Keeping the mice away!

September 9, 2009 3:28 PM

Say hello to my little friend: How can I encourage a mouse that seems to live in my glovebox not to visit anymore?

I live in a relatively rural area on the Massachusetts border of Connecticut. My car is parked outside by necessity, near a wooded area. I have recently found that napkins kept in my glovebox have been shredded by an animal. To compound matters, feces has been left behind as well. I'd like to use a non-lethal way to discourage the animal or animals in question to stay away from my car, and still be able to keep tissues or napkins in my glovebox for emergencies.

I'd really appreciate any recommendations that you have!

posted by Draccy to Pets & Animals (12 answers total)

mothballs. they dislike the smell.
posted by cosmicbandito at 3:36 PM on September 9, 2009 [2 favorites]

Seal the path they are taking? Maybe put some non-lethal traps that are baited near your vehicle to draw them there instead of IN your car. It might get worse though, as it gets colder they are looking for a warm place to nest.
posted by NotSoSimple at 3:36 PM on September 9, 2009

Look into blocking the HVAC ducts that probably feed air into the glovebox and blocking any other access.
posted by limited slip at 3:41 PM on September 9, 2009

This may seem really stupid, but could you put down a small substitute habitat kind of near your car that they might like better? I guess it will be hard to simulate the warmth or security of the car.
posted by Clyde Mnestra at 4:14 PM on September 9, 2009

Perhaps you could keep the napkins in a sealed plastic container or a tin?

If it's any consolation, it could be worse. I've had spiders crawl out of the instrument cluster of my motorbike on the road, and I've heard of snakes getting into engines for the warmth.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 4:53 PM on September 9, 2009

Mothballs, and keep the tissues in a tin of some sort.
posted by jessamyn at 4:55 PM on September 9, 2009

I've kept the little bastards away with cottonballs soaked in peppermint oil. Smells nice, too.
posted by notyou at 5:00 PM on September 9, 2009 [2 favorites]

Put Mint Oil on a cotton ball inside your glove box. No stinky moth ball scent!
posted by 6:1 at 5:14 PM on September 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

It may not only be a glove box problem - mice can chew wiring and brake lines, possibly leading to costly repairs. I'd suggest trapping them, perhaps with a live catch mouse trap.
posted by sebastienbailard at 5:21 PM on September 9, 2009

Is there possibly a hole in your cabin air filter? I know in Honda cars, that filter is often located immediately behind the glove box panel. Knowing that doesn't necessarily answer the question of how to keep them away, but it may solve the mystery of how the mice keep getting in.
posted by limeonaire at 7:23 PM on September 9, 2009

This sounds like I'm kidding, but I'm not. Borrow a friend's cat and have it walk around in your car, or put its blanket/something with its scent near or in the glovebox. The smell of a predator will keep the mice away quick smart. I used my sister's cat for this once in my apartment, just had it walk around for a few hours and it works! Now i have cats of my own and I've never seen mice around.
posted by Jubey at 12:23 AM on September 10, 2009

That would be 'have' cats of my own.
posted by Jubey at 12:23 AM on September 10, 2009