I have been riddled with this problem for years. My Ford Freestyle a favorite of the local mouse kingdom that hangs out in my fields.
Usually it’s just a matter of some Mom seeking the car out to make a nest, I find tracks, find various ways to trap, fumigate with various scents, whatever - and a mouse either dies and decays somewhere, or leaves. Had them in my Toyota Highlander before, too, but you could access the heating system from the glove compartment, so could reach them that way. No such option in the Freestyle.
This year I have had one stubborn individual. He/she made themselves at home in March, I believe. All I know was that I made a trip to Boston, and having seen the creature a few days previously (scratches coming from inside - I open the glove compartment and voila!!! ack!!! Mouse runs back inside. :mad:), I sprayed, made noise, laid out traps, and thoroughly cleaned every inch of humanly accessible car surface. (That is, without dismantling the HVAC system - which is a quote of at least $1000).
I have my favorite coffee cup with the yummy plastic top (first one previously nibbled by another mouse - this a replacement) in the cup holder, with a large cup of hot chocolate. It is March, and the winter has been mild, but, of course, this trip to Boston it decides to snow. HARD!
I get to sister’s. Leave the mug in the cup holder. The next morning go to shovel the driveway, and mug cover has been nibbled on!! :mad::dead: I un-bury the car, and crawl to neighborhood hardware store for a shovel for my sister, and multiple rodent glue traps for me. Set up the latter on the floor of my car. Next morning, cheese/peanut butter gone. Traps have been moved, but no miceys attached. :mad:
In later weeks, I have alternately sprayed all the vents with Lysol, Febreeze, have laid mint laden cotton balls throughout the car, dryer sheets, sprayed, cleaned numerous times.
This summer I could not rid my car of this creature whatsoever! The last set of glue traps were almost successful, but critter managed to drag one over to the corner where the seat is anchored to the floor, and wedged it there to accomplish its escape. :no::mad:
So 2 weeks ago, I get the call - contract job in FL if I want it and can make it there in 6 days. Tidy up all items - including another trip to Boston with smelly mouse evident, last minute visits/instructions for horsey, meeting house watchers and contractor. Thorough spraying/cleaning of said car once again. Pack solidly to the top of each compartment with all belongings necessary for a long haul, including cat in cat carrier.
Stop at sister’s in VA. Cat gets to stay overnight in their garage. Decides he doesn’t want to make trip. This entire time this mouser has had no interest in the rodent in the car, but the fact that we are facing imminent death-in-car because it moves. BIL dismantles all stuff in garage and an additional hour later we are on the road. We stop at several rest areas along the way for snoozes. Get to FL 2 hours before work, check in at hotel, release cat in room with goodies, and get into car. Rodent friend stay behind in any of these rest areas? No! Scritch/scratching evident on way to work.
So after a week at hotel, finally move into housing yesterday. Unload all from car. New mug cover buried with other packed items AGAIN chewed on! How does he find it?!?!?
Buy a large McDonald’s chocolate shake for the unpacking boxes job that awaits. Drink it down before getting to house. Leave plastic cup with cover in cup holder.
This morning. Drove the 5 minutes to work. Constant scritch-scratching from the passenger side area where I have bag of horsey related items I picked up from the barn on my way out. (Ugh.) Pull into space at work, arriving early. Look again towards passenger seat, and then DOWN at the cup holder.
Critter is in chocolate shake cup, which, covered with a dome-shaped lid, affords no escape!!! It is trying to scramble up the sides, repeatedly dropping down. I had left the cherry from the chocolate shake at the bottom of the cup, and it is now a striped critter - grey with white/brown with pink dots from the cherry. :dead::D:applause::ambivalence::encouragement:
:lol:
Cool as a cucumber, in my business best, I reach down, walk across the parking lot to an awaiting line of palm trees, and toss creature from cup about 10’ into the sand/gravel, and walk back to car.
Darn, the heat index was over 100 today.
I THINK he’s gone. I fear, among the hundreds of cars there, he may have found mine, although I had to run an errand mid-morning.
I believe this is the plastic cup version of the bucket-trap, previously mentioned in this category. Which, in its original design, has been quite successful at the house. :encouragement:
So remember! Mouse in car?!? Won’t be fooled by traps, or swayed by fragrances or sprays? Can’t afford HVAC disassembling?
Empty McDonalds milk shake mug (leaving cherry as a bonus) = one heckuva mouse trap!!! :winkgrin:
