No more mice!

[BackOff]

Do you leave the hood up?

Try vanilla?, old ranch hand told me that mice don't like it.

The new plastic Victor mouse and rat traps work very good, redesign with a 'cup' and large trip pad/trigger... with peanut butter.

The water bucket with a spiny wheel over the water works good too.
Is a 'walk the plank' style that looks good.

Don't know if racoon and bear will take an interest... vanilla and peanut butter.

 

[XJeepguy]

I had to do the same with my airbox . Found the beginnings of a mouse condo right in front of the air filter .

I had always worried about mice/rats in the airbox. I have occasionally found a poo in there. I had visions of a chewed air filter and me not noticing it for months. Decided to do something about it.

I pulled the front 3/4 of the plastic fender liner (easier than I expected) leaving it attached by the door. I took out the air snorkel. As expected, it was dusty inside as I am sure they all are. As expected, there were mouse tracks in the dust on the bottom.

A scrap of 1/8 welded mesh wire and 3 large tie wraps should do it! There is enough clearance that the mesh does not touch the body at all.

I was worried about air flow, but after reading about jziggy using a prefilter I decided this is not an issue. I wonder if it'll whistle at high air volume but I doubt it.

 

[XJeepguy]

Just so I'm understanding this , you're making a double screen for the fresh outside air intake ? You're not blocking the thing off or are you ?
How are they getting in that airbox if the entry is the cowl , it has very fine screen as seen looking in from outside . Or what am I missing here ?
Sounds like you push the new part you made up the hvac system with the fan out , but doesnt that block the fresh intake altogether ?

My body stopped liking being a contortionist many years ago so wanna get this straight before I roll on my back lol . :shocked:

After 2x having mice get into the heater fan assembly, I finally got around to doing something about it.

1/8 in. galvanized mesh with fibreglass window screen under layer. Fits right over the air inlet port in the dash. Is't not the prettiest thing but it will never be seen again once it is put into place. Why didn't Toyota do this??

Surprisingly, it was easier to get the template than I expected. I worked upside down from below.

 

[XJeepguy]

Worked well

The new plastic Victor mouse and rat traps work very good, redesign with a 'cup' and large trip pad/trigger... with peanut butter.

 

[Kanoe]

Just so I'm understanding this , you're making a double screen for the fresh outside air intake ? You're not blocking the thing off or are you ?
How are they getting in that airbox if the entry is the cowl , it has very fine screen as seen looking in from outside . Or what am I missing here ?
Sounds like you push the new part you made up the hvac system with the fan out , but doesnt that block the fresh intake altogether ?

My body stopped liking being a contortionist many years ago so wanna get this straight before I roll on my back lol . :shocked:

Yes, a double screen for the heater/AC fresh air intake. No, not blocking it off, just putting a screen cap over it to keep mice and bugs out. The air intake is a roughly 4 x 6" oval hole with a 1" raised lip all around. The screen is made to slip snugly down over the lip. My plywood template shows the shape of the hole.

This was going to be a first attempt, but it fit well enough it never came out again.

That whole channel under the cowl where the wiper mechanism lives is open right across the vehicle and it is open on both ends (inside the fenders). I think that's where they get in, near the hood hinge is where I've seen them duck in.

 

[phattyduck]

That whole channel under the cowl where the wiper mechanism lives is open right across the vehicle and it is open on both ends (inside the fenders). I think that's where they get in, near the hood hinge is where I've seen them duck in.

Yes, this. It is where water drains out that comes in through those visible vents in the cowl panel.

-Charlie

 

[shazbot]

I think mice can squeeze in near the hood hinge and fender, I think if they can get in there then they can get down to that open vent, strange toyota doesn't put a large grate across those vent holes.

 

[XJeepguy]

Ok copy all that . I'm going to tackle all this first thing in the morning , it was so hot out there when I got home you could bbq a steak on my hood .

Thats where I saw this guy duck into the day before , he went down in that opening where the hood hinge is . Report back later , thanks for all the direction .

That whole channel under the cowl where the wiper mechanism lives is open right across the vehicle and it is open on both ends (inside the fenders). I think that's where they get in, near the hood hinge is where I've seen them duck in.

 

[XJeepguy]

This is where my lil dude was going in and out of , the hinge area . I wonder if just packing that area with that mouse meshing on both sides would do the trick ?

 

[Vette468]

I hate Rodents ..ive had a Vette for 20 years Dryer Sheets everywhere ..always lookin for New ways..i just Re wired my 68 Camaro with a $550 American Autowire Harness. Ive already lost 25 years worth of Hot Rod and Cycle Mags to the Mice .at one Point i had over 2000lbs. .7 Rubbermaid barrels - 350-400 pounds each ...not a cat guy and my Dogs are Old ..i tried the Bucket wheel thing..the mice are too lazy !

