R50/53 That Darn Mouse
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3rd Gear
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 292
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From: Lexington, NC
So this is the story, I go out to the car yesterday to check the Alta air filter for dirt and what do I see when I open the bonnet? I see my Jackson red sparkplug wires CHEWED to the nylon!! 
Coordinator :: Alabama Motoring Society & South East
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 10,170
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From: Burning-Ham Alabama
There are mousetraps that capture the mouse alive if you need snake food.
Since you live on some acreage, how about adopting a barn cat or two?
3rd Gear
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 225
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From: Pensacola FL
SAME thing happened to me just hours before I was to hit the road for the FL pulley party... The thought of seeing my new shinny Nology's chewed keeps me from sleeping at night. The little bastards even ate my intake pipe as well... I turned my property into an EPA Supersite with poison... And I guess I should throw the moth ***** up under the hood just to be safe, placement?
3rd Gear
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 254
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From: Powhatan, VA
Here in Germany there is an animal called the marder, same family as the ferrit that crawls up in the engine compartment and eats the rubber. Luckily the German parts stores sell a product that I spray on the engine and hood underlining to keep the pest away. It has worked for me for some 5 years now so I keep using it. I have heard that moth ***** will also work, but I can't imagine smelling moth ***** in the car while I drive.
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 2,806
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From: Santa Rosa, CA
>>A little bag of moth ***** or snake pellets from your snakes should do it. 
What do you mean by snake pellets?
What do you mean by snake pellets?
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6th Gear
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 4,293
Likes: 2
From: Cincinnati, Ohio
I grew up on a farm, and mice in the equipment just goes with the territory. Suggestions include: Get a couple of barn cats, get a black rat snake or two to live in your garage, d-con the heck out of the place. Keep an extra set of plug wires handy. My problem areas have been anywhere warm: on top of the engine, around the heater and radiator, near any hoses that carry coolant, or hoses leading to the air filter. Mice are tough. You must be tougher!
My worst experience is when my father's Jack Russel Terrier chased a mouse up into the front fender of my MG, and then proceeded to chew out all my wiring and headlight chasing the terrified rodent. Cost me over $100 in new parts.
My worst experience is when my father's Jack Russel Terrier chased a mouse up into the front fender of my MG, and then proceeded to chew out all my wiring and headlight chasing the terrified rodent. Cost me over $100 in new parts.
2nd Gear
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 111
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From: Kentucky, USA
I have an identical problem. Get an outdoor (barn) cat. I live on 10(+) acres of wooded land in KY. My vehicles are kept in my garage, and yet I still have to inspect all engine areas frequently for infestation. I have recently installed an outdoor cat (frre kitten from a neighbor), along with one of those electronic rodent repelling thingies and have noticed a huge improvement.
2nd Gear
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 111
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From: Kentucky, USA
>>
>>
>>How do you install a cat? Is any special mounting hardware required? And does the cat come with complete installation instructions?
>>
>>
The installation is pretty straightforward, no instructions needed. Retrieve cat from source, plop down in middle of garage/barn, introduce food & water dish and escape route (kitty door), close doors (or not), and walk away.
Note that installation of indoor cat is MUCH more complex and includes sizing and location of "litter"....
I have recently installed an outdoor cat
>>How do you install a cat? Is any special mounting hardware required? And does the cat come with complete installation instructions?
>>
>>
The installation is pretty straightforward, no instructions needed. Retrieve cat from source, plop down in middle of garage/barn, introduce food & water dish and escape route (kitty door), close doors (or not), and walk away.
Note that installation of indoor cat is MUCH more complex and includes sizing and location of "litter"....
6th Gear
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,706
Likes: 0
From: Tallahassee FL
The installation is pretty straightforward, no instructions needed. Retrieve cat from source, plop down in middle of garage/barn, introduce food & water dish and escape route (kitty door), close doors (or not), and walk away.
Note that installation of indoor cat is MUCH more complex and includes sizing and location of "litter"....
Note that installation of indoor cat is MUCH more complex and includes sizing and location of "litter"....
It's the same old story. I had the rodent problem and here is the thread that resulted. Included in the year-old thread was this thread that predates mine!
In my case the rodent nibbled on the original plug wires. I ended up replacing them with bright red ones from Randy.
