In the "this could only happen to me" category - Christmas Eve I opened passenger's side back door to my car and wondered how the leather got torn. Then I opened the front passenger's door and discovered an area about 10" by 4", stripped of the leather. And then I opened the trunk and discovered mouse droppings!

I am riding around with both traps AND poison in my car, park the car outside the garage in an effort to freeze the mice/mouse out the car and someplace warmer, have seen no signs of the mice/mouse, vacuumed the car trunk yesterday - and today I have mouse droppings again!

My comprehensive auto insurance will cover the damage and it's an open ended claim (so far almost $2,600) but I am at my wit's end.

Anyone have any thoughts? On one hand it's sort of funny; on the other hand the damage to my car could be extensive and I don't know what to do.

Oh, how awful that they ate your car's interior! And you say that the mouse traps don't catch anyone? They obviously are getting in from the engine by just walking up the tires. Maybe putting some traps around all 4 tires might catch some of the little gnawers.

How big are the droppings? Tearing up leather sounds more like rats than mice.

If you're certain they're mice, try pre-baiting the car with some peanut butter on foil (so the oils don't get on the upholstery) for a day or two, then use peanut butter on traps.

They could be anywhere inside the car: under the seats, in the engine compartment, inside the wheel wells, etc. You'll have to bait them out, then find out where they came from.

Oh, how awful that they ate your car's interior!! And you say that the mouse traps dont catch anyone? They obviously are getting in from the engine by just walking up the tires. Maybe putting some traps around all 4 tires might catch some of the little gnawers.


I have trapped 2 mice in the garage - none in the car.

How big are the droppings? Tearing up leather sounds more like rats than mice.

If you're certain they're mice, try pre-baiting the car with some peanut butter on foil (so the oils don't get on the upholstery) for a day or two, then use peanut butter on traps.

They could be anywhere inside the car: under the seats, in the engine compartment, inside the wheel wells, etc. You'll have to bait them out, then find out where they came from.


The insurance claims adjuster says mice - I really don't know. I've seen field mice around but not rats.

So I sort of tease them with peanut butter and then set traps?

The adjuster said the company will pay to tear the car apart - somewhat - and maybe I'll have to do that.

I am honestly rather heartsick over this.

The insurance claims adjuster says mice - I really don't know. I've seen field mice around but not rats.

So I sort of tease them with peanut butter and then set traps?

Not tease, get them used to coming to the peanut butter. It's almost a perfect food for them.

Then put the peanut butter in the traps as bait. They go to the peanut butter as usual, and whamo! Dead mouse.

All right- I'll start with the peanut butter and then wait for the whamo! Part.

Judy, I am sorry for your frustration so early in the year. We have to deal with field mice in our garage. We use those sticky traps too.

I couldn't help thinking of that Kia commercial with the gerbils. Are they taking your car for a joy ride? (Sorry)

I know your car is probably not a Kia (Mercedes?), because the seat damage estimate is so high.

You know there are some people that would be freaked out by this. But not our Judy.

Tough as nails, yet soft as silk.

God bless you.

Are you using snap traps or glueboards, Judy?

I have field mice in my garage--a chronic problem for me. They ate wires related to the smog control system and they had to take the engine apart to fix it. $450. I assume yours are Peromyscus, the deer mice with the big ears and big eyes, like mine. Unfortunately, rather cute. Some of them are quite large, though not as big as a rat by any means. (I used to get wood rats in my truck... ) I'm convince snap traps don't work well on them because they are so much bigger than a regular house mouse, they don't get their head all the way under the trap. At least half of the time I catch them with snap traps, they have an arm under the bar or something else. Mostly they take the bait without setting off the trap. I think they are pretty smart.

Live traps work better--a lot better. Good bait is small slices of Snickers bars or peanut butter/chocolate power bars. Peanut butter is good, but somewhat messy. They seem to have no interest in cheese. But the live traps are a hassle because then you have export the little monsters somewhere else or kill them. I don't have to heart to do it myself, so I take them somewhere at least 2 miles away, drop them off and retrap until they seem to be gone for a while.