 

[ElectroBoy]

From this site:

How Do Mice Fit in Such Small Spaces?

“... Dr. Bobby Corrigan, noted rodentologist and award-winning pest management consultant, states that if you can put a #2 pencil into a hole, a mouse would be able to get through it as well. Others like to use the dime as an example of the width a mouse can exploit. Basically, we’re talking about a space that is roughly ¼-inch across.“

It’s a losing battle.

 

[XJeepguy]

So , essentially he can also slide in where the windshield wiper shaft is :lever:

From this site:

How Do Mice Fit in Such Small Spaces?

“... Dr. Bobby Corrigan, noted rodentologist and award-winning pest management consultant, states that if you can put a #2 pencil into a hole, a mouse would be able to get through it as well. Others like to use the dime as an example of the width a mouse can exploit. Basically, we’re talking about a space that is roughly ¼-inch across.“

It’s a losing battle.

 

[phattyduck]

So , essentially he can also slide in where the windshield wiper shaft is :lever:

Oh, you don't really care if a mouse is under the cowl panel there... You just need to seal that one opening on the HVAC intake. A temporary measure would be just moving the lever to recirc when parked to seal the hole up (though it might still be able to sneak through/around the foam door seal).

-Charlie

 

[Kanoe]

Oh, you don't really care if a mouse is under the cowl panel there... You just need to seal that one opening on the HVAC intake. A temporary measure would be just moving the lever to recirc when parked to seal the hole up (though it might still be able to sneak through/around the foam door seal).

-Charlie

That door makes a pretty tight seal but they could likely chew through if determined.

In Great Basin NP I had a mouse build a nest on top of the closed door. There is a 2 inch depression above the door when closed. The truck was parked for a week while camping. When we hit the highway and opened the door flap (with the fan already on high) I had an explosion of mouse nest through the vents. Big blast in the face, had to pull over and clean up a bit.

 

[phattyduck]

That door makes a pretty tight seal but they could likely chew through if determined.

In Great Basin NP I had a mouse build a nest on top of the closed door. The truck was parked for a week while camping. When we hit the highway and turned on the heater I had an explosion of mouse nest through the vents.

-Charlie

 

[CLeeJ]

Mix water and peppermint oil and spray in engine bay, etc....

About a year ago, VSC Trac lights were on in our Lexus LX470 and I assumed wheel sensor or other problem. However, I found some chewed wires, and this was what was causing the lights. Not sure if the chewed wires were from a mouse, chipmunk, or squirrel, but very problematic either way.

After doing some research on line, one suggestion was moth balls in a small plastic bag with holes. I put a bag of moth balls in the engine bay behind the battery. However, moth balls can be toxic to dogs and other pets, and you can smell the moth ball odor...

I then found that peppermint is also a rodent deterrent. I took a spray bottle and filled it with water and added some peppermint essential oil, and I give the engine bay and wheel wells several good squirts every month or two, and this seems to be working and I have not seen any more signs of rodents.

Lee

 

[shazbot]

That door makes a pretty tight seal but they could likely chew through if determined.

In Great Basin NP I had a mouse build a nest on top of the closed door. There is a 2 inch depression above the door when closed. The truck was parked for a week while camping. When we hit the highway and opened the door flap (with the fan already on high) I had an explosion of mouse nest through the vents. Big blast in the face, had to pull over and clean up a bit.

Same thing happened to me when i first got my runner just instead with mud, PO said she really wasn't using it and it had been sitting around. I was really excited and as soon as I jumped the freeway, I opened the vent and got blasted in the eyes with small chunks of dy mud and sand. That was fun trying to merge into traffic at speed with my eyes burning and partially blinded.

 

[sjwelna]

When I first got my 3rd gen chipmunks had literally filled the entire airbox and snorkle tube up inside the fender completely full of dog food. Not only that, but they had packed dog food into the support channels for the hood, half filled the frame rails underneath, and several other bizzare areas. Took a lot of time, water, and compressed air spray to get it all out. When I dumped out the airbox it was a pile about 12" around and 8" tall. Probably 5lbs of dog food in front of the filter. No wonder it had no power...

 

[BackOff]

Worked well

This is the one i was talking about... rat trap.
The trigger part is to complicated though and fails eventually.
The pan is a good design as it makes the rodet stand on it to get down into the bait/cup/peanutbutter.

Have gone back to the old school wood Victor rat traps, mice wont hardly set them off but gets these BIG packrats we have in central Oregon.

 

[endo1]

I think i have a problem with this too.