vehicle.

Edit: CDC info link:

http://www.cdc.gov/hantavirus/hfrs/index.html
 
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One quick word on mice:
Here in the woods of the east I recently went on a single track night ride. I was amazed at the MILLIONS of little gray shapes flitting across the trail in my head light. Amazing the number of mice out there at night. Seriously.
 
Blitzkrieg said:
I don't want to scare you, but you should know about Hantivirus. We have had people here die (mainly in rural farm areas) when they are cleaning barns and such where mice have crapped.

It gets airborne from their poop and I would not want that circulating in my vehicle.

Edit: CDC info link:

CDC - Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome (HFRS) - Hantavirus
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Gotta agree with this. While it's rare, if you contract it, you are basically coin-flipping (or worse) on your life. My friends uncle got it in Iowa, and spent 2 months in the ICU nearly dead. He eventually recovered, but it was not a good situation. Personally I would disinfect all the areas that the mice came in contact with (they also carry other nasties) and immediately toss that cabin filter. Like I said, it's rare, but better safe than sorry I guess. As far as keeping them out? My guess would be that they are entering through the HVAC inlet or the firewall. A good project may be finding ways to easily, and temporally block those areas, while camping and such.
 
1engineer said:
One quick word on mice:
Here in the woods of the east I recently went on a single track night ride. I was amazed at the MILLIONS of little gray shapes flitting across the trail in my head light. Amazing the number of mice out there at night. Seriously.
Click to expand...

It is like this in the desert at night also. Unbelievable all the rats and mice running around. The rattlesnakes and road runners love to eat them.
 
How do I block the air intake?

Greetings. New member here. I bought my 2018 4Runner TRD Off Road in April, and had 10K miles on the meter by October. When I took it in to the Toyota dealer for its first service, the rep told me after the service was completed that rodents had chewed on the cabin filter. When I got home, I actually read the service report, and it said something like "rodents had chewed through the cabin filter". Despite this, they didn't change the filter :-(

I haven't done much exploring under the hood of the 4Runner, but I like the idea of putting a mesh over the air intake, both for the air filter, and the cabin filter. I had mice nest in my old Nissan Pathfinder many times. They especially love to tear out the fiberglass insulation and build nests in the air filter box. On my Pathfinder, I finally sealed off the intake for the air filter with some steel mesh, and that at least keeps them out of there. Where is the air intake for the cabin filter ducting on the 4Runner? Thanks.
 
outdoorbound said:
Greetings. New member here. I bought my 2018 4Runner TRD Off Road in April, and had 10K miles on the meter by October. When I took it in to the Toyota dealer for its first service, the rep told me after the service was completed that rodents had chewed on the cabin filter. When I got home, I actually read the service report, and it said something like "rodents had chewed through the cabin filter". Despite this, they didn't change the filter :-(

I haven't done much exploring under the hood of the 4Runner, but I like the idea of putting a mesh over the air intake, both for the air filter, and the cabin filter. I had mice nest in my old Nissan Pathfinder many times. They especially love to tear out the fiberglass insulation and build nests in the air filter box. On my Pathfinder, I finally sealed off the intake for the air filter with some steel mesh, and that at least keeps them out of there. Where is the air intake for the cabin filter ducting on the 4Runner? Thanks.
Click to expand...

^Like
 
outdoorbound said:
Greetings. New member here. I bought my 2018 4Runner TRD Off Road in April, and had 10K miles on the meter by October. When I took it in to the Toyota dealer for its first service, the rep told me after the service was completed that rodents had chewed on the cabin filter. When I got home, I actually read the service report, and it said something like "rodents had chewed through the cabin filter". Despite this, they didn't change the filter :-(

I haven't done much exploring under the hood of the 4Runner, but I like the idea of putting a mesh over the air intake, both for the air filter, and the cabin filter. I had mice nest in my old Nissan Pathfinder many times. They especially love to tear out the fiberglass insulation and build nests in the air filter box. On my Pathfinder, I finally sealed off the intake for the air filter with some steel mesh, and that at least keeps them out of there. Where is the air intake for the cabin filter ducting on the 4Runner? Thanks.
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I believe the cabin air filter intake is located under the wiper cowling. From the outside, you will need to remove the wiper cowling. From the inside, you’ll find it just behind the glove box, but you don’t really have good access from the inside. Other than to change your filter.
 
If there are small holes or gaps that need to be mouse-proofed, try plugging them with steel wool - mice can't chew through it.
 
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