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I hate meeces to pieces..

diesel4me

diesel4me

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F-N MICE..

It's getting to the time of year here when the dam rodents start moving to warmer quarters..

None have appeared in my house yet--but I'm sure they will soon..

Yesterday I walked by my late parents '93 Dodge Caravan,its been parked off the driveway under trees since my mom passed in 2013...I noticed something "hanging" near the rear side window...

I unlocked the door and was greeted by a wood spider about 3" in diameter,:eek:--killed that,then was disgusted ,to see the whole headliner was ripped open all the way across above the front seats,and was sagging badly in the rear..

I've seen enough mouse nests in junkers at salvage yards to know right away what happened..:angry1:..the whole interior was practically mint in this thing ,and was fine the last time I checked to van about a month ago--to make sure no vagrants were using it for a crash pad.

Every month or so I try to start it up so it wont seize up--last time was back around March though,I put a battery in it and it started after cycling the key several times--the starter had a dead spot for a good year before it was parked but it always started,you just had to turn the key several times..(probably the solenoid ?)...

Anyway it did start,ran crappy on the old gas in it ,it was very close to empty "low fuel" light was on...I tried to move it and it felt like the tires sunk so deep it had a hard time pulling out of the ruts..got it about 3 feet forward so it wouldn't be lying on dry leaves and let it run awhile..shifter shaft in the transmission was starting to bind up so I lubed it with some penetrating oil,so the cable wont break..

I tried to steer it, and it felt like the colum was seized up solid !--I don't know if it has a u-joint in the steering colum,or if the rack seized up..nice..this will make getting it out from where it is parked difficult because it is 90 degrees to the driveway with a retaining wall --unless a ramp truck can pull "sideways" ..

I was torn whether to keep this thing from day one,it has only 94K on it but needs a lot of work--all the brake lines,gas tank looked punky,oil pan too,and the starter,valve covers leak--now that is sat so long all the calipers ,etc will be seized,and it already had the door bottoms patched up...its junk..:(...

I held onto the Caravan this long hoping scrap prices would go up--right now they aren't that great but higher than before--I might get $250 for it scrapping it,but thats if I could deliver it--if they came and got it I'd get less..

I guess its time for it to go--hate seeing it get junked,but I advertised it long ago on Craigslist and got zero replies...not many of these vans left around here now..no one needs parts or wants to fix one up..lot of good times & memories in that thing,it took me to many concerts,hauled garden tractors home in it,and all the trips with my parents,they bought it new in '93..

Now I have to go look at my Chevy van and the '85 Suburban and I'm praying the bastards haven't already infested them too--they were OK a few weeks ago,but that doesn't mean much...even if I parked them in my garage,the mice would still get in them,I've found nests in the garage several times..

An air cleaner I had up on a shelf was FULL of some kind of nuts,and another one was "home".stuffed full of shredded cloth,and mice were also living in the shop vac dirt container!..

No more feral cats around here now,they all died of old age,or got killed by coyotes..didn't have any mice problems in my vehicles when they were around..
Even my pickup I drive daily had a nest under the insulation on the hood,and the engine has shelled nuts all over it...:angry1:

It was only 45 degrees here at 6 am today!--furnace came on during the night,I had it set at 50 degrees and most of the windows were open...similar temps tonight too,highs only in the 70's this week,so this might be the week the dam mice start moving indoors..hate the F-N things,you cant poison them because they'll die in a wall cavity or in your vehicle,and trapping them is a pain in the a$$...nothing I try repelling them with seems to work either,like moth balls,etc--only thing I have yet to try is peppermint oil ,I hear that works,but I know of no place to buy any..
 
You need to check out this guy's channel on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/user/historichunter
Its called Mousetrap Monday. He builds and tests some really wild mousetraps, some of the designs are hundreds of years old. Mankind has been fighting Mice a long time.
I'd like to try some of his traps, but with all the cats around here now, I don't have any mice.

Speaking of which, I noticed this morning that one of mine has had kittens. Their eyes are open and they are running around the front porch.
If you want, I'll toss a few in a box and send them UPS. I figure one or two will make it.............
 
diesel4me said:
F-N MICE..

It's getting to the time of year here when the dam rodents start moving to warmer quarters..

None have appeared in my house yet--but I'm sure they will soon..

Yesterday I walked by my late parents '93 Dodge Caravan,its been parked off the driveway under trees since my mom passed in 2013...I noticed something "hanging" near the rear side window...

I unlocked the door and was greeted by a wood spider about 3" in diameter,:eek:--killed that,then was disgusted ,to see the whole headliner was ripped open all the way across above the front seats,and was sagging badly in the rear..

I've seen enough mouse nests in junkers at salvage yards to know right away what happened..:angry1:..the whole interior was practically mint in this thing ,and was fine the last time I checked to van about a month ago--to make sure no vagrants were using it for a crash pad.

Every month or so I try to start it up so it wont seize up--last time was back around March though,I put a battery in it and it started after cycling the key several times--the starter had a dead spot for a good year before it was parked but it always started,you just had to turn the key several times..(probably the solenoid ?)...

Anyway it did start,ran crappy on the old gas in it ,it was very close to empty "low fuel" light was on...I tried to move it and it felt like the tires sunk so deep it had a hard time pulling out of the ruts..got it about 3 feet forward so it wouldn't be lying on dry leaves and let it run awhile..shifter shaft in the transmission was starting to bind up so I lubed it with some penetrating oil,so the cable wont break..

I tried to steer it, and it felt like the colum was seized up solid !--I don't know if it has a u-joint in the steering colum,or if the rack seized up..nice..this will make getting it out from where it is parked difficult because it is 90 degrees to the driveway with a retaining wall --unless a ramp truck can pull "sideways" ..

I was torn whether to keep this thing from day one,it has only 94K on it but needs a lot of work--all the brake lines,gas tank looked punky,oil pan too,and the starter,valve covers leak--now that is sat so long all the calipers ,etc will be seized,and it already had the door bottoms patched up...its junk..:(...

I held onto the Caravan this long hoping scrap prices would go up--right now they aren't that great but higher than before--I might get $250 for it scrapping it,but thats if I could deliver it--if they came and got it I'd get less..

I guess its time for it to go--hate seeing it get junked,but I advertised it long ago on Craigslist and got zero replies...not many of these vans left around here now..no one needs parts or wants to fix one up..lot of good times & memories in that thing,it took me to many concerts,hauled garden tractors home in it,and all the trips with my parents,they bought it new in '93..

Now I have to go look at my Chevy van and the '85 Suburban and I'm praying the bastards haven't already infested them too--they were OK a few weeks ago,but that doesn't mean much...even if I parked them in my garage,the mice would still get in them,I've found nests in the garage several times..

An air cleaner I had up on a shelf was FULL of some kind of nuts,and another one was "home".stuffed full of shredded cloth,and mice were also living in the shop vac dirt container!..

No more feral cats around here now,they all died of old age,or got killed by coyotes..didn't have any mice problems in my vehicles when they were around..
Even my pickup I drive daily had a nest under the insulation on the hood,and the engine has shelled nuts all over it...:angry1:

It was only 45 degrees here at 6 am today!--furnace came on during the night,I had it set at 50 degrees and most of the windows were open...similar temps tonight too,highs only in the 70's this week,so this might be the week the dam mice start moving indoors..hate the F-N things,you cant poison them because they'll die in a wall cavity or in your vehicle,and trapping them is a pain in the a$$...nothing I try repelling them with seems to work either,like moth balls,etc--only thing I have yet to try is peppermint oil ,I hear that works,but I know of no place to buy any..
Click to expand...


I`ve heard that if you spread lime around your house they wont go across it. Never tried it, don`t know if its true or not?
 
Well,Monday I went out to inspect the van more closely..

I couldn't get the rear hatch to open,so I had to go thru the sliding door and crawl in the back to get a better look where the headliner was sagging...there are several spare tires on rims crammed between the seats,so it wasn't easy getting back there..

To my surprise,despite the headliner sagging just like it would if it was full of mouse nest and mice--it wasn't..there was nothing in it at all!..:ooo:....:screwy:.

It appears to me the headliner must have somehow "rotted" all the way across the front just behind the sun visors,and the extreme heat ,sun,and humidity we've had last 2 months must have un-glued the velour cloth from the foam backing,which is still intact !...then it simply came apart in places and drooped..!

I guess 27 years is the life limit of whatever they made the headliner out of..?..:dunno:..

There was no mice,no nest,and no stench of urine & poop...only something resembling turds on the drivers seat,that was it...it appears there may have been a mouse or two in there snooping around,but no damage to anything...no shelled nut husks,etc either..

I saw the rear window had a rubber grommet in a hole cut in the glass for the rear window wiper squirter hose was missing,it may have crumbled from age,or maybe a mouse chewed it away--the hole is about 5/8" diameter,so its plenty big enough for a mouse to get thru..but overall I'd say none were living in it...yet!.

I opened the hood,expecting to see a ton of mouse nests and shelled nuts (like my pickup has ) on its engine...nope!..it was very clean,just like when I parked it..:ooo:

I decided to put a old battery in it,tried to start it,but it was about dead,but it did crank over a few times,so at least it wasn't seized up..

So I hooked jumper cables to my diesel pickup,and got it cranking over,had to crank it maybe 10-15 seconds before it finally fired up,I was surprised it would even run on the very low level of old gas in the tank ,likely only a gallon or two,but after it ran a minute or so,it cleared out and ran just as nice as the day I parked it there 7 years ago..:laugh:

I added another gallon of fresh gas and let it run about 10 minutes..engine sounds great still,but the valve cover facing the grille drips oil on the exhaust manifold,and it was smoking pretty good--also I figured there was leaves under the van that may start on fire,so I moved it forward a foot or so,to get the tires out of the ruts it made,sinking into the dirt..then shut it off..
This van has the 3 speed automatic without overdrive,supposedly the "better" of the two,the overdrives were junk at low miles often..it always shifted good,no slippage..

Still seems like a sin to junk it seeing it runs so well still,but it would need a lot of labor and love to make it road worthy again--every brake line is rotted and the master cylinder is now empty,and no doubt it'd need new calipers after sitting so long..

It has "double" brake lines to a junction block to the rear wheels and the hex on the line nuts probably will break off it they even are still there,and though the fuel pump sounds OK,the gas tank is rusty and those 2 things would likely have to be replaced..
The body on it is "eh"--its door bottoms were patched long ago,paint is peeling in places, but underneath it was still in very decent shape when it was parked..(which may not be the case now,but probably hasn't rotted yet--I cant get under it to get a good look at it )...


The parts wouldn't cost that much,but I'm not in any condition to restore it--bad enough I have to do as much or more work to my pickup soon,and have my doubts if I'll be able to finish what I start...

Then I have my Chevy G-10 and '85 Burb to contend with --the Burb has really rotted the rockers BAD since it was parked..and the 700R4 in it is dying..it is worth fixing,but maybe not by me..

The main thing that discouraged me from fixing up the Caravan in the past was the fact it still has the original timing belt,and I can't replace it,and my friend who can says he wouldn't want to either.."Scrap it",he says.."You'll bust your ass fixing everything,waste $500+ on parts,then the timing belt will break"...(it isn't an "interference engine" ,a 3.0 V6--but it'd cost at least $300 to have one replaced probably)...

I don't really care for engines with "rubber bands" period..
I'd rather invest the money ,time & labor on the Burb or my van ,than the Caravan...but I do miss driving it and it was better on fuel than any of my vehicles..being smaller it was easy to park and manuver..


Meanwhile I'm still being vigilant as far as mice entering the house..re-set and baited the traps with fresh peanut butter and I need to buy a few more to put in the house garage,which is where I think they are getting in,thru the walk in door that has gaps around the threshold and the overhead door doesn't seal up tightly enough to keep them out..

Also the molding trim around the walk in door on the outside has rotted away from ground level to about 6" up--I'm going to chop out the rotted section and patch it up,maybe get some of that "Flex Putty" stuff or expanding foam to seal up around it--right now I bet mice could crawl right up into the wall cavity and use the studs for a staircase..(n)..

I checked the Burb out yesterday--the headliner in that is buckling,like the cardboard backing got warped by the extreme heat ,but it could be propped up with a thin slat of wood or metal flat stock,it isn't torn or pulling out around the sides yet..

My G-10 looked ok too,no evidence of mice in that yet either--I guess it gets so blasted HOT inside during summer sunny days,it is just too uncomfortable for the mice..but soon it'll be cold at night and they'll be trying to get in "everywhere"..
While I was inspecting the Chevy van I saw a chipmonk dash out from under it,and go under the shed nearby..first one I've seen in ages--saw a rabbit the other day too,there hasn't been one around in years,I guess the coyotes have migrated elsewhere..haven't heard them howling in a long time ..
I have seen mice under my wood shed recently,so I know they are around..just a matter of time before they try moving into my vehicles & house..

Don't send any kittens my way Fordum!..I love cats,but don't want the burden,responsibility, or heartache of having any more...

I've had several "free cats" offered to me,including a "Bengal"--but after I heard that thing yowling,I passed ,it was very cool looking though..but it was not very friendly either..my last cat pooped & peed in the house and I know another cat will head right for those spots and mark their territory too..screw that!..
 
I’ve been meaning to post this even though you’re not having mouse rat problems now, but just to keep this in mind. And I apologize about the grotesqueness of the pics in advance. :sick:
In my shed I was having issues with mice and rats. I put out both mouse and rat traps loaded with peanut butter but they didn’t know which one they were suppose to use. The mice kept stealing the peanut butter from the rat traps because they were too big and set them off. Likewise the rats would use the mouse traps and they weren’t strong enough to kill them so they’d drag them off somewhere still alive. So I decided to build a better trap. First thing I did was tether them with a piece of wire so they couldn’t drag them off. Second, and most importantly, I built a little housing around the trigger made out of an aluminum can. The front and back of the housing both have a little flap on them so there’s only one way for them to get their treat - the business end. As you can probably see in the pics the front part covers the top of the trigger which I load with peanut butter. I also smear a thin layer under the trigger to entice them. The only way for them to get the main treat is to pull down on the trigger. Don’t even have to worry about setting the sensitivity of it. It catches both mice and rats and no more empty traps with it being set off. :D I still need to improve it by using heavier gauge tin because they’ve been chewing on the aluminum and bending it.

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That's pretty clever!..--not as gross as a 5 gallon bucket "see-saw" trap that I forgot to empty for a few weeks out in the shed though..:doah:

It worked so well I found about a dozen bloated mouse corpses floating in the water,and OMG the stench was suffocating..eck16.gif
I decided not to use that any more..

If I ever see a rat or anything larger than a mouse in my house--I'll go to Tractor Supply and get a Crossman 760 pellet rifle and do some target practice...(If I can buy one without an FID card in MA,I'm not sure if its legal)..

My friend and I were just talking about mice coming in houses this time of the year,and our vehicles--he said he uses D-con with good results..I never used poisons due to having a cat,but now that I no longer have one I may try it--just pray one doesn't get into a wall cavity,then die..

My pickup had some bad odor in it today that may be a dead mouse..have to clean the cab out tomorrow,hope there isn't dead mice in the heater box...
I had to use the defroster the other day when it was foggy and I fear I may have to pull the blower motor out and look for dead mice..truck doesn't get used often since the pandemic and sits a lot..
I'm going to put moth balls or peppermint oil in my other vehicles to hopefully ward off any mice..
 
diesel4me said:
That's pretty clever!..--not as gross as a 5 gallon bucket "see-saw" trap that I forgot to empty for a few weeks out in the shed though..:doah:

It worked so well I found about a dozen bloated mouse corpses floating in the water,and OMG the stench was suffocating..View attachment 352065
I decided not to use that any more..

