# Mice eating my insulation...what to do?



## mkwl (Jan 21, 2005)

I was upstate for the weekend (it's like 10* at night), popped the hood to fill my wiper fluid, and saw 2 mice (alive) sitting on top of my manifolds by the back of the engine. As soon as I popped the hood they scurried down somewhere. I noticed that some of my firewall insulation has been gnawed away by these little guys...any ideas on how to keep them out of there? I'm worried they'll start to chew up wires and I'll have more issues than just some missing insulation...thoughts?


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## Camden (Mar 10, 2007)

Put some traps out with bait that is more desirable than your insulation (like peanut butter). The mice will find it and your problem will be solved. I bet you could catch them within 1 day too since they're always looking for something to eat.


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## mkwl (Jan 21, 2005)

Camden;940265 said:


> Put some traps out with bait that is more desirable than your insulation (like peanut butter). The mice will find it and your problem will be solved. I bet you could catch them within 1 day too since they're always looking for something to eat.


I had the same thought- only problem is...the truck is always outside, with peanut butter I'll be catching every field mouse for miles around...I was thinking maybe someone knew of where they scurry up to get into the engine compartment, and I could somehow "block" it...maybe I'm out of my mind, not sure...


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## JohnnyRoyale (Jun 18, 2006)

You wont be able to block them out. They can squeeze themselves into the smallest of openings. Set traps w/ cheese or penut butter as already advised.., 

Two years ago we had about 10 field mice move into my gagrage because i left a bag of grass seed out. Took 20 minutes to kill them all with traps and penut butter. Good luck,


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## simoncx (Dec 3, 2007)

My friend just had a simialar thing happen a couple weeks ago, he went to start his truck and nothing, started to look around and the mice chewed through the main harness what a nightmare to splice all the wires back together, They usually go in the engine compartment when it's cold outside and the engine is warm.


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## Maine_Train (Dec 16, 2009)

Try clothes-dryer sheets. That suggestion popped up in a thread I started here, back before Christmas. Somebody said Bounty Original, and several people said they work for keeping the rodents out of RVs and campers.


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## sweetk30 (Sep 3, 2006)

de con mouse killer if you cant trap them.


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## dheavychevy38 (Nov 19, 2008)

If you go to your local jd dealer they have a product called mouse out it is in a spray can couple squirts of that and no more mice. We use it on all of our equipment when we park it in the winter.


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## Roch_Greg (Dec 9, 2009)

Real peppermint oil works very good as well. Better than moth balls. You have to get the real stuff though. But a few drops on some cotton balls (or something similar) and place them strategically around the area you want to protect.

The Peppermint Oil to rodents is like what Ammonia is to us. One good whiff and they go the other way.

The other fellas are right though these critters can work their way through a hole the diameter of a dime. I've seen them set up shop in the glove box, behind the console, in the heater box, inside doors, you name it. Since they can't control their bowel movements they pee and all everywhere they go. Really stinks up a place.


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## nhgranite (Feb 26, 2009)

i'd check your air filter housing to. had a family move in mine. found house insulation, acorns, hair etc.. in it. they do allot of damage in little time. decon works the best in killing them i've found.


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## RichG53 (Sep 16, 2008)

Late Fall I put out mouse bait in those little seal bags..I throw them behind bushes and in the back corners of the garage .. I get them before they decide on a place to live..
If you own pets PLEASE be careful they can't get to the poison...

So far mouse proof..


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## ajslands (Sep 3, 2009)

go to the pet store and buy a cat, or eat the mice your self, i hear there high in protien


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## newhere (Oct 13, 2009)

Take a five gallon bucket and fill it half way with antifreeze and water 50/50 and set it under the engine bay with some part close so they can easily look into the bucket. Trust me, just try it. I'm almost sure it is against the law but I won't tell if you don't. I also double it up and thro some moth balls agound for the ones that weren't thirsty.


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## Maine_Train (Dec 16, 2009)

newhere;940905 said:


> Take a five gallon bucket and fill it half way with antifreeze and water 50/50 and set it under the engine bay with some part close so they can easily look into the bucket. Trust me, just try it. I'm almost sure it is against the law but I won't tell if you don't.


I dunno about the legality of it, but you'd want to be damn sure your dog can't drink out of that bucket. I believe it's propylene glycol that creates the sweet taste in antifreeze that seems to attract animals, and it's the propylene glycol that sickens (and kills) animals and people who have ingested it.

Likewise with any other poisonous baits. If it attracts mice, it might also attract something you *don't* want to kill off. That's why I think you'd be better off with something that repels them. If the mice don't set up housekeeping in the truck, they don't do any damage before the poison takes effect.


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## show-n-go (Feb 5, 2009)

I have a cat, he goes outside most of the day or night depending on weather and i haven't seen a mouse since i got him. He kills moles and anything else that he can catch. Plus he always puts them on the porch so i can see what he did. lol 
Oh yeah he was a rescue cat too, so it only cost me to fix him.


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## Mark Witcher (Feb 21, 2004)

Vanilla air fresheners is what all the farmers use around here. They put a couple in the cab(full strength) of the tractors and combines and it keeps the mice out. Stick a couple under the hood.


