"Magic" Mouse Bait

Those ultrasonic repeller things are useless I imagine.
edit: Perhaps some less objectionable deterring scents?

 

some claim peppermint works, idk.

 

If you haven't already, do screen the cabin egresses and the engine air intake: it does nothing for the rest, but it helps.

 

As mentioned, this has all been covered pretty completely in the forums and despite a few people claiming success with sound and scents, the empirical evidence does not support the claims. And, I am sure Kris screened off all points possible. I also know she no longer has a Prius; opting for what she feels is a safer Subaru.

What I find interesting about this thread is the mice SEEM to have no problem with "older traps of death," although again, no solid proof one way or another, but evidence seems to point that direction.

The Prius was interesting as it was claimed (was it ever proven?) that the coating for wiring was made of some ecologically friendly soy-based formula, which attracted mice. Again, I never saw any proof of that, but the mice did manage to make a home with my cabin filter a couple of times before I screened it off.

They did get into my Camry and chewed through insulation on one wire, but it was a simple fix. But it did seem the rodents preferred the Prius.

 

mice get into lots of vehicles. i think it was toyota that touted their veggie based environmentally sound wire insulation, among other parts of the car, but don't ask me to find proof 25 years later, they probably no longer brag about it.

 

I recall something about the 3rd gen interior plastic being derived from plant material.

 

-or admit to it?
3 out of 4 of my GMCs are stored outside - since 2009 and I haven't seen any evidence of mousy bites on my wires.

Of course:
Absence of evidence isn't evidence of absence.
I've had cats since 2009 - and co-existed with raptors.
Since giving up the blessings of rural life (2013) I am forced to coexist with humans who keep outdoor cats in an urban environment.
Statistics...sample size=1. Statistics do not lie - but liars USE statistics.


TIFWIW.....

 

Prius isn't the only model, nor Toyota the only brand, using biobased plastics.

When putting out a mix of trap types, we can't rule out happenstance of a mouse coming across one trap vs another.

 

On a search, cedar chips/sawdust was mentioned as a repellent. I can see a parking pad of that material. Would smell nice as well, to most humans. Where to source though?

 

Oh those little battery-operated mice killers DO work....only issue is you have a dead mouse to get rid of...and it's a lot more involved than one dead in a trap. The one I used to use ran off 4 "A" batteries.

We keep cut-up bars of Irish Spring bar soap (original) in our RV camper and it's kept mice out for many years, now....apparently they hate the smell. I've heard Pine Sol is, also, hated by them but I've never tried that. (Folks soak cotton balls with it and put it around.)

 

Did you ever try those glue traps? Years ago, in West Texas, I had a rat coming into my garage so set one of those out and discovered just how cruel those thing are and a rat can scream pretty loud!!! (I've never used one since...killed the rat with a shovel.)

 

When we had rodent issues (in the house) I found a web cam helped a lot, could track and log motion. There’d be a few false alarms, our dog or a moth, but really helped.

 

bagged another mickey in an old school victor last night, sans bait!

 

you da man

 

Funny thread, this.
We've have a rat problem in an office north of here on and off for about the last year.
An outside supervisor works there and he keeps Dobermans , which means that there's an ample supply of dog (rat) food in the office.
It chewed on some fibers for reasons I cannot imagine - because of the glass inside.
The rat, not the pooches.
Rats are really not as smart as people claim.
In a in a 256 fiber bundle, they will pick the most critical one to chew on first.......necessitating a robust response.

SO....
My beloved company called a 'pest control professional' from the company beginning with "O"
In the last few months, they've tried barriers, and suggested rodenticide - which I vetoed not only because it is the 'drift net' of lazy urbanites - but also because I do not want a mammal the size of a small cat decomposing behind a wall in an office that I visit even semi-regularly.
It WOULD be a fitting punishment for the supervisor, though.....
Company "O" then switched to fancy containment traps that I do not think the rats can fit into, and then tried snap traps large enough to endanger small children and probably the Dobies.

I spoke with a fellow CO tech about this earlier today, who informed me that they've now switched to institutional grade glue boards that are large enough to (once again!) be a problem for the Dobermans.