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Mice and our riding mower

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by SSimon, May 17, 2010.

  1. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    We have vacant land on which we house a riding mower in order to cut a trail around the perimeter of our land. This past year we have acquired $700 in damages due to mice getting in the engine and chewing wires. According to permitting regs, we are not supposed to have a shed on our land as there is no primary residence.

    We're researching our options and there don't appear to be any. It was suggested that moth balls or dryer sheets may deter them but when researching this, it probably won't work.

    Does anyone have experience with this problem and short of a shed, do you have a solution? I will not poison as this travels up the food chain to large predators.

    We contacted a service to see if it was cheaper to just have someone mow for us and they wanted $100/mow. This doesn't make economic sense.

    I suggested we use two sheets of plywood nailed/glued together in order to make a floor, front and sides. We could have the top and the back removable so that we can drive the mower in and out and then tape, and tarp, the box when we leave. My husband thinks this would be too flimsy. I'm not so sure.

    Thoughts?
     
  2. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Would the plywood box count as a shed? Mice can get in the tiniest of holes, so it would have to be sealed up pretty tight. Would a large bag of thick plastic work? It might protect your mower and get around the 'no shed' rule. Failing that, a goat on a clothesline tether would keep the grass trimmed for you. Rabbits could do a good job, too. :D
     
  3. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

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    I use moth balls that I keep in a mesh teaball that I hang near the engine.

    But if I had a little money, I'd try Rataway Fragrance ($25 for regular, $33 for waterproof):

    www.rataway.com - Protects engines from rats

    Or, if I had a little will, I'd make my own spray concoction from a recipe that PETA puts out (google it if interested), and that cyberpriusII f/k/a cyberprius has used. You can PM cyberpriusII to ask her how effective it was.
     
  4. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    Rabbits don't last long on our land due to predators. I even saw a deer leg in our creek. The mice, well, they seem to be just fine, however thanks to our mower. :confused:

    We discussed driving it on a large cloth and plastic tarp and then wrapping the mower up in full but figured the mice could chew right threw that so we dismissed the idea.
     
  5. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    Boo, do the moth balls work?

    Thanks for the other link. I'll have to find testimonials as we're not putting the mower back on the land (still in the shop) until we're pretty assured we won't have to accrue more damages.

    Googling, this is a huge problem. You'd think they'd make the engines more mouse proof. :mad:
     
  6. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

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    I think they work. But I didn't have a problem before the moth balls, so I can't tell for sure. I'm using the moth balls just to be safe because, although I live right in the middle of Manhattan, my complex is like an urban park. I think there are more squirrels here than in the woods. Neighbors of mine have reported that their wires were eaten out by the squirrels.

    A couple of downsides about using moth balls under the hood of a car (not your problem with the riding mower): (1) moth balls stink, and (2) moth balls are toxic -- you don't want to be breathing them in much. So I only use about 5-10 of them at a time. A neighbor of mine uses the whole box of them at a time. I can smell his car when I approach it. Can't imagine that his baby breathing moth ball fumes inside the car cabin is healthy.
     
  7. Ichiro

    Ichiro Member

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    Kitty cat?
     
  8. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    No kitty cat. We don't live there.

    Googling Boo's "recipe" led me to cayenne pepper, cloves and mint. I know cayenne works to repel ants as I've used this in my house. I'll make sachets and place around the base of the mower and the engine. This may prove to be a very expensive experiment.
     
  9. Prius101

    Prius101 Paid off Prius Member

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    FWIW - We have used moth balls in our attic to discourage/displace squirrels who found their way in. This did prove effective. Since squirrels are tree rats (related - rodents)..... ;)
     
  10. kenmce

    kenmce High Voltage Member

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    I wonder if you could get the equivalent of a drive on "Scat-Mat"? A couple of solar panels charging up an electric fence charger, instead of a wire it charges a grid that the tractor is parked on??
     
  11. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    How about snakes? :D

    They'll eat the mice, evade the other predators, and be scared off by the noise and vibration of the mower.
     
  12. mhadden

    mhadden Precision driver!

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    Or put some Decon around the mower...they'll be munchin' on that stuff before your mower's wires! :D
     
  13. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    We have friends that have tried this recipe with their summer house. So far it hasn't worked, and neither has anything else short of poison, which they won't use either.

    You could always feed the mice. They won't eat the wires if there is something else to feed. My brother uses this technique for ants. On the other hand, if you stop feeding them...

    Tom
     
  14. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    We have snakes. There's one that is always under the mower when we move it. It's a slacker snake, evidently.

    And I still won't use poison due to poisoning up the food chain. There are too many awesome predators hunting our land.
     
  15. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    I understand your stand against poison. Just in case you change your mind, some of the rodent poisons show a low tendency to accumulate and work up the food chain. A little research will show you which ones to avoid.

    Tom
     
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  16. drees

    drees Senior Member

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    Get a push mower?
     
  17. mhadden

    mhadden Precision driver!

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    Get an owl. Or hawk.
     
  18. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    Red pepper definitely works to rid ants. I've tried it twice. He'll need to find out where they're entering and the douse the area with red pepper. It will take a day or two but it works.

    Here's what we did so far. We purchase a large tarp and sprinkled red pepper on top of the tarp and put critter repellent in sacks hanging around the engine. We tied the tarp up surrounding the mower. They can still enter but hopefully they won't like the habitat and/or cannot climb up the slick tarp. We also moved the mower from the side of the trail surrounded by prairie to the fire pit area that is mowed clean. We're hoping they don't like the openness of this area.

    We haven't been back yet to see if this is effective.

    I was thinking of putting up a mouse house somewhere but that would probably just yield population explosions.

    I think I'm doomed. :(
     
  19. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    Present and accounted for.
     
  20. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    How about making a moat? Make a rectangular platform surrounded by a water trough, with a couple of removable bridge sections for driving the mower over. Pull out the bridge sections and the mice can't get across.

    You might want to add some chlorine to the water to keep it from growing crud and pests.

    Tom