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## RBRONKEMA GHTFD (Dec 17, 2006)

Tried this before and it worked awesome. 

Take a bucket. (i used a 5 gallon) Cut a notch in each side about 1 inch by 1 inch.
Take a rod, or dowel with a can around the dowel or rod. (make sure it spins) then place peanut butter on it, then fill the bucket with about a gallon of water. (enough so they'll drowned) make a ramp up to the top of the bucket so they can walk up. They will try and stretch out to reach the food and as soon as they hit the can its all over. Did that in my old barn. I caught pry 5 of them before it burned.


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## naturalgreen (Dec 6, 2008)

damn mice burned your barn down.
thats revenge for drowning mickey you *******


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## mkwl (Jan 21, 2005)

Hmmm... okay- I'm thinking I need to try something to "deter" them, rather than catch them, since the truck is always outside, not in a barn, garage, or any other enclosure... I think I'll try some mothballs or peppermint oil soaked cotton balls underneath where I park the truck for the night, and see how that does for me...


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## RBRONKEMA GHTFD (Dec 17, 2006)

naturalgreen;941200 said:


> damn mice burned your barn down.
> thats revenge for drowning mickey you *******


No, it was the wood stove. But the fire got the rest of em. I wish i had a scanner, I'd upload pics of the fire.


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## RichG53 (Sep 16, 2008)

A Mouse that carries matches .. WOW !!!!


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## RichG53 (Sep 16, 2008)

You can go to a Barber to get hair clippings (or shave your head).. Spread them around ... Many animals don't like the smell of humans (stink)..


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## bike5200 (Sep 4, 2007)

sweetk30;940364 said:


> de con mouse killer if you cant trap them.


Watch useing this outside, one of our dogs got real sick, spent two days at the vet. The vet said they think our dog ate a dead mouse the was poised from a bait. Our dog is OK.


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## EcoGreen Serv (Oct 26, 2009)

I always get barn cats crawling up in my engine compartment for warmth in the winter.

Learned the hard way to honk the horn before I start the trucks. :yow!:

I've always used whole cloves in small open containers in my RV, motorcycles Etc that is stored for the winter and it's always worked well


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## Maine_Train (Dec 16, 2009)

Glad your dog is okay, bike5200.
I believe d-CON® (and other brands) bait products were/are made with warfarin, an anti-coagulant. Some house mice are warfarin-resistant, so d-CON® has a new formulation.

Cloves are another interesting idea for a rodent repellent. But with that, the vanilla air fresheners, and the peppermint oil, I'd be concerned about attracting bears or something else . . .










:laughing:


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## Cooter24 (Nov 13, 2007)

Fresh Cab. That is a product sold at the local JD dealer. Works very well at repelling mice and rodents. Been using it for years while equipment is stored.


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## 70monte (Feb 5, 2008)

EcoGreen Serv;942139 said:


> I always get barn cats crawling up in my engine compartment for warmth in the winter.


I've had something similiar happen to me more than once. Instead of the engine compartment, the kittens would climb up on top of the spare tire. Unfortunately they rode to work with me which was 30 miles away. The first time it happened, two took a ride to work and my GF had to come pick them up after I chased them around for about 15 minutes. The second time a guy at work saw the kitten jump down after I had already went in and he didn't know who's truck it was. He took it home and still has it to this day.

luckily I have not had to deal with the mouse thing yet but we have a lot of cats around so that keeps them away.

Wayne


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## coral (May 4, 2008)

EcoGreen Serv;942139 said:


> I always get barn cats crawling up in my engine compartment for warmth in the winter.
> 
> Learned the hard way to honk the horn before I start the trucks. :yow!:
> 
> I've always used whole cloves in small open containers in my RV, motorcycles Etc that is stored for the winter and it's always worked well


:laughing::laughing::laughing:

me too.... about 5 months too late, an employee said the truck was smelling bad (aparently he waited till vomiting from the smell was a sign), he had taken it home, it was his for the year, little kitten stunk up that truck bad!!!


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## Duncan90si (Feb 16, 2007)

Roch_Greg;940564 said:


> Real peppermint oil works very good


............x2


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## Bolt-1 (Sep 21, 2008)

i know it was already mentioned. but it needed a pic.


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## dellwas (Oct 16, 2005)

Just be thankful it wasn't this that crawled up for the warmth:

http://www.myinterestingfiles.com/2008/07/broken-fan-belt.html



EcoGreen Serv;942139 said:


> I always get barn cats crawling up in my engine compartment for warmth in the winter.
> 
> Learned the hard way to honk the horn before I start the trucks. :yow!:
> 
> I've always used whole cloves in small open containers in my RV, motorcycles Etc that is stored for the winter and it's always worked well


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## the new boss 92 (Nov 29, 2008)

EcoGreen Serv;942139 said:


> I always get barn cats crawling up in my engine compartment for warmth in the winter.
> 
> Learned the hard way to honk the horn before I start the trucks. :yow!:
> 
> I've always used whole cloves in small open containers in my RV, motorcycles Etc that is stored for the winter and it's always worked well


:laughing::laughing:


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