Embedded in the original thread was this suggestion from YuccaPatrol:
My MINI hates Mickie! :evil: Tom
In my case the rodent nibbled on the original plug wires. I ended up replacing them with bright red ones from Randy.
Embedded in the original thread was this suggestion from YuccaPatrol:
Try Grannick's Bitter Apple Spray. It can be bought at pet stores and is used to strongly discourage animals from licking or gnawing on things. I used it for a dog that was obsessively/compulsively licking her ankle raw, and it worked great.
I even tasted it once, and can assure all of my fans here that it really is more bitter than anything any normal person would ever want to taste. Bitterness factor on par with hotness factor of a Habanero pepper. (This is an excellent time to remind everyone to read and consider my signature quotation!)
Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have thought that this stuff would be an automobile accessory, but doing something to prevent rodents from chewing on expensive wiring would be a top priority for me, especially as I have had a family of mice live in the fuzzy bonnet liner of my VW GTI, and if I had thought of it then instead of now when it was too late, I might not have such a shredded bonnet liner.
I even tasted it once, and can assure all of my fans here that it really is more bitter than anything any normal person would ever want to taste. Bitterness factor on par with hotness factor of a Habanero pepper. (This is an excellent time to remind everyone to read and consider my signature quotation!)
Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have thought that this stuff would be an automobile accessory, but doing something to prevent rodents from chewing on expensive wiring would be a top priority for me, especially as I have had a family of mice live in the fuzzy bonnet liner of my VW GTI, and if I had thought of it then instead of now when it was too late, I might not have such a shredded bonnet liner.
>>>>A little bag of moth ***** or snake pellets from your snakes should do it.
>>
>>What do you mean by snake pellets?
When snakes take a dump they leave little pellets.
The rodents will smell them and stay away you probably wouldn't be able to though.
Just a couple of moth ***** should do the trick, you don't need a whole box their sense of smell is a lot better than ours so you don't need to stink up the MINI.
>>
>>What do you mean by snake pellets?
When snakes take a dump they leave little pellets.
The rodents will smell them and stay away you probably wouldn't be able to though.
Just a couple of moth ***** should do the trick, you don't need a whole box their sense of smell is a lot better than ours so you don't need to stink up the MINI.
4th Gear
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 321
Likes: 0
From: Mexico
Try bitter apple or lime spray. They sell the spray in most pet stores. It´s supposed to keep dogs, cats and ferrets from licking / chewing themselves and other things.
You can spray it every other day. It does tastes horrible (i tried it)
A couple of years ago I had a ferret and used the spray on my hands to keep him from bitting me. It worked wonders
You can spray it every other day. It does tastes horrible (i tried it)
A couple of years ago I had a ferret and used the spray on my hands to keep him from bitting me. It worked wonders
5th Gear
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 726
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>>Try bitter apple or lime spray. It´s supposed to keep dogs, cats and ferrets from licking / chewing themselves and other things.
>>
>>You can spray it every other day. It does tastes horrible (i tried it)
Yeah, but did it keep you from licking yourself?
>>
>>You can spray it every other day. It does tastes horrible (i tried it)
Yeah, but did it keep you from licking yourself?
Neutral
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Desert packrats infiltrated my Cooper S engine compartment building a nest out of chewed up hood insulation, prickly pear and number 4 cylinder spark plug wire. The nest was nicely built around a half pound of mothballs with bits of rat poison mixed in with the nest bedding. They also chewed through the trickle charger wire which probably gave them a hot lip. It seems the poison, mothballs and electrocution have its limits. Shot 4 with a pellet gun one evening before they could hole up. Latest plan of attack includes open hood and a trouble light suspended with a darkness activated bulb. If this doesn't work, I plan to electrify the car with an electric fence transformer!
4th Gear
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 321
Likes: 0
From: Mexico
You got it Calvin. I haven´t licked ever since...
Here´s another option that worked on my garage: Place a couple of those sticky mouse traps and place a very smelly cheese in the middle of the trap (wear gloves to handle the trap). Place the trap under your car.
Those things really work. I trapped a huge rat with that method. The problem is disposing off the animal since it doesnt die.
Here´s another option that worked on my garage: Place a couple of those sticky mouse traps and place a very smelly cheese in the middle of the trap (wear gloves to handle the trap). Place the trap under your car.
Those things really work. I trapped a huge rat with that method. The problem is disposing off the animal since it doesnt die.
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