MICE!!!!

[wm69]

Haven't touched a CJ in a few months. Between work, wife, kids, and the 100 other small engine (ATV, golf cart, lawn equipment) projects I always have going I just haven't messed with the Jeeps. Yesterday I decided to pull the carb off of my green 85 CJ7 and either swap on a different carb or rebuild/clean the existing one up. First step, pull it out of the carport. Cranked right over, which was somewhat surprising given how long it's been since I've driven it. Battery is (IIRC) a 2009ish Optima Red Top. I've had it on a Battery Mindr but even with a tender, batteries don't last forever.

Got it out and it actually idled great. Thing was flithy everywhere from sitting with no top/doors, so decided to wash inside and out. Removed my bestop seat covers and tossed them in the washing machine, took a hose to the inside and outside. Pulled the rear carpet and found where mice had been gnawing on the carpet under the rear seat, and before washing the dash I pulled my old Kenwood tape deck out to keep it from getting wet. When I pulled it I found rust everywhere on top of the head unit and the sleeve, with a nice mouse nest behind it (on top of the AC unit). Damn things had eaten the wires to the voltmeter bulb and looks like they ruined my head unit.

I have dogs so hesitant to use poison, but maybe some wooden traps in the floorboards? I gotta do something to get them out of there before they do some real damage.

 

[Belizeit]

The rust is probably from them pissing everywhere. I’ve seen that before in old buildings in abandoned metal office desks where they made their nests. Desks just rotted out from that. No other items rusting at all.

 

[gr8dain]

Sorry to hear. I used to keep Bounce dryer sheets in my GTO. That seemed to help keep them at bay

 

[barrys]

The rust is probably from them pissing everywhere. I’ve seen that before in old buildings in abandoned metal office desks where they made their nests. Desks just rotted out from that. No other items rusting at all.

Yep, seen it too

 

[John N]

Bucket traps (sort like a see-saw that dumps them into a 5 gallon bucket), glue traps and old fashioned snap traps. They seem to hate some scents, lavender being one (it makes me sneeze). The sonic things would drive my dogs crazy. I can’t use poison, due to my dogs. I’m open to any other ideas, I can’t seem to get rid of them completely.

 

[barrys]

I have heard the bucket traps work well. I use snap traps

 

[bigwalton]

I've used the repellent scent packets in the vehicles I've stored in winter and our lake place, but you have to be willing to smell them. Also use glue traps and tried a bucket trap up there once and the bait (peanut butter) drew a racoon or possum that tore it up before it could work.

Got one of the sonic repellers this year at the dune house and the dogs didn't care about it at all, which probably means it's a box with a blinking LED that does nothing.

 

[HighSierra CJ]

I’ve lived out in the country most of my life. I’ve used lots and lots of mouse/rat poison. I use the bait stations to put the poison in so my dogs can’t get it. It’s never been an issue. My pest control guy will load the traps every month. He tells me that most poisons that he uses, will not secondary kill meaning if the mouse eats the poison and the dog eats the mouse, it isn’t an issue. That’s just my experience.

 

[Belizeit]

Over at the gov. facility I worked at for 38 years, they almost always used sticky pads, they don’t crawl off with it far, and cause a horrible smell that could shut down areas.