1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Prius "A MOUSE MAGNET"

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by cyberprius, Apr 28, 2008.

  1. cyberprius

    cyberprius Mtn Bikes don't need foglights

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2008
    185
    0
    0
    Location:
    oregon
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Patrick Wong, one of my most respected posters, sort of got me thinking of this....

    The Prius is a mouse magnet. I have my old car, a 1987 Corolla parked next to the Prius. I haven't had mice in there since last summer. My husband's '98 Camry is nearby. Last mouse attack on the Camry was last November.

    My Prius has a red bullseye on it when it comes to mice. Is there something about that "soybean and wire" theory....
     
  2. HardCase

    HardCase SilverPineMica, the green one

    Joined:
    Dec 15, 2007
    408
    10
    0
    Location:
    Kalispell, Montana
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Maybe the furry little guys just love that new-car smell.....:eyebrows:
     
  3. ForTheGlory

    ForTheGlory New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2008
    296
    1
    0
    Location:
    Maryland
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    The Prius is just so environmentally friendly that the environment wants to move into it.
     
  4. ravenmaniac

    ravenmaniac Senior Executive VP of Nothing

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2007
    156
    8
    0
    Location:
    DC Metro Area
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Are they in search of their wheel to run on for alternative power. Everyone swears that mine is powered by a mouse:p
     
  5. Brodie

    Brodie New Member

    Joined:
    Mar 15, 2008
    162
    2
    0
    Location:
    Rhode Island
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Huh...I've never had a mouse in any of my cars. Seems like your cars in general, and your Prius specifically, are particularly attractive to mice.

    However, I did have a mouse setup house in an empty (unused) fuel tank that was then installed in a boat....gave the poor outboard fits until we figured out what the heck kept clogging the fuel filters....
     
  6. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 24, 2006
    5,963
    1,979
    0
    Location:
    Edmonton Alberta
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    You need to pull off the wiper arms, then the cowel cover, and install metal mesh in the openings. There is a topic on this site detailing how to do it (including pictures).
     
  7. catgic

    catgic Mastr & Commandr Hybrid Guru

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2007
    586
    140
    1
    Location:
    HTTP 404 Not Found
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    HTTP 404 Not Found
     
  8. Barcelona Red Lass

    Barcelona Red Lass Sips gas like fine wine!

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    227
    5
    0
    Location:
    Sunny So.Cal!
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    "Meece Energy Harnessing Project" hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

    :pound::pound::pound::pound::pound::pound::pound:
     
    Jenpen likes this.
  9. cyberprius

    cyberprius Mtn Bikes don't need foglights

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2008
    185
    0
    0
    Location:
    oregon
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Yeah, I saw those pix....I'll get to that in, oh, 2017:p
     
  10. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    18,198
    6,461
    0
    Location:
    Green Valley, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Thanks, K.

    Consider that your aggressive trapping program may result in reducing the population but increasing the average intelligence level of the surviving mice. Also consider that your use of horseradish as a deterrent may result in highly intelligent mice with a taste for prime rib. That seems pretty scary to me! :eek:

    The long term solution is to eliminate the access points in the Prius which you already know about, plus making your property very unattractive to vermin by eliminating any places where they might nest. Good luck...
     
  11. seasalsa

    seasalsa Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 29, 2004
    1,278
    20
    0
    Location:
    Kent, WA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Cyber quote! "I do such things as pick up tree branches dislodged by the March winds that are lying across the road, or to shoo away the snakes that have come out of hibernation and are stretched across the road soaking up spring sunshine.... (don't want to squash my slithery friends)."

    Instead of shooing those snakes off the road you could take them home to help with the meese problem:D
     
  12. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

    Joined:
    Feb 13, 2007
    5,051
    481
    97
    Location:
    Flushing, NY
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Today's New Cars Smell Like Food to Rodents

    I think HardCase may have hit the nail indirectly on the head.

    Have people noticed that present day new cars have a lot less of that "new-car smell" than new cars did in the past?

    I think this is because of the decreased use of traditional, petroleum based materials/plastics, and the increased use of biobased, food based, eco-friendly, "PVC free" or "halogen free" materials/plastics in cars.

    Today's new cars, with their increased use of biobased or food based materials, may in fact have less "new-car smell" to humans, but more "new-car smell" to rodents searching for food.

    I think this move toward food based, halogen free materials -- especially PVC free wire insulation, covers and harnesses -- may have originated or had its biggest start in Europe. That may explain why the first cars I heard about as seemingly being more attractive to wire eating rodents were all German cars.

    But now, I've heard this soybased, halogen free, wire coverings theory applied to certain American and Japanese cars as well.

    In this regard, I understand Toyota and Honda are among the industry leaders in the use of halogen free, eco-friendly, food based materials in their cars. In fact, Toyota touts its reduction of PVC use and its development and increased use of food based "Eco-Plastic":

    TOYOTA: Company > Technology

    Anyways, what do I know .... Wish someone with actual knowledge about this stuff would pipe in.
     
  13. Jack66

    Jack66 Kinda Jovial Member

    Joined:
    Jan 26, 2008
    766
    6
    0
    Location:
    Stafford, Virginia
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Maybe you could just put a tail on the back of your Prius, whiskers in the front, and a horn that says "MEOW." The mice might get the message and you could give your Prius a cool name like "The Mousetrap" or "The Cat's Meow"...:)
     
  14. Grunthos

    Grunthos Senior Azgoth Poetmaster

    Joined:
    Dec 18, 2007
    81
    3
    0
    Location:
    Minneapolis, MN
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Perhaps it's time to consider a http://www.amazon.com/Sharper-Image-Ultrasonic-Deterrent-SI310TNM/dp/B000A3I9QY-based solution. (Or perhaps those things actually work.)
     
  15. ebsmythe

    ebsmythe Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2007
    45
    22
    0
    Location:
    Port Perry, Ontario
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Since my Prius is parked outside at our cottage I have become concerned that there will be mice in forbidden places inside the car. I have read the posts about removing the wipers etc. to access the drain holes and air intake and did not want to go that route.

    What I did do was place a 1/4 inch mesh galvanized screen directly over the air filter as seen in the attached photo. Since this is the point of entry to the fan and vent parts of the car, at least the mice will have to stop at this point which will make it much easier to clean out any nests or debris just by pulling the filter. In case there is a large quantity of stuff on top it will be wise to pull the filter out a little and slide a sheet metal plate in under the nylon filter case to prevent the debris from falling into the fan area.

    Next comes the back hatch area. Maybe the same mesh will come in handy here.
     

    Attached Files:

    1 person likes this.
  16. cyberprius

    cyberprius Mtn Bikes don't need foglights

    Joined:
    Feb 5, 2008
    185
    0
    0
    Location:
    oregon
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    What a wonderful, wonderful, idea!!!!!!

    I may try to do the screening cowling route this summer, when the weather clears enough that I can actually do some work outside without freezing too much....or....since my husband Ken has gotten a bit less cranky about the Prius, it may be a good July 19th job for him.

    IN the meantime, I am going to stick a piece of screening across the filter. I have a lot of it, since my cat, Mr. Whiskers, loves to shred the screens on the doors.

    Speaking of.....between giving Mr. Whiskers a good talking to, spraying the engine compartment with Mice Potion #9 and setting out a variety of live traps, dead traps and "Just One Bite" bait bars, I have not caught a mouse for four days.....DAYLIGHT AHEAD!!!!
     
  17. ebsmythe

    ebsmythe Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2007
    45
    22
    0
    Location:
    Port Perry, Ontario
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    In my last post I showed the screen on top of the cabin filter. It Worked!
    Today I found the beginnings of a mouse's nest in my lower glove compartment. When I checked the filter screen at least there was no sign of mice on the screen...just the usual bits of leaf etc that normally stops there.

    How did the mouse get into that location? There must be a different route from the outside to the glove box NOT through the air intake filter route.

    My next step will be to remove the wipers and drain pan and screen off the openings that are there. Also I intend to screen off the air openings in the low hatch area which can be accessed from the inside by removing the hatch trim.

    I am also looking suspiciously at a couple of 3/4" holes that can be seen easily near the drain pan on the horizontal body inside the engine compartment above the passenger side wheel. Mice can go through a 3/4" hole.

    Wish me luck!
     
  18. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2007
    10,664
    567
    0
    Location:
    Adelaide South Australia
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Try a mouse fridge magnet.
    [​IMG]
    Even mice like it in a Prius.
     
  19. FourOhFour

    FourOhFour Member

    Joined:
    May 31, 2004
    127
    0
    0
    Location:
    Earth
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Check the foam above the slot the air filter goes in, I bet the mouse got in through there.
     
  20. fcc

    fcc New Member

    Joined:
    May 16, 2008
    245
    4
    0
    Location:
    Nashua NH
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    try cleaning the fast food bags, cheetos crumbs, and etc.. out of the car... ;-)
    regular fast food drive in for meeces!