Agh. And eek.

[Pen]

Agh:  on a holiday weekend during CV19 our electric for outdoor fridge and freezer not working...  left message for electrician but no replies thus far...

 

Eek:  seeking blue ice packs to try to keep things cold, I went into out truck trunk and found mice...  we had had mice troubles earlier this year now obviously have more.  One jumped out. The rest seemed seemed to all go forward over spare tire and possibly have a way in to main part of vehicle.  I put cat in cab.  Set 3 bucket traps in trunk. Now am on break .  Then need to clean out can and set more traps in place of cat. Cat is fairly useless but I hope maybe cat odor will help deter mice.  

 

Then back to the electric problem , freezing blue ice packs, moving most perishable stuff to inside fridge and trying to find an electrician.  

 

[klmama]

((Pen))  I hope you get ahold of an electrician soon.  

[RootAnn]

Sorry to hear the cat is fairly useless. I would have suggested a good mousse but it sounds like your cat isn't keeping them away and/or dwindling the population on its own.

Its the electricity supply, not the actual fridge/freezer? Can you run a temporary extension cord? 

[Carol in Cal.]

Yikes!

Last night I discovered unmistakable signs of a rodent attempt to nest in my box of coffee filters.  I still have not figured that all out yet.  UGH.

[Selkie]

15 minutes ago, RootAnn said:

Sorry to hear the cat is fairly useless. I would have suggested a good mousse but it sounds like your cat isn't keeping them away and/or dwindling the population on its own.

Its the electricity supply, not the actual fridge/freezer? Can you run a temporary extension cord? 

I agree, can you use an extension cord? Or move the fridge to a different location temporarily?

[gardenmom5]

is the truck in an enclosed garage (or do you at least have one available?) or open?

1ds's car had extensive mouse damage.  (it was $$$$ to fix).  the Mechanics thought they were gone. . . . we parked it in the garage for a few nights.  the first night, nothing.  the second night we had three mice in our rolling-log bucket trap baited with peanut butter.  the third night, we had another one.   that was after not having mice in our garage for months - so they came in on his car.  (he's now living with 1dd, so he can park his car in her garage.)

2ds has complained about an odd smell recently, so his is currently in the garage with the trap next to his car.  (mice love peanut butter.).  last winter he had one run across his windshield and dive under the hood.   parked, opened the hood attempting to 'sweep' it away with a broom - and it took a flying leap into the wilds.

Edited May 24, 2020 by gardenmom5

[Scarlett]

1 hour ago, Pen said:

Agh:  on a holiday weekend during CV19 our electric for outdoor fridge and freezer not working...  left message for electrician but no replies thus far...

 

Eek:  seeking blue ice packs to try to keep things cold, I went into out truck trunk and found mice...  we had had mice troubles earlier this year now obviously have more.  One jumped out. The rest seemed seemed to all go forward over spare tire and possibly have a way in to main part of vehicle.  I put cat in cab.  Set 3 bucket traps in trunk. Now am on break .  Then need to clean out can and set more traps in place of cat. Cat is fairly useless but I hope maybe cat odor will help deter mice.  

 

Then back to the electric problem , freezing blue ice packs, moving most perishable stuff to inside fridge and trying to find an electrician.  

 

Do you have a long extension cord?

 

[Pen]

2 hours ago, RootAnn said:

Sorry to hear the cat is fairly useless. I would have suggested a good mousse but it sounds like your cat isn't keeping them away and/or dwindling the population on its own.

Its the electricity supply, not the actual fridge/freezer? Can you run a temporary extension cord? 

 

Yup.  I got a temporary extension cord to the freezer.  

I am afraid to overload circuit and freezer is more important of the two right now.  I am putting blue ice packs etc on rotation to go into refrigerator. 

1 hour ago, gardenmom5 said:

is the truck in an enclosed garage (or do you at least have one available?) or open?

1ds's car had extensive mouse damage.  (it was $$$$ to fix).  the Mechanics thought they were gone. . . . we parked it in the garage for a few nights.  the first night, nothing.  the second night we had three mice in our rolling-log bucket trap baited with peanut butter.  the third night, we had another one.   that was after not having mice in our garage for months - so they came in on his car.  (he's now living with 1dd, so he can park his car in her garage.)

2ds has complained about an odd smell recently, so his is currently in the garage with the trap next to his car.  (mice love peanut butter.).  last winter he had one run across his windshield and dive under the hood.   parked, opened the hood attempting to 'sweep' it away with a broom - and it took a flying leap into the wilds.

 

Truck is out in open and our garage doesn’t close.

 

I put peanut oil in buckets in the truck trunk hoping they will head back there.  

I will soon open front hood and spray some mint oil on inner hood and maybe put some mint sprigs from garden just on the engine area, and inside cab.  And then spray front end ground with the mint spray (not back since I’d like them

to go back there) 

then more traps in can and trunk (it has a trunk area under back bed) . 

I have to empty it as much as possible.  Looks like they can use outside food sources like nuts and fir seeds, but are really enjoying bedding materials from extra emergency clothes to reuse shopping bags to a roll of paper towels that we had. 

My first aid kits and such look okay, I think.  I dunno. Bandages might have been taken by the mice. Tylenol.  Who knows.  

They had a nest in a roadside emergency reflective highway cone.   Lined it with my CV19 travel washcloths partly shredded up. And possibly drank my travel water and nibbled my soap. 

I hadn’t opened the compartment since my March stock up on things trip.   Oops. 

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, Pen said:

 

Yup.  I got a temporary extension cord to the freezer.  

