tvac

Looking for some advice on my mouse situation. I've got 'em in and around my garage. They've gotten in my cars before and just recently they eat the damn fuel injection harness on my Honda ST1300 which has really pissed me off. I'm still crying over it.

I set 8 traps around the garage armed with fresh bait. Wanted to set some Decon out also but have a dog and don't want to risk it. Even if I have to sleep next to it, they are NOT going to get near the TSX! Do you guys have any better options or ideas?

MCDavis

What are you storing in your garage that is keeping the mice around? That would be my first objective...get rid of whatever they are attracted to.
Second...bait as safely as you can. Mice tend to run against walls, using their wiskers for guidance. Set the traps close to walls. Also, if you want to keep the dog safe, try glue traps. They're a bitch to get off, but at least a glue trap won't break your dogs foot if he/she happens to step on one. Decon is a good idea...if you can keep the dog from eating the Decon or the dead mouse that has ingested the Decon.
Lastly, as much as I hate cats...try a cat.

tvac

No food gets stored in the garage. They seem to like the shelter and heat.

Excellent point and I think I will try liberally sprinkling the glue traps around.


Got one but it's a house pussy and wouldn't last an hour outside.

russel082581

im kind of a nerd when it comes to this thing. i would suggest yourself or hiring someone who plays a flute to dance the mice away, j/k
bad joke ok seriosly.
traps and poison work at first however they will stop working because mice and rats breed like crazy and because of that they also evolve quickly and learn what to avoid.
you need to get rid of whatever they want, heat, comfort? get rid of it, block it, make it uncomfortable or inaccessible.
also using perimeter traps is best as sited above but use them on the outside and near the entrances to your garage.
also cut back any trees or bushes where a tree rat could climb up and enter your attic, rats and tree mice can fit into the smallest holes, so get on your roof and take a look for hair stuck around little holes, dirty i know lol
good luck

pickler

how do mice get into your garage? just seal any holes.

Hammer97e

Dryer sheets are supposedly the ticket. My uncle has several classic cars which he stores in a large shed at his rural home. I guess he uses dryer sheets as a nicer smelling alternative to moth balls. Evidently mice hate the smell, he spreads them out around the tires, exhaust pipes, glovebox, engine bay, etc. After he drives them, he will put them in the engine bay, as it will stay warm and be an instant attraction to a mouse looking for a warm place to make a home. I don't know if it's just an old wives tale or what, but seems to work for him. Hasn't had any problems since he started doing it after the bastards did some damage to his 66 GTO.

b.ike

Look around your garage perimeter and stuff steel wool into any cracks/holes larger than 1/4" I swear those little buggers can flatten their body so much, they can fit themselves through that size.
Simply caulking any points of entry is not enough b/c mice can eat through that stuff. But if they encounter steel wool, they'll run the other direction

tvac

Interesting little mouse story, a while ago when I had my '88 Accord I went to do a valve adjustment, opened the valve cover, and a whole family of the little bastards ran out. The cleaner housing was filled with mouse bedding and turds. They had crawled there way up the intake runner and made a home in the air cleaner. They actually commuted 100 miles a day with me back and forth to work. Found out later they had got into the climate system too. They suck and I hate 'em! If anyone has any good mouse destruction stories I'd love to hear them 'cause misery loves company.

I wish I could seal off the entry points to the garage, the problem is they enter around the bottom corners of the garage doors which I can't get to perfectly seal against the frame. I've added new gaskets but like someone already mentioned, the little shits can squeeze their body through a 1/4" hole easy.

With all these great tips I think I'm going to take a multi-pronged approach to the problem. As a first line of defense I'll keep the 'ole snap traps set and add some glue traps for good measure. I'll leave several small dishes of peanut butter and Decon out at high locations where the dog can't get at them. And finally I'll get some of those dryer sheets and set them strategically around all the vehicles in the garage. I also noticed a hole where the outdoor light cable runs out so I'll jam that with steel wool.

thunderbt3

I live somewhat out in the boonies and they just plowed over some cornfields to build some big housing developments. I've had my share of mice and thier poop in the basement and garage. I've tried glue traps with peanut butter in the center as bait. That works well but sometimes they drag the traps around. I've had good luck with building my own trap. It should work pretty well in garages and basements. I've had about 6 kills in about a span of 4 months.

Take a dowel/stick/coat hanger and put it through the center of a pop can. Tape the dowel over the top of a 5 gallon bucket. build a ramp up to the top of the bucket with a piece of wood. I like to smear some peanut butter on the ramp just to get the scent on it. Coat the pop can with peanut butter. The mice will run up to the top and try to jump onto the pop can coated with PB. The mice will spin and drop to the bottom of the bucket. I put some antifreeze and lysol in the bucket so they drown/die pretty quick instead of just plain water. You can leave the bottom of the bucket dry also and release somewhere else if you don't want to kill.

Not my vid, but heres what the trap looks like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSk79YcuIRQ

HeavyDuty

Oh man, that sucks! When I lived in Orlando (Apopka, acutally) the state of Fla flooded some old muck farms (Lake Apopka is the 2nd largest body of water in the state, Okeechobee being the obvious first.)

The little bastards were so bad, the local news was driving through our neighborhood looking for interviewees & my wife happened to be outside. I still have the VHS somewhere.

AMEN on the glue traps! If you use poison, they will die in their little holes and stink like hell. With glue traps, they cannot get free, then their little buddies come to resue them and get stuck, too.

It seems cruel, they starve to death, but above all, they're a health hazard. You can contract hanta virus from inhaling powdered vermin feces.

etzero

Two words: Rat Zapper
http://www.ratzapper.com/

Without fail, every winter mice enter my garage & house. Tried sticky traps, worked some times but mostly got away. I don't like poison as they die in hard to reach areas and stink for ages.

Tried two Rat Zapper Ultras and they kill about 20 per season now with very little effort. Even found multiple dead mice in one trap a few times. Just dump out the dead mice, place new bait (I use peanuts), press the reset button and good to go. Will require some cleaning every 20 kills or so.

tvac

BOOYAH! I really like this solution. I can't wait to head down to my local ACE Hardware and pick one up. Thank's for the tip!

Yumcha

Firstly, it's "mice"...not mouses.



But, if all fails, hire an exterminator...

TSXKid2010

I dare you to put your hand inside it

tvac

I new dat but thot it mite get ur attention...

I have been known to lay my tongue across a 9v battery from time to time so maybe I might try tasing a hand...

tvac

Thought you guys might get a kick out of these photos. This is the inside of my ST1300 motorcycle. A longitudinal V4 looking down in between the throttle bodies. They've made mincemeat out of the injector harness. Even found one of the bastards in there.

pbhak002

o..oh the bubonic plague is back to get back at Hondas :0

TSXKid2010

Oh shit man that sucks....though I did laugh, sorry, but that still sucks!

ed_423

man that doesnt look good