The rat that built a nest hauled a big chunk of prickly pair with root section into the area it wanted to build a nest on. I will have to remove a protective shield panel from under the nose end to get it out as it got stuck when I tried to push it out.
Mice!!!!!! - By the time you notice, you have an infestation!
- Thread starter RvNaut
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I tried to go to town today to get the bacon grease, but I could not. The next place my car has to go is to the repair shop. This new rat also chewed up the same exact wire as the previous one did. But at the opposite end where it went into the transmission solenoid plug. The rest of that wire had been covered with rodent resistant tape by the repair shop when they repaired it from the first rat damage and just a tiny bit of wire was exposed where it entered the plug.
I did catch a mouse in a rat trap today but just barely, and only by the tip of its tail.
I did catch a mouse in a rat trap today but just barely, and only by the tip of its tail.
My favorite combination is a small amount of cheese slightly melted onto the trigger of a spring trap with a flame to make stick and difficult to get off, then a small amount of peanut butter on the bulge of the trigger and the spring stay wire that rests under the bulge as not only bait but lubrication. I always wear rubber gloves when handling the traps or bait to prevent human smell. If I catch any I again wear rubber gloves up tight over long sleeves, turn a freezer bag inside out and quickly pick up the trap and mouse and then flip the bag and seal it before disposing it. If I reuse a trap I boil it and let it dry to get rid of any smell after emptying the dead mouse in a freezer bag and sealing it. Fleas carrying virus can sense the mouse has died and immediately begin to look for a living host, don’t let it be you! My neighbor uses live traps for this reason and just dumps the whole trap into a bucket of bleach water killing the fleas before the mouse drowns. I have caught 3 so far this season with no new signs he is up to over two dozen but he also has a garden and a bird feeder nearby.
Photogal39Travels
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I use peanut butter in the middle or so and add a stale raisin.
Or
I sit out raisins in the air to become stale, not as soft and then add to the trap.
It's worked for me
Or
I sit out raisins in the air to become stale, not as soft and then add to the trap.
It's worked for me
StacyK
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So what do you suggest I soak with peppermint oil that would not make good nesting material?
StacyK
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^ Thank you! I’ll give that a try.
I do have a possible suggestion to consider that will let you use those cotton balls and renew the scent on them as well as not allow the rodents haul them away. Put the cotton into refillable tea balls. The kind you put into a teapot or tea cup. As they are mesh or made with lots of surface holes the scent will come out. Rodents can't easily chew through those stainless steel containers and they will hold up to weather as well as heat. But do secure them in place so they don't bounce around as you drive.
I think I will try it myself. Scented cotton balls in a tea ball, it certainly seems like a doable setup but of course at this point a concept rather than something I have tested. The large ones could also hold moth balls.
Perhaps tea balls are dollar store items? I have never looked for them there but it seems likely to be in the kitchen utensil area. Walmart is very likely to stock them. Nothing to fabricate, not messy to use, easy to renew the scent, low in cost, easy to find in stores, it meets the "worth a try" experiment criteria.
I think I will try it myself. Scented cotton balls in a tea ball, it certainly seems like a doable setup but of course at this point a concept rather than something I have tested. The large ones could also hold moth balls.
Perhaps tea balls are dollar store items? I have never looked for them there but it seems likely to be in the kitchen utensil area. Walmart is very likely to stock them. Nothing to fabricate, not messy to use, easy to renew the scent, low in cost, easy to find in stores, it meets the "worth a try" experiment criteria.
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StacyK
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That sounds like a great idea! I had not found spraying surfaces to be effective. The cotton ball idea served me well for a year, until all of a sudden…it didn’t.
Random Painted Highway
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Trying metal tea balls would be a great experi-MINT!
Happy Camper
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This is just a thought exercise, but it might be relevant.
Why not get an essential oils diffuser that steams water and creates a mist and install it under the hood? Or just place it there at night. Maybe one under the vehicle as well arrive you'll need to refill them nightly. Use peppermint or eucalyptus oils, or both if using two devices. They are cheap, don't use much energy and will spread the smell more evenly.
I see some potential downsides, but not significant ones.
Why not get an essential oils diffuser that steams water and creates a mist and install it under the hood? Or just place it there at night. Maybe one under the vehicle as well arrive you'll need to refill them nightly. Use peppermint or eucalyptus oils, or both if using two devices. They are cheap, don't use much energy and will spread the smell more evenly.
I see some potential downsides, but not significant ones.
