| Pages:
1
2 |
CP
Nomad
Posts: 434
Registered: 7-19-2006
Member Is Offline
|
|
Household remedy for mice eating truck wiring?
Cats and traps aside, do you know of any common Baja household ingredients to get rid of the mice that have done a number on our Tundra's delicious
wiring? I would rather repel than kill (for the moment). I know we can get something effective next time we go to a big town, but I'd like multiple
deterrents until then. I don't have mothballs or peppermint oil...
Found an amazing assortment of items stashed in the air filter box.
|
|
|
Russ
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6742
Registered: 7-4-2004
Location: Punta Chivato
Member Is Offline
|
|
I've had / have them too
Bahia Concepcion where life starts...given a chance!
|
|
|
DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
Member Is Offline
|
|
| Quote: | Originally posted by CP
I would rather repel than kill (for the moment). |
Just let us know when you have a change of heart. One particularly intriguing way to dispatch the little bastards has been written about here,
involving a paint bucket, a coat hanger, a beer can, and peanut butter.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
|
|
|
monoloco
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6667
Registered: 7-13-2009
Location: Pescadero BCS
Member Is Offline
|
|
The best thing I have found is leaving the hood open, pack rats like enclosed places to make their nests, if you leave the hood up it is less inviting
to them.
|
|
|
Gypsy Jan
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4275
Registered: 1-27-2004
Member Is Offline
Mood: Depends on which way the wind is blowing
|
|
Adopt a Cat or Cats
They will pay you back, many times over.
We have a 10-year old Baja cat living in our garage. No rats, no mice, no problems.
Edited to add a PS--
Before we hired our monthly fumigadora service, our house cats regularly killed and ate the scorpions that ventured inside.
They would deposit the stingers as a prize (proof of service?) in our bed.
[Edited on 9-25-2010 by Gypsy Jan]
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
|
|
|
Cypress
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7641
Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
Member Is Offline
Mood: undecided
|
|
The cat or the bucket? Decision? Both!
|
|
|
Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Full Time Residents
|
|
simple...
move the truck to another location
|
|
|
CP
Nomad
Posts: 434
Registered: 7-19-2006
Member Is Offline
|
|
| Quote: | | Quote: | Originally posted by DanO
|
Just let us know when you have a change of heart. One particularly intriguing way to dispatch the little bastards has been written about here,
involving a paint bucket, a coat hanger, a beer can, and peanut butter. |
El husband wants to know about the bucket.....please tell.
|
|
|
wessongroup
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 21152
Registered: 8-9-2009
Location: Mission Viejo
Member Is Offline
Mood: Suicide Hot line ... please hold
|
|
"El asesino de rata", was what my Scout was called .. was a true killer
A Jack Russell was bred for this.. they are very effective .... even with insects
|
|
|
Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
Member Is Offline
Mood: Full Time Residents
|
|
build a better mouse trap...
http://www.doityourself.com/stry/building-a-mouse-trap-with-...
Tools and Materials:
Metal hanger
Pliers
Plastic bucket
Water (optional)
Bleach; 1 tablespoon (optional)
Peanut butter
Empty pill bottle with lid
Drill with bits
Stirring stick for paint
Duct tape
Step 1: Preparing the Bucket
Gather up a 5-gallon plastic bucket and fill it 1/3 with water.
The temperature of the water does not matter.
The idea here is that when the mouse enters the water it'll eventually tire from swimming and drown.
Step 2: Preparing the Bait for the Mouse
Take the wire hanger and unravel it.
Use your pair of pliers to make the hanger as straight as possible.
The hanger will become the proverbial pole that dangles the carrot.
Grab your drill and pill bottle.
Select a drill bit that is slightly larger than the thickness of the hanger.
Now, make sure that the cap of the pill bottle is sealed tightly.
Next, drill a hole through the center of the cap and thread the wire hanger through the hole.
Finally, open up the jar of peanut butter and generously coat the outside of the pill bottle. Try to cover the entire bottle.
