Mouse in the house!

[David Worthington]

Camping in France last week, I heard a crackling noise coming from the lower left hand cupboard under the sink. Opening the door revealed chewed up kitchen foil, cashew nuts and non-slip matting (that used to be cut perfectly to the size of the cupboard floor).

Went to M. Bricolage the ubiquitous French equivalent of B&Q and bought a humane mouse trap. Later that same evening I caught the blighter! Then after a few words let him go in the bushes 50 metres away.

Decided to set the trap again that same evening, by morning we'd caught him/her again. Or was it a new mouse perhaps? Who knows.

So I sat him/her behind the van for a few hours to consider their position and think about whether it was a wise idea to come back again, then I let him/her go 100 yards away, only to catch him/her/another/a new one again the morning after!

Having got back to London I've reset the trap, just in case him/her/them are still in there somewhere, but after 24 hours no sign.

So here is my question... A mouse can get into the bottom left hand kitchen cupboard and from there into all the others, has anyone else had the same experience and did you find out how they sneaked in?

Squeak! Dave



GOTCHA I



GOTCHA II

 

[Hotel California]

Nice job , catching them alive!
If there's one mouse , there are more....

You probally imported them from the UK to France.....how on earth wil they survive not speaking French....

I am not aware of any entrance from outside where a mouse could get in , they don't need that much space doh! guess they came in trhu a open door ?

 

[Emil Silenhag]

Haven't had a mouse in the car yet. Just in case I have 2 mouse traps in my garage but never cought one (2-3 years). But one time in the winter coming home from the food store, I sat my 2 bags of grosery just outside the gate while driving in the car. 45 seconds later closing the gate and picking up my shopping bags there was a mouse that got in one of the bags, but now running away over the snow! Fortunately as I said, never seen mice in the garage (this is Norway btw).

 

[Meoncoast]

https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/thread...small-mouse-do-to-your-van.10792/#post-101378


damage can be an issue

 

[sidepod]

Yup. Little Fokker ate a great hole in my roof canvas.

 

[briwy]

That time of year again. Noticed droppings in the garage so out with the traps. Afraid I'm not so so kind hearted so springy type traps. I reckon they will keep coming back if they think there's free grub on offer
Caught a couple within a few hours.
Little sods ate a fleece last year and I definitely don't want them in the cars.

 

[David Worthington]

Thanks for your replies. Mouse definitely didn't get in through the doors, we were asleep with everything fully closed at the time the second and third one entered .

HOW CAN A MOUSE GET INTO THE SEALED INTERIOR OF A VW CALIFORNIA WHEN ALL THE DOORS AND WINDOWS ARE SHUT? Does anyone know??

Perhaps I need a grill over the water drainage outlet for example...

Looking forward to hearing of anyone's prior knowledge on this...

Thanks, Dave

 

[WelshGas]

Thanks for your replies. Mouse definitely didn't get in through the doors, we were asleep with everything fully closed at the time the second and third one entered .

HOW CAN A MOUSE GET INTO THE SEALED INTERIOR OF A VW CALIFORNIA WHEN ALL THE DOORS AND WINDOWS ARE SHUT? Does anyone know??

Perhaps I need a grill over the water drainage outlet for example...

Looking forward to hearing of anyone's prior knowledge on this...

Thanks, Dave

Look around the Waste water tank outlet which is below the tap for the tank. The Tank exit is a tube through the floor pan but I'm not sure how the drainage tube is sealed to the floor pan? Maybe a rubber grommet that has perished.

On further examination it appears the drain tube passes through a large grommet.

 

[sidepod]

Devious little f***ers!

 

[soulstyledevon]

That's your problem right there. Humane mouse trap.
Sorry, but on a £60k vehicle the little blighters need sorting once and for all.
My cousins T4 was decimated a few years ago up at the farm. He had it stored there, never had issues with any other plant and they ate through everything.
Gutted...!!!

 

[Freeley]

It's incredible how small a hole they can get through. My mother in law had mice in the roofspace of her brand new house last year - we got the experts in and it transpired that they were getting into the wall cavity via a tiny bit of pointing missing between a couple of the wall bricks. You wouldn't think it possible but since filling it in they haven't returned.