If possible, make your garage mouse proof. Parking the car outside is not likely to help. They are already there because it's warm and protected. Look for a nest anywhere and any caches of food and of course remove, both in the car and in the garage. Do you think they are eating the leather or making strips for a nest?

It looks like they are making a nest - but who knows - ? I am using snap traps.

I have no idea what type of mice they are - I held the two over the garbage can and dropped them in with my eyes closed.

I was told to park the car outside so it remains cold, no residual engine heat.

And, yes, it's a Mercedes, the sedan, not the convertible. The convertible is literally loaded with poison and traps - and I removed the Winter cover so I could open the doors.

Of course when it snows you will be able to see just where they are coming and going from their nest. At least you'll know where to start bating their trail with goodies. Just remember the poison takes a few days to kick into their system and kill them.

Maybe they're trying to take the Mercedes to the Wendy's drive through window like the raccoons on the TV commercial do with the mini van for a midnight snack..

It looks like they are making a nest - but who knows - ? I am using snap traps.


Be sure to smear the triggers with the peanut butter, don't just set a dollop on top of them. That's the most common mistake people make in setting snap traps, the second most common being setting them under things where the bar won't flip. If they have to lick it off the trigger you'll get a better shot.

Got another one overnight! Car goes in to be stripped down on Tuesday. So far traps inside car haven't caught anything and poison bait in car is untouched.

Got another one overnight! Car goes in to be stripped down on Tuesday. So far traps inside car haven't caught anything and poison bait in car is untouched.

Sounds like it's time to bait the garage.

And I'm going to.

You will enjoy this - I'm making arrangements for a rental car. Here's the advice from the rental car "agent" - "Get a cat. Lock it in the car overnight."

When I picked myself up off the floor...

Sounds like it's time to bait the garage.

Sounds like she needs to borrow a hungry cat.

Sounds like she needs to borrow a hungry cat.

Jack Russel terriers are better ratters. Cornsnakes are better still but they're asleep right now.

Gopher snakes, too.

Cats are really variable in their mousing abilities. Some are excellent. Mine have caught rabbits, squirrels, shrews, various birds, but almost no mice!

Gopher snakes, too.

Cats are really variable in their mousing abilities. Some are excellent. Mine have caught rabbits, squirrels, shrews, various birds, but almost no mice!



My dogs are apparently off duty and have been - and now they can't go in the garage because of the poison/traps.

I thought locking a cat in the car was humorous from the standpoint of how much damage the cat would do - probably more than the mice.

Let's see - I put a snake in the car. The snake eats the mice. Now I have to come back on and ask how to get a snake out of my car.

Maybe I'll just keep on trapping the mice.

EDIT: I just went out and started the car - the seat heater for the passenger seat is not working. Looked at the upholstery and I can see down to the wires. Ching, ching, ching goes the insurance claim.

One day this summer, when my wife and I were packing up to take the boys fishing, I found a huge Black Snake underneath a cooler. It was huntin' mice I guess. My wife wanted to leave it in the garage as pest control. But we decided that it wouldn't be a good idea, for the kids sake. And the dog wouldn't ever get any rest. It was as big as a Coke can.

Next time I find one Judy, I'll send it to you UPS.

Judy - you can borrow Dink my Jack Russell terrier. She is very fast indeed and likes to catch small rodents. I'll put her on the next Greyhound bus...

Or you can print out the directions for your mice to my back porch. Let's see, I've fed the ferrel cats of the neighborhood, many raccoons, possums, skunks, coyotes (actually they were there to dine on the coonies), a few shrews, chipmonks, squirrels, bluejays so why not add a few field mice to the mix? Just tell them to be sure to come after dark for the best goodies. Lately I've made hockey puck banana bread for the possums. Yum was their remark and wanted more.

