Mouse Turds In My Car--What To Do?

fin29 · #1 10/26/06, 07:12 AM

I ate a bowl of cereal yesterday on the way to get my son at school. This AM, my husband brought the (dirty but mostly empty) bowl in and it was full of mouse turds. Any ideas about what I can do and/or any concerns I should have since I have three kids that are carted around in this thing every day?

I can't really put poison (can I?), can't eliminate food source since our schedule requires the kids to eat in the car and we have a baby who loves to throw food around, I can't imagine how to set traps in my car--where could I put them--and I don't know how to mouse-proof an old Volvo wagon...

I need to do something...I mean, the thought of a mouse crapping in my baby's car seat as he finishes off an old cracker crumb is giving me the willies.

EasyDay · #2 10/26/06, 07:17 AM

Put PB on mousetraps under the seats after your kids get out of the car.

dk_40207 · #3 10/26/06, 07:18 AM

poison was our last choice, but has been the only thing that even begins to keep them in control around here. We could set traps till the cows come home, and they would get the food off of them 9 times out of 10! They get so bad that you can see them scurrying across the road in your headlights! I startes to keep as much food as I can in mason jars--they even chewed around the ENTIRE lid of some lard in a cabinet--not just one or two holes--it looked like they took a can opener to it.

Try putting the poison down at night in the floorboards or something and taking it up in the mornings...

mpillow · #4 10/26/06, 07:30 AM

Put a bucket of water half full (optimist

) and smear PB on the inside of bucket a couple inches down.....they'll fall in and drown/freeze but check the bucket and remove when car is going to be used....I'd put it in the hatchback part...

There are also sticky traps...put them in the back so kids dont get stuck

fin29 · #5 10/26/06, 07:35 AM

Not bad ideas--the kicker is that the car is parked 10 feet from a nice 28x40' post and beam barn brimming with spilled grain, cushy wood chips in the coop, and baited traps...it's like the mouse land of milk and honey, and they'd rather go to the trouble to get into my car to finish off the dregs of my Kashi...

paden · #6 10/26/06, 07:42 AM

You can't get up 30 minutes earlier to eat at home?

"Pinellas County deputies say a man eating a bowl of cereal while driving accidently hit the back of a deputy's vehicle last Friday in Seminole."
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/wate...?stor---=30825

"Haggerty Classic Insurance publishes this list of driving and eating dangers. They suggest eating and driving is more dangerous than using a hand held cell phone while driving."
http://www.dietitian.com/danger.html

ceresone · #7 10/26/06, 07:42 AM

if they empty traps and dont get caught, try tying a small piece of greasy bacon to the trigger, with a piece of thread, gets them every time

grannygardner · #8 10/26/06, 07:49 AM

I can't imagine eating a bowl of cereal while driving. Not only would I be putting my life in danger but also that of all the other people on the road. As long as you continue to feed the kids in the car and let the baby throw food around those mice will keep eating from that smorgasboard. One big concern of mine would be that the kids are breathing the dust from those mouse droppings.

I'd definitely do two things. One would be to take that car to the carwash and use their high powered vacuum to clean every nook and cranny to get all the bits of food out. The other would be to work on my schedule so that my kids could eat before leaving home.

lilsassafrass · #9 10/26/06, 07:52 AM

I would go to whatever extent to get rid of them .. poison if i had to ... many years ago , my father had to have the carburator in his car rebuilt .. he went out one winter morning to leave for work and car wouldnt start ..
turned out the mice had drug dogfood out of teh dish and conviently (for them ) stored it packed full in teh carberator on the nice warm motor !!!!
My sister had to have her entire dashboard and firewall replaced when chippys got in one night and decided trashed it in her car , they tore out all teh insulation, wiring etc .. and the car never ever smelled right when you turned on teh heat .. lets face it she had to sell it it stank so bad .

Paula
Hyde Park Farm

WanderingOak · #10 10/26/06, 08:09 AM

One thing you could do is at least keep the little varmints from geting into your car. Is it obvious how they are getting in (ie rust holes, open windows, etc)? Do you put the air vents on 'recirculate' when you park for the evening? While they might be living in the car, more than likely they are coming from the outside. You could spray the underside of the car with predator urine, or if you have housecats, sprinkle used kitty litter around where you park (the soiled clay, not the 'chunks'). Keeping the inside of the car clean will also help, as I have heard tell that mice often navigate by scent. It they can smell where other mice have been, they will look for food there. If worst comes to worst, you could put poison inside the door panels, the spare tire well, etc, where you know that your children won't be able to get at it.