 

[Amarillo]

It's incredible how small a hole they can get through. My mother in law had mice in the roofspace of her brand new house last year - we got the experts in and it transpired that they were getting into the wall cavity via a tiny bit of pointing missing between a couple of the wall bricks. You wouldn't think it possible but since filling it in they haven't returned.

Mrs Crispin claims that if you can stick a Bic biro through a hole, a mouse can get through it.

 

[GillianC]

We have had problems with them in our loft. They climbed up the plants on trellis, ran across the brick wall above the gate and in under the eaves. Could hear them running around
Apparently mice love peanut butter so good to use in traps. At least that is what the pest controller told us and it seems to have worked.

 

[T6 CFO]

We have had problems with them in our loft. They climbed up the plants on trellis, ran across the brick wall above the gate and in under the eaves. Could hear them running around
Apparently mice love peanut butter so good to use in traps. At least that is what the pest controller told us and it seems to have worked.

Snap! Almost identical in our last house. Mine liked Mars Bar but not for very long.


Mike

 

[ejmoore]

When we were in Spain recently there was a cockroach on our outside table, which we chased away. The next night when we had moved campsites, we put the table up and the bloody thing was there again! Major panic - got rid of it properly this time - the idea of having the kitchen area infested with cockroaches is not appealing.

 

[Seaview]

- the idea of having the kitchen area infested with cockroaches is not appealing ....

Doesn't bear thinking about

 

[GillianC]

When we were in Spain recently there was a cockroach on our outside table, which we chased away. The next night when we had moved campsites, we put the table up and the bloody thing was there again! Major panic - got rid of it properly this time - the idea of having the kitchen area infested with cockroaches is not appealing.

Uuuuugh!

 

[Days out]

Thanks for your replies. Mouse definitely didn't get in through the doors, we were asleep with everything fully closed at the time the second and third one entered .

HOW CAN A MOUSE GET INTO THE SEALED INTERIOR OF A VW CALIFORNIA WHEN ALL THE DOORS AND WINDOWS ARE SHUT? Does anyone know??

Perhaps I need a grill over the water drainage outlet for example...

Looking forward to hearing of anyone's prior knowledge on this...

Thanks, Dave

I once had a classic car that I kept in a garage with a nice car cover over it and one day when I went out for a spin, leaves blew out of the interior vents. I stopped to find out the cause and the long and short was that a mouse had built a nest inside the dashboard out of leaves, rags and things it found in my garage, including the car cover. Luckily not too much damage. Only the washer bottle tube nibbled through. But I hate to think what damage would have occurred if it had gone for the wiring loom!

I leave my van on the drive and there are certainly mice around the area but how would a mouse actually get up onto the underside of the van? So would the mouse run up the tyres to get in? With my classic car I expect it ran up the car cover plus the car was sporty and low. I'd love to know if anyone else has gas mice in the van or damage from mice just leaving it on the drive.

 

[David Worthington]

Thanks for all your replies.

WG I think you may have won the prize... I agree with you. It makes perfect sense that the water drain tube is the area of weakness - it leads into the cupboard where the drain tap is and the bottom left hand cupboard was obviously the first port of call for our hungry mice.

Also - when I bought the van 18 month's ago the waste tank drain tube wasn't draining in a direct flow to the floor, it was caught up under the pan that protects the underbody so was draining in a bit of a dribble (There's an old man analogy here!). My guess was the pan had been removed at some point and that part of the assembly had been carelessly caught up when it went back on. I got the dealer to free it, but that's probably when the grommet you mention was either damaged, disappeared or was never there in the first place. It's chucking it down in South London, so I will try and check it out later and let you know.

As to how they climb up... We're in London and our van lives on the street so in theory they can't get in. When we were in France we were on grass, however, the grass was cut, so no significant height advantage. My hunch is they climb up inside the wheel onto the trailing arm and from there around or under any of the protective pans, exhaust, etc - i.e. they have free reign to get inside if there's a way through.

Thanks for all the contributions everyone, Dave

 

[Spuktoid]

A couple of years ago I came out to my van (parked in my road) and on starting the engine, got a load of warning lights up. I called the local van centre who reckoned it would be safe to drive over to them. When they looked underneath it transpired that both my temperature sensors had been chewed through!
Cost me more than £350 to have repaired. The engineer told me that this was the third VW T5 with the same problem in the last month; squirrels or other rodents seem to like the taste or smell of new VW wiring!

