mouse in my car--HEEEELP!

bethievt · 12-12-2007, 11:14 AM

Yesterday I removed a mouse nest from my car--the AAA guy found it when he was replacing a flat tire. Today I opened my trunk and there was a mouse. I screamed and he crawled away. I am so freaked out!! I called a pest elimination place and she said poison or snap traps are the only options. Snap traps creep me out too. I'm putting poison in there, but does anyone have suggestions?? I feel sick!

WashDad · 12-12-2007, 11:17 AM

If you put poison in the car and little mousie dies up under the dash or under the driver's seat you'll have something to remember it by!

Snap traps are disgusting, but if you wear latex gloves and just toss the whole trap with the mouse still in it, the disgust factor can be minimized. Good luck.

EDITED: Don't you have some BIG STRONG male you can flutter your eyelashes at? We know we are being manipulated, but we still can't help it. A smile and maybe a couple of homemade cookies is usually enough.

cnp55 · 12-12-2007, 11:17 AM

I absolutely hate the sticky traps ... but maybe they are better than the snap traps. There are also have-a-heart traps.

Or ... you could put a bucket in the trunk and a ramp to the bucket and some good treats on the ramp ... and the mouse will go in and not be able to get out ... that's a cheap trap that I use in the shop for catching escapee hamsters.

Good luck ... please note I am not suggesting the hungry snake idea as that cure is worse than the disease!

soozievt · 12-12-2007, 11:26 AM

Bethie.....I vote for WashDad's response. I may be sexist here but certain jobs fall to my husband. He takes care of all dead mice in our house. You can use the poison or traps in your trunk and get hubby to do the deed.

And if you are that freaked out, ask him to switch cars until the mouse is caught!

damom · 12-12-2007, 11:33 AM

Eeeeew. Can you smoke bomb it out?

garland · 12-12-2007, 11:33 AM

I vote for a Have-a-Heart trap. They work well, just don't let it out too near th house or car, or he'll be back again.

A few years ago, we had a mouse issue in our house. I ended up putting out traps every night, often cuaght 2 or 3 at a time. I was convinced the same ones were coming in--was tempted to mark them with White-out to test the theory, but never did.

Instead, I'd go out really early (pre-dawn) to various parklike areas in town and try to let them out without anyone seeing me. It was pretty comical, in retrospect.

BunsenBurner · 12-12-2007, 11:34 AM

Bethie, ouch! I'm not a mouse fan either. Go to your local hardware store and buy an electronic mouse trap. It zaps the rodent with electric current, and there are no sqashed bodies to deal with. Simply shake the dead mouse into a garbage bag (no need to look!), reset, and repeat until the pests are gone:

Electronic mousetraps by VictorPest

It flashes a little indicator light when there is a mouse inside. Small, compact and GREAT!

Added: If you had a nest in your car, there is a good chance you have a mouse problem in your garage. A bunch of Victror traps strategically placed around the garage or a call to Orkin Man should keep them in check. Also, mice do not just go for the warmth - they look for food sources, too. Try to eliminate thoise. My D's forgotten Powerbar was the source of my latest infestation.

Chedva · 12-12-2007, 11:36 AM

I've ended up with mouse nests in my car, too. Someone suggested mothballs in the engine (which is where they go to keep warm), but the smell was too much. I put mothballs under my car in the garage, but they didn't do much.

Unfortunately, they keep coming back even when I've removed the nests. We have to clean out the garage!

So I'm hanging around here for more suggestions!

garland · 12-12-2007, 11:43 AM

BTW, for baiting traps in a non-messy way, we found that mice love dry dog food.

vulture3 · 12-12-2007, 11:46 AM

Oh oh oh. Bad memories. I saw a mouse in my car years ago when I was driving. Who knew a person could pull over and get out of a car that fast!! All I knew to do was open all the doors, pound away and cross my fingers the little thing got out - I had to get to work. This was shortly after discovering the scent of dog food when I turned on the car heater...a mouse had gotten into the dog food (chewed through a cheap plastic container) stored in the garage and was "restoring" it for personal use in my car. What a mess getting THAT all cleaned out.

I only wish batting the eyelashes worked. No, I am the official spider killer, bat chaser (bats, they give me the willies due to a childhood incident) and mouse remover of the house. I personally have no problem with the snap traps - it's a nuisance rodent that carries diseases and I just want to know for sure it's gone.

(A dead mouse in some hidden nook of a car would be a very bad thing.)

damom · 12-12-2007, 11:52 AM

No problems with mice in the engine here, but we've had a marten eat away part of a rubber tube. Car kept stalling, and that was the reason. Apparently they like the taste of rubber!

citygirlsmom · 12-12-2007, 11:56 AM

call the Car Guys...they LOVE these kinds of stories....get your 15 minutes!!!!

anyway, have a heart traps....and a dead mouse doesn't smell bad for THAT long

UMDAD · 12-12-2007, 12:49 PM

Leave a potent dose of valium with a note - it's either suicide or a death trap.

I think it's best to give the little fella options.

bethievt · 12-12-2007, 12:50 PM

Well I had one die in my car's ac a couple years ago and it was pretty awful, but snap traps creep me out to even set. I hate the noise they make and I'm afraid they're going to snap on me! I'm going to look for VictorPest traps, but I'm afraid to get in my car.

My hubby is a wonderful persin in many respects, but if he doesn't feel like doing something around the house he flat out doesn't do it. My son is much better--I can't wait to get him home!

bethievt · 12-12-2007, 12:53 PM

UMDAD

Ha,ha--If I had Valium, I'd be taking it myself, not offering it to a rodent!