Step 3: Setting the Trap
Place the trap where a mouse is likely to come across it.
Keep in mind that mice, on natural instinct and because they have poor eyesight, stay along the walls.
Once you have located the perfect spot place your bucket.
Use the duct tape and affix the wire hanger halfway down the bucket.
Now, bend the wire hanger so that the pill bottle that is covered in peanut butter dangles over the center of the bucket.
The last thing to do is to prop the paint stirrer on the side of the bucket so that the mouse can run up it.
They will smell the peanut butter and race up the stirrer.
In their need for the peanut butter they will take a leap at the bottle but will wind up in the water.
|
|
|
Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
|
|
Here's an old rancher's remedy for mice eating wiring.
Simply fill a bowl with Pinesol and put a rag in it. Put it into the problem area. The pungent smell keeps the mice away.
It works for my duk truck...
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
|
|
|
CP
Nomad
Posts: 434
Registered: 7-19-2006
Member Is Offline
|
|
OK, my husband really appreciated that detailed explanation.
I'd like to share that we not so long ago rescued a mouse from hypothermia after it had fallen into a damp cubeta on a chilly night. We nursed it
back to health and sent it off with lots of good mouse foods to enjoy a good mouse life... at the expense of our truck wiring it seems. We even named
the darned mouse.
That said, I think I'll let El Husband take it from here. I LIKE THE PINESOL IDEA - that we can do!
Thank you all super mucho for the comments and advice.
|
|
|
Stickers
Senior Nomad
Posts: 571
Registered: 4-12-2006
Location: SoCal
Member Is Offline
|
|
Fix that worked
Pack rats once ate my wires and vacuum lines on my Bronco after leaving it for 6 months in my carport.
Local repair shop guy told me to buy habanero peppers, chop them up and boil in small pot. Once boiled down put solution in small spray bottle and
spay under the hood.
Worked like a charm and never had the problem again 
WARNING: WHEN BOILING THE PEPERS WE EVIDENTLY CREATED TEAR GAS AND HAD TO EVACUATE THE HOUSE FOR A FEW HOURS! Not kidding
|
|
|
DanO
Super Nomad
Posts: 1923
Registered: 8-26-2003
Location: Not far from the Pacific
Member Is Offline
|
|
The version I'm thinking of is different.
1. Put about four inches of water in the bucket. Add bleach for a faster kill, antifreeze if you have no small children or pets.
2. Drill holes through centers of top and bottom of beer can that are slightly larger than the diameter of the coat hanger. Instead of a coat hanger
you can use a dowel, cut to just slightly less than the diameter of the bucket. The holes in the can will need to be slightly bigger than the
diameter of the dowel.
3. Straighten coat hanger and cut off excess length beyond what is need to span the top of the bucket with an inch to spare on both sides.
4. Spread a ribbon of peanut butter all the way around the middle of the can.
5. Thread the can on the hanger and place across top of bucket. If using a dowel, wedge the dowel crosswise into the bucket until it is snug and
make sure it's level.
6. Crimp ends of hanger down onto lip of bucket (little duct tape to keep the ends in place wouldn't hurt and it gets duct tape into the mix, always
a good thing).
7. Prop a paint stick, piece of cardboard, 2x4, etc. up from the floor to the lip of the bucket by one hanger/dowel end to give the mice a ramp to
reach mouse heaven.
8. Place this assembly along the wall, in corners or anywhere there's an accumulation of droppings.
9. Mouse runs up the ramp and out on the wire/dowel to the can, jumps on to get the peanut butter and is spun off into the water. The trap is
reloaded and ready for more.
