Can I build a better mouse house?
February 9, 2022 6:37 PM Subscribe
I evicted some little animals from under the hood of my car. I'd like to make it up to them with a mouse house.
I live where it's cold and snowy in the winter, think plant hardiness zone 5. When I changed my car battery today, there were several piles of cozy looking fluff and acorn tops - there weren't actually any little critters in there though.
I know that they can't live in my car, but I felt terrible vacuuming up their home. And I never see any mice or anything in, under, or around my car.
Is there a way I could build an enticing little mouse/chipmunk/critter house, where they would be safe, warm, and happier than in the hood of my car? I have no idea how mice live outside in the winter, and searching for information tells me how to kill them. Is this a thing people do, like bee houses? If so, how so?
I live where it's cold and snowy in the winter, think plant hardiness zone 5. When I changed my car battery today, there were several piles of cozy looking fluff and acorn tops - there weren't actually any little critters in there though.
I know that they can't live in my car, but I felt terrible vacuuming up their home. And I never see any mice or anything in, under, or around my car.
Is there a way I could build an enticing little mouse/chipmunk/critter house, where they would be safe, warm, and happier than in the hood of my car? I have no idea how mice live outside in the winter, and searching for information tells me how to kill them. Is this a thing people do, like bee houses? If so, how so?
If so, how so?
Don't do this. They're wild animals, they'll sort themselves out.
posted by mhoye at 7:17 PM on February 9, 2022 [15 favorites]
Don't do this. They're wild animals, they'll sort themselves out.
posted by mhoye at 7:17 PM on February 9, 2022 [15 favorites]
If you make a brush pile in your yard, it's a natural home for mice. (Also check out this little village someone built for mice in his backyard.)
posted by pinochiette at 7:29 PM on February 9, 2022 [9 favorites]
posted by pinochiette at 7:29 PM on February 9, 2022 [9 favorites]
If they are getting comfortable within your car, seal up anything they may eat and take your efforts FAR from your house. Theora’s idea is great, as around here mice are vectors for ticks that carry Lyme (2 kids treated for it so far) In our woodsy area, the tubes would be placed at the edge of the woods. Why? Because last year mice built a big enough nest in a family member’s car (RAV4) blocking heat/AC on the passenger side, and it smelled like ammonia (mouse pee). Our family mechanic spent several hours undoing all of the damage and the mess, the smell took months to fade….let this cautionary tale encourage the mouse housing locations to be sited farther from your human spaces :D
posted by childofTethys at 9:25 PM on February 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by childofTethys at 9:25 PM on February 9, 2022 [2 favorites]
I had mice take up space in the blower system of my car. Over $1000 in repairs later (thank God for all-inclusive maintenance plans), I'm not keeping it in the garage this winter.
Please be really careful about protecting them and thinking it's OK to have mice around. They very easily chew through wiring both in the engine area, as well as in the interior. I know of at least one person that had damage done under their front seats and it affected the wiring for the seat warmers. Caused some not-so-nice short wiring.
BTW, here's some CDC cleaning info for more reasons you don't want them hanging around your stuff.
posted by dancinglamb at 11:55 PM on February 9, 2022 [3 favorites]
Please be really careful about protecting them and thinking it's OK to have mice around. They very easily chew through wiring both in the engine area, as well as in the interior. I know of at least one person that had damage done under their front seats and it affected the wiring for the seat warmers. Caused some not-so-nice short wiring.
BTW, here's some CDC cleaning info for more reasons you don't want them hanging around your stuff.
posted by dancinglamb at 11:55 PM on February 9, 2022 [3 favorites]
Rodents can chew foam, rubber tubing/coating, wires/wire-harnesses/plastic-wire-insulation and cost alot of damages in a vehicle... (I have heard of bills totalling $ 3,000 to 5,000)
... Or... one time we had a bad cold snap, AND did not use our oven for 3-weeks. The mice snuck in from the garage, and proceeded to nest in the oven side-walls, and scrape out the firewall insulation for their nests. Had to buy a brand-new oven... (And that was a fancy slide-in range/oven, so $$$$)
Myself, I would not be thinking about providing them with housing - I would be thinking about removing them entirely...
posted by rozcakj at 6:15 AM on February 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
... Or... one time we had a bad cold snap, AND did not use our oven for 3-weeks. The mice snuck in from the garage, and proceeded to nest in the oven side-walls, and scrape out the firewall insulation for their nests. Had to buy a brand-new oven... (And that was a fancy slide-in range/oven, so $$$$)
Myself, I would not be thinking about providing them with housing - I would be thinking about removing them entirely...
posted by rozcakj at 6:15 AM on February 10, 2022 [2 favorites]
childofTethys, Toyota makes a kit that injects foam into the vent system. The foam is antiseptic, because mouse poop and pee is not good for you. The foam then just dries out. Strong aromatic/ antiseptic smell that's way better than mouse smell, which always make me worry I'm being exposed to very bad things.
Mice have trashed the vent system in my Toyota, more than once.
posted by theora55 at 12:16 PM on June 17, 2022
Mice have trashed the vent system in my Toyota, more than once.
posted by theora55 at 12:16 PM on June 17, 2022
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by theora55 at 6:46 PM on February 9, 2022 [9 favorites]