Rodent Preparation // Detterent Thread

[ChapterM3]

As the title states - I thought to create a thread to discuss all the ways to prevent rodents from coming into our beloved cars from engine bays to whatever else.

I'll update this thread as we go for the most important points so people can search for them later on.

I have been thinking about what to do to my car to prepare it before going on vacation soon and wanted to ask the community what their best findings are?

I've found a few different things online –
- Irish spring soap shavings in the engine bay (no too confident on this)
- Rodent repellent canisters I've seen on Amazon that you 3M tape to the car, which I am hesitant about as I feel they'll probably just fall off

EDIT:
Thank you all for your input so far - I'd like to continue the conversation with two tracks –

1. Preparation for home/garage - vacation/storage of the vehicle
2. Preparation for mobile solutions of a vehicle that might be driven to various locations and parked in various conditions. I.e. driving to a different part of a city for a night, parked in a different environment as per usual for half a day, etc.

As much as I appreciate the home care, I have heard of too many other stories that have come up about people leaving their cars in areas that they visit only to come back and realize something is wrong.

What experience do you have with mobile solutions that are kept around the vehicle that are also suitable for city/highway driving?

Anyone who has experience in this area, please chime in! Thank you!

[maw1124]

TomCat is what I've used to pretty good effect. All of my cars might sit for weeks at any given time, and I've observed that whenever I see rodent droppings or other evidence, these end that.

Tomcat Mouse Killer Disposable Station for Indoor Use - Child Resistant, 1 Station with 1 Bait https://a.co/d/hD4EuKF

Never seen a dead mouse or rat anywhere, but also no nests and the droppings cease which tells me it's doing something. I put the trap under the cars and the green blocks in the engine bay. If they bypass the poison and eat the harnesses or the rest of the car parts, well, charge it to the game.

maw

[AWE46M3]

CarCapsule!

On a more serious note, great topic. I recently found mouse droppings clearing out the garage in my house. I am getting the garage finished but want to ensure I have a trap of some sort to catch and kill the mouse before it can get cozy in my engine bay. I was chatting with my contractor and saw a mouse come running out of a juniper bush in the front yard. Going to clear out any brush they might hang out in and put a trap or two in the garage in case one gets in.

I am getting a Outpost Rat Bait Station and filling it with some of these bait blocks in an inconspicuous area of my garage. From what I've been told, it's almost impossible to keep them out if they're around. They only need an opening big enough to get their noise in to squeeze into your garage. My thought process is if they get in...they'll head straight to the bait station and take the bait. The station keeps pets and small children out so the bait blocks can do their thing.


Subbed to see what others post.

[Pklauser]

Snap traps wherever the car is stored, and "Fresh Cab" rodent repellent pouches. One under the hood in the drug bin, one in the trunk. I've had rodent problems before, but not since doing both of these things.

[cobra]

Open the hood, and set up these all around it: https://www.amazon.com/Indoor-Reusab.../dp/B09MR5P332

It's damn near perfect for me. I have serious rodent problems where I live.

[MathewM3]

I put my cat/cats in the garage the few times I have issues with critters. The garage is rat free within 24 hours.

[keljos]

In my experience i've had reasonable success just being consistent with snap traps, and replacing them as soon as they catch any. The problem comes when I get lazy. I've also tried peppermint solution spray around the perimeter of the car although it was difficult to tell how successful that was. Getting a cat is probably the most effective and lowest effort way to combat this.

[ChapterM3]

Thank you all for your input so far - I'd like to continue the conversation with two tracks –

1. Preparation for home/garage - vacation/storage of the vehicle
2. Preparation for mobile solutions of a vehicle that might be driven to various locations and parked in various conditions. I.e. driving to a different part of a city for a night, parked in a different environment as per usual for half a day, etc.

As much as I appreciate the home care, I have heard of too many other stories that have come up about people leaving their cars in areas that they visit only to come back and realize something is wrong.

What experience do you have with mobile solutions that are kept around the vehicle that are also suitable for city/highway driving?

[Will]

I've tried Irish spring soap bars (4-5 of them placed throughout the engine compartment) and i'll find them on the ground with bite marks. I've tried peppermint oil, did nothing as far as I can tell. Snap traps with peanut butter gets swiped / flipped over and then the peanut butter is taken while no mouse / rate is caught. Neighbor's cat roams, but these mice / rats don't fear them.

I resorted to zip tying Bounce fabric softener sheets to various components to saturate the compartment with the smell, and this had some effect. Not sure how long they would remain effective as each time I used them for a week or two and I'd replace with new sheets from the Costco-size box. There's probably be 8-9 sheets in the compartment. Zip tie was to keep them from being removed like the soap.

Not sure as to a mobile solution. Keep some Bounce sheets in a zip lock for that?

[Casa de Mesa]

Keep the hood open during storage if you can. Keeping the hood open seems to not make it as appealing of a space.

After completely re-wrapping my wiring harness last year, I found a mouse tried to chew the engine bay harness that goes along the passenger side fender. Luckily it didn't get far. I left the hood closed for a week by accident when it happened. Hasn't been an issue since.

Also those traps that cobra posted about (post #5) are exactly what I use. I have 8 of them around the garage. In the past 2 weeks, I've caught 4 mice in them. Discard the mouse, set the trap again. I have found they work best if you place them along the edge of a wall or an object. They seem to stick close to the sides of things.

[cobra]

I've tried Irish spring soap bars (4-5 of them placed throughout the engine compartment) and i'll find them on the ground with bite marks. I've tried peppermint oil, did nothing as far as I can tell. Snap traps with peanut butter gets swiped / flipped over and then the peanut butter is taken while no mouse / rate is caught. Neighbor's cat roams, but these mice / rats don't fear them.

I resorted to zip tying Bounce fabric softener sheets to various components to saturate the compartment with the smell, and this had some effect. Not sure how long they would remain effective as each time I used them for a week or two and I'd replace with new sheets from the Costco-size box. There's probably be 8-9 sheets in the compartment. Zip tie was to keep them from being removed like the soap.

Not sure as to a mobile solution. Keep some Bounce sheets in a zip lock for that?

Try screwing down your snap traps so they can't be moved. I had that issue outside in the shed where the BIG rats hang out, and the traps were going missing. A small screw is all it took to fix that

[c watson]

During storage I would put about 6 childproof/ animal proof bait stations. Preferably 3-4 around the outside of the garage and 2-3 on the inside. Leave one bait station under the front end of the car.

Use two different brand baits. Some mice/rats like a variety of stuff.

Here’s my personal combo.

ProTecta Sidekick Rodent Rat and Mouse Bait Stations- 6 Stations, Black, (SK4500) https://a.co/d/6QZWRzi


JT Eaton 716-S Nectus Soft Pest Bait https://a.co/d/e9Ec1WQ


This is the top dog

Just One Bite II Rat & Mouse Bar 8pk 8lb https://a.co/d/5h0ejHy