Mice and Rodent Damage in Cars and Vehicles... (vehicle, air conditioning, alarm)

[michiganmom48]

I 'm almost sure that we either have mice inside of our van or that they built a nest under the hood and can get inside the car from there. The car remain outside we live in North Carolina. Today on the dash I found what looks just like mice droppings. I had thought this a month ago because we went home for Christmas to Michigan. In the way back of our van a regular family passenger I sat a box with Christmas gifts. I also sat a laudry basket that had snacks in it and other things we took with us to eat in the car. We stayed in hotel rooms and we used the box to put the gifts we got in it. After Christmas we left the box and basket in the car and didn't bring it into any hotel rooms. When we got back I found droppings both in the basket and box and also on the floor of the back of the van. I thought that mabe one of the hotel rooms had mice. I hadn't seen any signs of mice in the house and we have a garage but do not keep the car in there and I put decon in the garage in the Fall. I have heard of people who had rodents build nest in the engine or whatever. How can you get rid of them and what damage to the car could they do. I'm gross out

[ESFP]

Be glad it's not a snake! Nah, that hardly ever happens. Anyway, mice can eat wiring, of which the damage potential is limitless. The mice entered by riding in a box or bag that was put in the van sometime. This is not uncommon. I'd contact an exterminator in your area, as you don't want to poison them and have mice corpses in your vehicle. There is a product they eat that will make them thirsty and they will leave to find water. The product will, incidently, kill them in the process. Good luck!

[BLAZER PROPHET]

One big concern is that mice like to chew on wires. I would have your wiring carefully inspected.

[Tennesseestorm]

I have heard that you can put fresh fabric softner laundry sheets inside the car and it will keep mice out. Give it a whirl.

Yes, like BLAZER said, try to visually inspect your electrical wiring as much as you can, because they sometimes chew up the wiring. They like the insulation off of the wires for their nests.

[CortlandGirl79]

I've always parked my car outside and when i first got it the air conditioning quit working. Well, turns out something.....i'm assuming mice or rats chewed through a bunch of wires! Thank god my dealer fixed it for free.

[Deez Nuttz]

Put a mouse trap in, use peanut butter for the bait. When you hear it go SNAP inspect for a flipped over trap with mice legs kicking....for a few seconds...

We've had issues with mice getting in parked vehicles and pulling the stuffing out under the seats and making a nest in the glove compartment. I think there's gotta be a way they're getting in, if the car sits un driven for long amounts of time.

[Jungjohann]

Wellllll..........You go down to the Humane Society, get yourself a cat or two,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Eh!!!! Could work!!!!! If they're knawing through your wiring harness, and reproducing at an alarming rate, which they do, you could have a veritable herd of them in that mousemobile by springtime!! Just get some of that D-Con bait, it will make them thirsty, the water activates the poison, and POOOOOFFFF!!! No more mice!!! (Just hope they don't knaw through one of your radiator hoses for the water,,,,,,,,,,,,,,)

Aloha and okolemaluna
It's almost 76 out right now,,,,,,,,,,,bbbbrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr,,,,,,,

[M3 Mitch]

Yeah, you want to get the mice out of the car, plus get on an extermination program of mice in your area. If you can keep a cat, most are effective mousers.

I have heard that mint oil can keep mice away.

Try to park the van somewhere away from brush and weeds that provide cover

You can get "tin cat" type traps from Bugspray.com, these will catch several mice in one setting.

D-con is good, another cheap easy poison is to mix portland cement with flour or cornmeal, gives Mr. Mousie industrial strength constipation.

Whatever you do, be ruthless, mice are vermin and you have to be ruthless to win. No Mercy.

[michiganmom48]

Our Van is just parked the driveway.In front of the Garage door. There is no big bushes or anything. I'm really disgusted by this and true I don't go much during the week as I homeschool so the van sits alot although we go on the weekends. The car seems to be runnung okay. I lived in Michigan all my life and I;m not saying this doesn't happen there but I never had anything like this. What I notice here different than Michigan is that I never hardly see any cats. We kind of live in the country and did there. I'm not sure what to really use because I 'm not sure where they are. I saw some droppings on the dash which was close to the vent on the dash. My son put one of those mice boxes on the dash just to see if we get any. What I don't want is any damage to our Van.

[DezertGirl]

Last summer we were scrapping cars and trucks like mad. I have never in my life seen so much rodent damage! Every single vehicle had wires neatly snipped and poopies scattered under the hood and inside as well. I saw old rat poison boxes neatly placed on air cleaners...it had done little good. There were still pellets inside the boxes.
The culprits in my area (Southern California) are: ground squirrels, mice, kangaroo rats, and rabbits.
The best defense is a good mouser cat. Mama cats are the best mousers. I have never had a problem with this kind of damage myself due to having cats. In another location, I had a mouse in my Jeep...a simple glue board worked to remove him.