I am afraid to overload circuit and freezer is more important of the two right now.  I am putting blue ice packs etc on rotation to go into refrigerator. 

 

Truck is out in open and our garage doesn’t close.

 

I put peanut oil in buckets in the truck trunk hoping they will head back there.  

I will soon open front hood and spray some mint oil on inner hood and maybe put some mint sprigs from garden just on the engine area, and inside cab.  And then spray front end ground with the mint spray (not back since I’d like them

to go back there) 

then more traps in can and trunk (it has a trunk area under back bed) . 

I have to empty it as much as possible.  Looks like they can use outside food sources like nuts and fir seeds, but are really enjoying bedding materials from extra emergency clothes to reuse shopping bags to a roll of paper towels that we had. 

My first aid kits and such look okay, I think.  I dunno. Bandages might have been taken by the mice. Tylenol.  Who knows.  

They had a nest in a roadside emergency reflective highway cone.   Lined it with my CV19 travel washcloths partly shredded up. And possibly drank my travel water and nibbled my soap. 

I hadn’t opened the compartment since my March stock up on things trip.   Oops. 

how high are the buckets?  could you put a bowl (maybe 4"? tall, like a med sized bread bowl.) with a couple inches of peanut oil in the engine compartment?  they get in, and can't get out because they're covered with the peanut oil.

they go for the engine compartment as it is warm, and there are lots of nooks and crannies. . . . . and the filter . . . . . according to our mechanic - that's a favorite spot.  (we've had to replace filters destroyed by  mice on two different cars.  it convinced us to NEVER buy another Nissan. it cost twice as much for the same repair at the same shop as the camry.  it was all about the difference in the design of the cars.)

[Pen]

26 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

how high are the buckets?  could you put a bowl (maybe 4"? tall, like a med sized bread bowl.) with a couple inches of peanut oil in the engine compartment?  they get in, and can't get out because they're covered with the peanut oil.

they go for the engine compartment as it is warm, and there are lots of nooks and crannies. . . . . and the filter . . . . . according to our mechanic - that's a favorite spot.  (we've had to replace filters destroyed by  mice on two different cars.  it convinced us to NEVER buy another Nissan. it cost twice as much for the same repair at the same shop as the camry.  it was all about the difference in the design of the cars.)

 

Engine area not especially warmer than anywhere else probably since it has barely been driven—though actually it did go around 100feet and back yesterday.    Still, it was cold last night so it’s not especially warm now.  

 

Maybe I should have left “their” wash cloth etc nests, but too late now.  I could maybe put some other nesting materials in way back on purpose. 

Im trying to dissuade them from the front important , engine etc area, and also away from cab interior , and to entice them back into the trunk.  

Well really, I’d like them to leave and go be field mice who live in fields. 

The pails are pretty small like child sand toys.  I have caught mice in them before in basement.  I lined 3 up in the trunk, and they do have peanut oil.

 

then I think some regular snap traps like maybe on the spare tire.

I don’t really want them in engine area but could put a snap trap on engine easier than a pail in that area. 

And I think they want a comfortable bed.  More than food.   They seemed to have set up a nursery with probably multi generation living. 

The Filter might make good bedding and so might my seats. And the floor carpeting. 

 I think I would rather give them a new roll of paper towels and some rags.  

Even giving them a good new towel and/or washcloths would be more cost effective than a vehicle repair.  It looked liked towels were their favorite things. 

 

 

Edited May 25, 2020 by Pen

[Pen]

So back to mice and electric.  I am about to see if I caught any last night.   And give them more goodies and traps.  I did give them an old ripped flannel sheet that had been in dog crate, and some paper towels. I meant to give them a wash cloth as that seemed to be their favorite, but it got lost in transit.

still no word from electricians

do electric problems really tend to be on holiday weekends (not to mention during pandemic)? Or is that just more memorable?

 

[4everHis]

FYI We are having mice issues for 1st time. So is my sil, 2.5hrs away. The hardware guy said a lot of people are this year. Doesn't help with your particular mouse issue but helps to know it isn't just at my house.

[J-rap]

Ugh, we had a mouse issue when our family had to leave our home for a year.  It was TERRIBLE.  As in, they pretty much took over our house, and even when we returned, they'd nonchalantly walk across our living room carpet when we were in the room, as though telling us it was their place, their turf, and they didn't care that we'd returned.

We set up multiple traps and bought a rodent poison online (one that isn't sold in the US, but was sold in Canada).  I'm normally opposed to poisoning creatures, but in this case, we didn't know what else to do.  We also suddenly had a dog and multiple people suddenly living in the house with us, and altogether, it seemed to completely solve the problem.

 

[Pen]

2 hours ago, 4everHis said:

FYI We are having mice issues for 1st time. So is my sil, 2.5hrs away. The hardware guy said a lot of people are this year. Doesn't help with your particular mouse issue but helps to know it isn't just at my house.

 

What I think might be happening: 

 

Around here there was a previous rabbit problem, even before the current hemorrhagic rabbit virus, which in turn meant hawks didn’t have enough to eat.  

Loss of hawks seems to have led to oversupply of field mice.  

Field mice who find cushy house or car nooks like to become house and care mice rather than roughing it in the outdoors. 

 

Anyway, I caught one last night, but I am sure there was a large extended family pack, or at the very least 6-8.   What is a mouse grouping called? A pack? A gang? A horde?  Well anyway, there are probably at least 5, but probably a dozen or so of the gang on the lam. 

 

 

The truck is right by house.  

I don’t want to start engine and have them go up to nice warm engine, but I’d also sort of like to park farther away with hope that maybe if they evacuate they won’t move to house.