Just as an aside, after quite a lot of research on rodent deterrents it would seem that mice cannot stand the smell of peppermint oil and unless they have babies in a nest (which they wont leave) they will move on somewhere else. I put a couple of pieces of cotton wool soaked in said oil in the engine compartment and have not had a recurrence.

I have traps in my garage but don't bait them - if they are placed along the sides of walls in darkish areas (which is where mice run as they don't like to cross open space unless they have to) you will collect any that are there - especially at this time of year as it gets colder. I don't bait the traps as I reckon they are attracted by the scent in the first place and you might give yourself a problem you didn't have.

PS. never handle a trap with bare hands as it leaves scent and will probably be avoided by the intended 'victim'.

Hope my experiences help!

Dave

 

[Days out]

A couple of years ago I came out to my van (parked in my road) and on starting the engine, got a load of warning lights up. I called the local van centre who reckoned it would be safe to drive over to them. When they looked underneath it transpired that both my temperature sensors had been chewed through!
Cost me more than £350 to have repaired. The engineer told me that this was the third VW T5 with the same problem in the last month; squirrels or other rodents seem to like the taste or smell of new VW wiring!

Just as an aside, after quite a lot of research on rodent deterrents it would seem that mice cannot stand the smell of peppermint oil and unless they have babies in a nest (which they wont leave) they will move on somewhere else. I put a couple of pieces of cotton wool soaked in said oil in the engine compartment and have not had a recurrence.

I have traps in my garage but don't bait them - if they are placed along the sides of walls in darkish areas (which is where mice run as they don't like to cross open space unless they have to) you will collect any that are there - especially at this time of year as it gets colder. I don't bait the traps as I reckon they are attracted by the scent in the first place and you might give yourself a problem you didn't have.

PS. never handle a trap with bare hands as it leaves scent and will probably be avoided by the intended 'victim'.

Hope my experiences help!

Dave

Thanks for the info. Very mice.

 

[debarros]

S

A couple of years ago I came out to my van (parked in my road) and on starting the engine, got a load of warning lights up. I called the local van centre who reckoned it would be safe to drive over to them. When they looked underneath it transpired that both my temperature sensors had been chewed through!
Cost me more than £350 to have repaired. The engineer told me that this was the third VW T5 with the same problem in the last month; squirrels or other rodents seem to like the taste or smell of new VW wiring!

Just as an aside, after quite a lot of research on rodent deterrents it would seem that mice cannot stand the smell of peppermint oil and unless they have babies in a nest (which they wont leave) they will move on somewhere else. I put a couple of pieces of cotton wool soaked in said oil in the engine compartment and have not had a recurrence.

I have traps in my garage but don't bait them - if they are placed along the sides of walls in darkish areas (which is where mice run as they don't like to cross open space unless they have to) you will collect any that are there - especially at this time of year as it gets colder. I don't bait the traps as I reckon they are attracted by the scent in the first place and you might give yourself a problem you didn't have.

PS. never handle a trap with bare hands as it leaves scent and will probably be avoided by the intended 'victim'.

Hope my experiences help!

Dave

So here is our tale -- rodents small matter how about cat. This summer in France we noted a noise during the night in the bottom of the van. Thought nothing more about it. Drove to Spain and a strange smell began to waffle into our van. After a week of this, the smell was making the wife really upset. Upon returning to our house in France took van to garage thinking smell was due to a faulty catalitic converter... No that was ok saide the garage - smell persisted - bottom seal removed to expose the remains of a rather large cat. All recorded on video see www.facebook.com/GaragePsr/?fref=ts . Had to buy the mechanic a new breakfast.

 

[Alan]

"Curiousity killed the cat"

 

[Loz]

So it was a faulty cat after all...

 

[motacyclist]

HOW CAN A MOUSE GET INTO THE SEALED INTERIOR OF A VW CALIFORNIA WHEN ALL THE DOORS AND WINDOWS ARE SHUT? Does anyone know??

It opens the door with the key fob. Did it put the heating on as well?

Most likely, though, it was in something you put in the van.

What you need is a Cali Cat. I can loan you ours?