If I ever see a rat or anything larger than a mouse in my house--I'll go to Tractor Supply and get a Crossman 760 pellet rifle and do some target practice...(If I can buy one without an FID card in MA,I'm not sure if its legal)..

My friend and I were just talking about mice coming in houses this time of the year,and our vehicles--he said he uses D-con with good results..I never used poisons due to having a cat,but now that I no longer have one I may try it--just pray one doesn't get into a wall cavity,then die..

My pickup had some bad odor in it today that may be a dead mouse..have to clean the cab out tomorrow,hope there isn't dead mice in the heater box...
I had to use the defroster the other day when it was foggy and I fear I may have to pull the blower motor out and look for dead mice..truck doesn't get used often since the pandemic and sits a lot..
I'm going to put moth balls or peppermint oil in my other vehicles to hopefully ward off any mice..
Click to expand...

I used a pellet gun when I was in college house sitting my friend’s place. Had to stake out for a few hours and it took two tries but I got it. :D
And even though you don’t have cats anymore the neighbors might or a wild critter will get the carcass and die. Don’t use D-con. :deal:
 
If I do use poison to get rid of mice in the house,I'd either bury the remains or put them in the wood stove after a blazing fire was going good..I certainly don't want any other wild creatures or pets getting poisoned ..

One day at my friends old shop that had mice galore,we watched one run along an extension cord draped against a wall like an acrobat going like 50 mph!..then it leaps off and landed on the floor,and it headed for a bay where he had just put a new water pump on a car,and there was a puddle of anti-freeze & water still there--the mouse stopped,took about three or four licks out of the puddle,and my friend yelled and ran over to scare it away--it only made it about two feet,before it keeled over--dead as a door nail!..we were amazed at how fast it killed it and how little it required..

Another time after 5 pm we were sitting around shooting the breeze,and my friend made a coffee brandy to drink,his usual after work beverage,and he dropped the bottle of brandy,it smashed into pieces..he had another full bottle ,and only enough was left in the busted one for one drink,he didn't bother mopping up the spill,just picked up the glass,and left it there..

The next day I showed up and he tells me "hey--I came in this morning,and found a mouse dead,next to the puddle of spilled brandy--I though he O-D'd !...so I picked it up,and tossed it outside in the snow..felt bad about that..then an hour later I went outside to bring a car in to fix,and I look where it landed--and it was gone!--and I saw his footprints leading away into the bushes !..he was just passed out I guess !..:haha:..bet it has a bad hangover!..
 
There aren't rats here, so when I'm using a rat trap, it's to catch bastid red squirrels. I had one in the attic once and another climbed down the vent stack in my little apartment once when I was building the plumbing (maybe they climb down vent stacks other times, but how would I know or care?) Standard practice it so run a screw through the trap into something so they can't carry the trap away. Sometimes they are tenacious enough to chew off a foot or whatever got caught in the trap, so again it's best to have the trap somewhere you can get to the mess to clean up. Same thing with mousetraps on a smaller scale - there can't be any places they can drag the trap to or the trap has to be screwed down. A neck shot is what you want, but in the worst-case tail-shot they can drag that thing around the entire night until you can't sleep through the wife's elbowing anymore. Not a bad idea to keep a hatchet in the house/cabin when traps are set...
 
I don't know if it works for mice but we have been dealing with rats for years, we kill the ones in the attic, a few months later more come.
Last trip to home Depot I found an electronic repellant, I figured I try it.
Plugged it above the garage door opener and 2 days later no more noise.
It's been 4 months now and no sign of any rats.
I guess it works.
I will post the brand and model when I get a chance
 
imiceman44 said:
Last trip to home Depot I found an electronic repellant, I figured I try it.
Plugged it above the garage door opener and 2 days later no more noise.
It's been 4 months now and no sign of any rats.
I guess it works.
I will post the brand and model when I get a chance
Click to expand...

I saw one at Lowe’s the other day when I bought more traps. I have 18 traps set right now, 6 of which are in the garage after finding this rat ****er on my Challenger. Might still try that electric device for my garage though.

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