Hockey puck banana bread recipe: dozen overly ripe bananas. 4 cups flour, one cup sugar, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons cinnamon. Beat with mixer and try not to make too much of a mess. Pour into rice cooker and cook on low setting for about 3 hours. Makes one huge thick bread. Cut into little pieces and put outside on porch. Bread does not freeze so possums can eat it.

I will not be accepting any parcels delivered by UPS and/or from JMJoseph.

Twinkie - I am not trying to attract any more wildlife; I am actually trying to drive wildlife away. Any recipes for that? Or maybe I could make your hockey puck banana bread and use it to brain them when they come into the garage - ?

Nazda had mice in her patrol car that she parked near the dumpsters. All the patrol cars had mice in them. They all had to be torn apart and cleaned of any mice residue and the cars were parked far away from any dumpters by about 2 rows to stop reinfestation. Good idea you're having the car torn apart for health reasons. They never figured out just how they got in except that they climbed up the tires. The cars had to be thoroughly vacuumed out due to the mice dander as well.

Uh, the hockey puck bread recipe can be used in various ways. I was just giving it out just in case someone else comes along and wants to know my "secret recipe" that I feed my critters. Maybe not. I don't know of anyone else who feeds critters on here but you never know.

I will not be accepting any parcels delivered by UPS and/or from JMJoseph.

Twinkie - I am not trying to attract any more wildlife; I am actually trying to drive wildlife away. Any recipes for that? Or maybe I could make your hockey puck banana bread and use it to brain them when they come into the garage - ?

My mother in law's dressing would most likely run them off. It is supposed to be "healthy". I have no idea as to it's ingredients, nor do I wish to ever see it again. But there it is twice a year. I gave some to my dog, and he started licking his hind end. I guess he was trying to get the taste out of his mouth. I'm not kidding. Most of her dishes are edible, but that dressing stayed with me for a day or two. I have to make up excuses whenever she is serving us.

It would surely tell all of the rodents in your area that they are not welcome. I could send a pan of it along with the snake. It would probably kill it in transit.

Hey Judy, as far as the traps, make sure that you are putting them along the walls. Mice like staying tight up against them when they scurry around.

I just wanted to tell you a (not so) funny story.
It all started when my father gave me his car, actually it all started when I bought a 5th wheel camper.
My parents and I have a couple of acres on recreation land, I had always used an old ratty hard top tent trailer, with more holes and tears then I'd ever seen. One summer the entire end was covered by a tarp to keep me dry, but it was mine and I loved it. I never had a rodent problem, surprising I know. But my mother finally convinced me to 'move on up", so I purchased a 2005 5th wheel camper. It was heaven, I had a bathroom with a shower and tub, bunk beds,a hida bed, a queen sized bed in a private bed room, a built in flat screen TV, Ok I know this isn't camping, but I still have to hook up the generator to watch TV :P
Any ways I hadn't gone out there for a week or so, and on my return, one of the mattress on my bunk bed was chewed apart, there was some sort of poop in bath tub, my hida bed mattress was chewed up, ALL of my toilette paper was torn to pieces, so we set out leaving our peanut butter traps, and it seemed to work. We never actually caught anything but there was no evidence of a critter... For a while...
So I was driving home, feeling quite smug, when I could hear squeaking! I got home tore the car apart, and couldn't find anything. A week went buy, I noticed funny smells in the car, and if there was paper left in the car it was chewed up, then I noticed a small hole in the back seat that was progressivly getting bigger. And then the SAME droppings that were in my trailer appeared on my drivers seat and in the back seat. So my dad set up the traps, low and behold that week we caught a squirrel!
I felt really bad that I had killed it, but I guess it was better then having my car and trailer distroyed!
Well I hope you catch the critters that are causing your grief!

$2,600 to repair the leather about 10 days ago and nothing since then.

Fingers crossed!