Fellow Mini lovers,

Recently discovered mice remains in engine compartment. No damage yet. Initiated mothballs. Garage is now a toxic environment. Any other ideas? Leaving the hood up every night was suggested, but it's pretty theoretical.

What works?

Bruce

 

Cat

 

What he ^ said. We have Tigger, aka "The mighty hunter." Only downside is the occasional half of a critter left on the doormat. No mice or rats here - at least not for very long.

 

Sticky traps? Mouse traps?

 

Nothing beats a cat!

 

Someone here recommended spearmint oil? in the vehicle to keep the mices out of the cabin. Good luck!!

 

If they are in your garage they are breeding in your walls. You can get some stuff on doyourownpestcontrol.com I keep these little mouse blocks out all the time.

But they breed faster than you can kill them. If you have seen evidence of one, there are at least 20. Deploy mousetraps in banks of 9 in various locations and bait them with peanut butter (must change every day). They catch on after the first one dies so you want to make them walk across the mousetrap bank. They can eat the peanut butter off the ones at the edge, but always get zapped trying to get to the middle ones. They can not resist peanut butter.

You need to start doing this today or just plan to move out of your house.

 

I've had good luck with the electronic (electric) rat traps in the past. Zaps them dead, has a blinking LED to tell you a critter bit the dust, and you just dump the critter in the trash and reset the power to rearm (they rarely eat all the peanut butter). Easy-peasy, no fuss, no muss.

Lately a pair of snowy barn owls (and chicks) have taken up residence in the local area (tree across the street). No more mice.

 

I've got two Maine Coon cats patroling my house and garage. Haven't had any mice in my house in years.

 

I've also had good luck with those enclosed traps so I don't have to deal with the teeny little corpses.

And Marine: have you gotten any pics of the owls? How cool is that!!

 

Inexpensive home made repeating mouse trap. Also uses PB.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/easterly110.html

 

What a great forum!

Good suggestions. Fly'n Brick, I might try that mouse trap. Our cat is sick. Hope he gets well soon.

Bruce

 

Nope, no pics. :( We've seen them occasionally in the evenings and early mornings, sitting on our chimney or wrought iron fence. As soon as they notice you watching them though, they bolt to another location. Very skittish birds, but also very impressive in size and color...

 

I had mice living in my '03 S engine compartment. My Mini was down for two weeks while I replaced my PS pump. Chewed on my plug wires and built a nest in the air box. Make sure you don't have a nest, little dudes work fast! I haven't had any more mices since I got my cat!