How to keep the mice at bay?

[SteveG]

Thanks for all the feedback but my question is WHERE are they getting into the vehicle. They are inside the cab, even under the rear seat and in the engine bay. Can anyone tell me (or better yet post diagram/Foto) of the location of the vents/openings they might be using. I can't see any obvious openings inside the engine bay but there must be one somewhere.

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[MakinDoForNow]

Thanks for all the feedback but my question is WHERE are they getting into the vehicle. They are inside the cab, even under the rear seat and in the engine bay. Can anyone tell me (or better yet post diagram/Foto) of the location of the vents/openings they might be using. I can't see any obvious openings inside the engine bay but there must be one somewhere.

Check your cabin air filter see if they have chewed a hole through it. I have found corn on top of mine. There is also a vent in the rear cabin behind the rear seat.

 

[BlueSpec1]

Rear cabin vent looks easy for rodents to get in. Not sure about fresh air intake below the cowl.

Cabin Vent - https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/mice-rodent-entry-point-behind-rear-seat.23845/

Air Intake below drip shield passenger side:

 

[colinl]

Rear cabin vent looks easy for rodents to get in. Not sure about fresh air intake below the cowl.

Cabin Vent - https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/mice-rodent-entry-point-behind-rear-seat.23845/

Air Intake below drip shield passenger side:

yes, and you can't block that as you will not enjoy closing doors without the equalization.

removing things of interest helped me a lot. I keep grass seed and anything else they might want to eat inside plastic tubs. make sure no food or empty food bags are left in the truck. (this is just a great idea in general, honestly.)

most cats are pretty effective at killing not only mice, but rabbits, and birds as well. I'm highly allergic to cats and find them annoying, but 2 years ago a new neighbor moved in next door who has around 6 indoor/outdoor cats. no mice or bunnies to be seen, now.

 

[BlueSpec1]

yes, and you can't block that as you will not enjoy closing doors without the equalization.

removing things of interest helped me a lot. I keep grass seed and anything else they might want to eat inside plastic tubs. make sure no food or empty food bags are left in the truck. (this is just a great idea in general, honestly.)

most cats are pretty effective at killing not only mice, but rabbits, and birds as well. I'm highly allergic to cats and find them annoying, but 2 years ago a new neighbor moved in next door who has around 6 indoor/outdoor cats. no mice or bunnies to be seen, now.

Roof rats are what I've had to deal with for years. Got into my attic, Ram's engine compartment.
So have several bait stations outside & put out victor traps when see them out in evening in flower beds. Peppermint oil & Fabreeze Linen clip-ons in engine compartment of the cars/truck.

 

[SteveG]

Rear cabin vent looks easy for rodents to get in. Not sure about fresh air intake below the cowl.

Cabin Vent - https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/mice-rodent-entry-point-behind-rear-seat.23845/

Air Intake below drip shield passenger side:

Thanks for the pictures. They are very helpful. I checked and my rear vent it is intact with no signs that a mouse has been messing with it. The cabin air vent was clean and no signs of mice activity. I have a trap set up inside the cab (I caught one there yesterday). I also sprayed the front wheel wells and engine compartment with eucalyptus oil. But that didn't have any effect. I found the beginnings of a nest on top of my battery this morning. Guess I'll put traps in the engine bay.

 

[SteveG]

Rear cabin vent looks easy for rodents to get in. Not sure about fresh air intake below the cowl.

Cabin Vent - https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/forum/threads/mice-rodent-entry-point-behind-rear-seat.23845/

Air Intake below drip shield passenger side:

What am I looking at in the third picture. The first one shows exactly how my rear air vent looks. The second is obviously under the hood. Where do I look to find where the third one was taken?

 

[BlueSpec1]

What am I looking at in the third picture. The first one shows exactly how my rear air vent looks. The second is obviously under the hood. Where do I look to find where the third one was taken?