Auric · #11 10/26/06, 08:22 AM

Actually, I'd avoid using the poison in the car, as you probably don't want any of them dying somewhere inside the car from where you cannot remove them easily. Use the traps that others have suggested.

fin29 · #12 10/26/06, 08:31 AM

Oh, for God sakes, people...I don't eat while driving, I eat in the parking lot while waiting for my kids to be dismissed. DS2 has to eat between morning and afternoon school sessions, which are 13 miles apart and 30 minutes between each session. I can't believe I'm even responding to such judgemental nonsense.

Anywhoo...I'm off to the carwash (and was before my little "bad mommy" reprimand from granny), and I like the idea of the water trap. I will certainly close up the recirc., as I know that that's usually open and I hadn't thought of that.

fixer1958 · #13 10/26/06, 08:38 AM

Mothballs are supposed to work to keep them out. My FIL does it when his trucks are parked in his barn. Puts them around the tires also when they sit for extended periods but they are more than likely living in there.

holleegee · #14 10/26/06, 08:39 AM

you can put a mousetrap inside a shoebox. It will keep the mess contained so when the mouse gets snapped your upholstry will stay clean.

tamatik · #15 10/26/06, 08:56 AM

I had a camper(fits on truck bed) stored in an old barn at my farm(1500 miles away)I drove for 3 days and arrived there at nite and was just wanting to sleep.My 12 yr old son was with me.We opened the door to the camper and 100's of mice scurried everywhere.I was actually scooping haNDfuls of them and tossing them out the door.They ate the mattress and pooped everywhere.My son slept in the front seat of the truck and I slept on the wooden floor of the workshop.The camper was a writeoff.never to be used again by humans.There never was any food to attract them,just the comfy mattress.

fin29 · #16 10/26/06, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by holleegee

you can put a mousetrap inside a shoebox. It will keep the mess contained so when the mouse gets snapped your upholstry will stay clean.

That's a good idea--I have a feeling they're crawling in through the engine compartment into the passenger seat floor, where the bowl was. I could put a trap there since the kids are never in there...

frogmammy · #17 10/26/06, 09:06 AM

You COULD just clean out the car every day when you park it. No food, no mice.

Mon

HermitJohn · #18 10/26/06, 09:29 AM

Hey, I have few junk cars (er...parts cars) around. No food in them. Mice and pack rats bring their own. They are after dry shelter and redecorate it themselves. However in summer I have to watch a bit as rattlesnakes like to feast on the mice and rats. Little late in the season, but if you want a few rattlesnakes, just say so and if I can find some, I'll parcel post them right away. No charge. If you cant deal with that particular version of the circle of life while having breakfast, I'm sure you could find some non-venomous snakes in your area. Nice thing, them rattlesnakes aint interested in cherrios, mostly just the mice.

agmantoo · #19 10/26/06, 09:49 AM

You can get rid of the current mice but new ones will appear. The reason is that the mice have left their scent trail to your vehicle. Mice have weak bladders and they leak urine. This urine trail is the method that the mice navigate. Until this trail is eliminated the mice will return. The scent is so strong to the mice that a 6 month old trail will lead another mice to the same path. The only thing that I have ever found that will destroy this scent trail is lye. You could sprinkle a light application of lye where you park the vehicle after you have throughly washed the vehicle inside and out. The probability is that some mice are actually traveling with you and are out of sight hidden in the upholstery and wiring. Traps should get these residents out and the lye should prevent a reinfestation.

fin29 · #20 10/26/06, 10:33 AM

Back from the carwash. I vacuumed the whole car and on a whim, I opened up the spare tire well, and two beady eyes were looking up at me. Took the tire out and shooshed the mouse out (tire iron out of reach), but it ran over the back seat. Right now the car doors are open and I keep going out and beating the seats and floorboards to try to scare it out, but obviously it could be anywhere--or out of the car. I'm putting some traps in, but I told DH that if the problem continues, the car goes...he agreed.