10. Rinse bucket and repeat. If you are squeamish about killing them, don't put any water in the bucket.
\"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.\" -- Frank Zappa
|
|
|
woody with a view
PITA Nomad
Posts: 15939
Registered: 11-8-2004
Location: Looking at the Coronado Islands
Member Is Offline
Mood: Everchangin'
|
|
or substitute wire for string (who has wire coat hangers in the new millenium?, plus the string gives better traction for the hungry fellas....). poke
holes in the ends of a beer can and fish the string thru. tie knots against each end of the can so it won't move. tie the string to where the wire
bucket handle attaches to the bucket, or just drill holes in the bucket.
within 2-3 nights the entire population will be in remission......
|
|
|
bajaumpaw
Junior Nomad
Posts: 55
Registered: 3-11-2008
Location: Mulege/Texas
Member Is Offline
|
|
It might be too expensive there but we leave a floresent drop light (what mechanics use when they work on cars) turned on under the hood of our
hunting vehicles here in Texas to keep the little guys from eating the wiring in the engine area. Works very well.
|
|
|
Santiago
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3512
Registered: 8-27-2003
Member Is Offline
|
|
Hav-a-Hart mouse trap
[img] [/img]
I keep one of these in my BOLA cabin and routinely trap mice and then release them under the trailers of whichever neighbor has recently dissed me.
Back in my college days we used to mark the little critters by removing one of the back toes (I kid you not) but current sensibilities require the use
of a permanent marker. You can then keep track of multiple captures.
Dano's idea of using the bucket without water is a good one although I think a mouse could easily jump out of a 5 gallon bucket. World record for
mus musculus (house mouse) is 37" as a response to a startle. I suspect your generic field mice would be similar.
I applaud your attempts to remove them alive, after all, coyotes gotta eat too.
You can buy these traps here.
|
|
|
Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
Member Is Offline
Mood: Optimistic
|
|
Here's some "Old Household Remedies"
Peppermint Oil
•Mice are not fond of mint aromas, such as peppermint. To help keep mice away, soak cotton balls in peppermint oil and place them in areas of mice
infestation. You'll need to refresh or replace the cotton balls when they dry out to ensure maximum effectiveness and to prevent the mice from using
the dried-out cotton balls as nesting material.
(I've done the mint oil in a spray bottle...worked for mice and also ANTS...the little pests once invaded us by the thousands at a state park in
Californa.)
Peanut Butter
•If you're having trouble trapping a mouse, bait the trap by spreading peanut butter on it. Mice are strongly attracted to the peanut butter scent and
it should draw the mouse out of its hiding place. The peanut butter's sticky consistency also makes it more difficult for the mouse to escape from the
trap. Be sure to remove the trap as soon as the mouse is caught to prevent attracting additional mice.
Ammonia
•Mice may also be repelled by the strong scent of ammonia. Fill small bowls with ammonia and set them in places where you may have spotted signs of
mice. This method is not recommended, however, if you have pets or small children roaming your household as ammonia can be harmful if accidentally
ingested.
Used Cat Litter
•If you own a cat, take even greater advantage of having this instinctive mouse hunter around the house by placing a small amount of used cat litter
where mice tend to frequent. The scent makes the mice aware that a cat may be lurking nearby and can drive them out of your house.
Chopped Cork - (lethal)
•Chop a wine bottle cork into small pieces and saturate them in bacon or steak grease. Place the bits in areas where the mice hang out. The scent of
the grease will attract the mice, and the ingested cork will clog their digestive systems, resulting in death.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
|
|
|
durrelllrobert
Elite Nomad
Posts: 7393
Registered: 11-22-2007
Location: Punta Banda BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: thriving in Baja
|
|
| Quote: | | .....and the ingested cork will clog their digestive systems, resulting in death. |
works well on winos also 
Bob Durrell
|
|
|
Pescador
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3587
Registered: 10-17-2002
Location: Baja California Sur
Member Is Offline
|
|
They are not available in Baja that I know of, but the sound repellent devices sold by the major mouse trap companies like Victor really do work well,
I had the same problem with my Tracker, and put a unit on an extension cord and have never seen another mouse come anywhere close to the vehicle.
http://www.victorpest.com/advice/all-about/victor-repellents...
|
|
|
| Pages:
1
2 |
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