That's below the removed plastic cowl at front windshield passenger side.
I was looking at mine and don't see an obvious way a mouse gets there unless they can squeeze in behind felt in engine compartment that is below that.

sanpablo's post with his photos:
https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...the-windshield-is-critical.42539/#post-852598

https://www.mavericktruckclub.com/f...-side-front-floor-any-ideas.48338/post-859484

 

[MakinDoForNow]

Thanks for the pictures. They are very helpful. I checked and my rear vent it is intact with no signs that a mouse has been messing with it. The cabin air vent was clean and no signs of mice activity. I have a trap set up inside the cab (I caught one there yesterday). I also sprayed the front wheel wells and engine compartment with eucalyptus oil. But that didn't have any effect. I found the beginnings of a nest on top of my battery this morning. Guess I'll put traps in the engine bay.

Mice like warmth. Moreso in the fall/winter. Take a short 6-8" card board box and cut a hole mouse size or rat size if needed. Place a seed starting mat 10"x20" works really well under overturned box. Folding trap will help keep it from sticking to seed starting mat if mouse flips it over. Fold several victor sticky traps with a kernel of deer corn in the middle and place them on top of mat. Place box on garage floor near pickup.

 

[BlueSpec1]

Pulled my cabin air filter & stuck in borescope past the recirculate valve that was open.
Looking toward center of truck saw a harness grommet and another black one.

Checked Ford Parts and found Cowl Panel Drain Valve.
It drains water that comes in thru the cowl plastic grill and drains down to engine compartment somewhere. Might be a mouse could climb up thru it.

RH/Center Cowl Drain Valve




LH Side Cowl Drain Valve:

 

[sva50233]

i got peppermint oil cream in a set of four tin cans the size of an altoids tin for $8 on Amazon. so far it's worked to repel rats and mice. prior to that I was using the more toxic green nuggets which I would even jam into the engine where hte mice would accumulate. worked very well.

also, wrapping bundles of wiring in aluminum foil multiple times didn't hurt the wires and made them impervious to chewing through, particularly near where rats choose to nest.

 

[patenter]

My truck got attacked when new. $500 damage to wiring plus they chewed the washer bottle. I was . I got mouse spray from Home Depot and it has worked. About every 2 weeks I spray the front wheel wells for a few seconds, and a rag under the car.

Please explain how/where you spray the font wheel wells.....

 

[Escapologist]

After reminding myself the other week that the major component of fresh cab is balsam fir, I spotted this in the bargain bin when I was at the pharmacy... so I am going to give it a whirl... not that I have a problem yet, so it might work just as good as the elephant repellant brick I keep on my front porch, but better safe than sorry. It's pretty potent, though not unpleasant...

Also have some dollar store hotsauce for if there seems to be evidence of nibbling anywhere. (Stuff without sugar, ofc, but if you want to get an insect/ant problem, since they are unaffected by the pepper, do what you like.)

 

[dochawk]

turn wheels all the one direction, spray what y0ou can reach, turn the other, repeat.

 

[Chops]

I know there are lots of posts where mice are mentioned but I didn't see any that answered the question as to how/where are they getting into my Maverick? I have a 23 EB, Lariat. It is always garaged but I still get the occasional mouse making its way into my truck. I don't keep any kind of bird or pet food in the garage that might attract mice, but they still keep coming. I have traps set up in the garage, where I catch one every other month or so, and, as of yesterday, in my truck (I caught one there overnight last night). Even though I have a newer garage that is well sealed from the outside intruders they find a way in.

Does anyone know for sure where they are gaining access? If so, is there an aftermarket screen I can install? I had something like that installed by Toyota when the mice chewed up the AC unit on my wife's Prius a few years ago.

I appreciate any feedback on tried-and-true methods of stopping the mice.

Giving my cats access to my garage solved my mouse problem. Mice are intelligent - and they moved out soon after cats gained access.

Soon after that, my next door neighbor complained of mice in HER garage. I frowned & shook my head sympathetically but kept my mouth shut

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