Rodent control....Help with air filter nests!!

I am hoping someone has found a fix. Everytime I change my oil and check the air filter, the filter is shredded as mice have used it as a nest. I have tried many deterrents (ultrasonic noise, peppermint extract, Rodent B Gone spray at access points)....obviously nothing works. I am thinking of putting some kind of wire mesh in the intake hose so they can't access the filter. Has anyone got a better idea?

Thanks!!

 

Mesh will be needed. I'd pull the inlet hose off and wash out the inner fender while I was at it, bet there is something in there too. Also, pull your engine cover off and make sure there isn't a nest or damage under it.
I do it every time I wash my truck. Last time, I had a rat under the engine cover and a bird in the inner fender. Neither of which were happy I disturbed them.

 

wow!! Thanks!!

 

Geez I've never heard of mice in DDs do your trucks sit a lot??

 

Pics of this 3rd gen

 

We had mice get into our first Prius. The exterminator that helped us keep them out of the house recommended a good bleaching. If mice smell the urine of other mice, it sends a signal that this is a good place to nest.

We mixed up 8-1 water to Clorox and put it in an old Windex bottle. Every so often, I respray the undersides and engine wells of both cars. I also focus on the A/C drip lines and all venting areas because I want to prevent black mold, too.

Good luck, happy hunting, and I also hate those little bastards.

 

My sister had rats chew a wiring harness in her DD 4Runner

 

We have a problem with nice in the winter and squirrels in the warmer months. Have a couple of run down houses and a house under long term construction adjacent to our property. I catch 4 or 5 good size mice/rats per week in traps, and who knows how many I get with poison. I alternate between driving my '40 and Tacoma, and check both regularly or signs of rodents and birds (when I wash them, I wash the engine bay and inner fenders. It's obvious if something's been in there).

 

thanks all!! No, it doesn't sit...it is a work truck and I drive it daily. I have had them chew the wiring harness last year when it was new...apparently they LOVE new wiring, but Insurance covered it. Definitely a war is happening! I just want the critters to go elsewhere!

 

They love the soy based wire sheath. My dad had a problem with them chewing the wiring in his Tundra and my moms Subaru. His fix? Build a garage to park them in.

 

ahh, i would love a garage.....sigh....

 

Agh!! does anywhere know where the cab vents are on our trucks? Behind the bed?

 

Had a squirrel set up shop overnight. Truck didn't start one morning...
Not much help, but I feel your pain.

 

Actually this is a VERY common issue. When I was at the GM dealerships we would have at LEAST 2 or 3 trucks a week come in with some kind of chewed wire. The solution that one of our customer's used that worked like a charm for everyone else was placing moth balls under the hood in areas where they wouldn't fall out. Evidently mice don't like the smell at ALL.

 

we have squirrels in our area bad, and they got into the attic last year. We got them out and kept them out with pepper spray. They hate the smell and taste.

 

Just got the word from Toyota. I need a whole new front wiring harness for my 2 month old Tacoma sport 4x4. I am sick. The squirrels got the headlight in my wife's Venza first. Then two days later the Tacoma had dash lights that wouldn't go out and I found the nest. OMG. The Tacoma was only 2 months old. We live in the city and drive our cars daily. So watch out. We had put some moth balls in the car. Didn't work.

 

^That sucks.
Strange as it sounds, try bounce dryer sheets.

 

So sorry to hear this Dan.
Common issues like others have said.
We have a few every month like this.
The problem with you putting stuff in the truck is you suffer with the smell also.
Mesh over the intake hose and cowl opening will help.
They use dryer sheets for nest material around here.
They do have a few packages of repellent commercially but like I said you suffer also.
The main thing is to keep them OUT of the interior. That's the biggest deal and the most expensive and difficult to get the smell out. It's a major undertaking.

Fresh Cab is what we use. Put a few in the engine compartment, under the cowl.
Screen the openings.
Try spraying Lysol or Oder Ban in the engine bay to get rid of the scent.
It is war. You are losing. Check your vehicles every day if you can.
I have a garage but I have 6 snap traps in it. I catch one every month. They are hitch hikers.

Put a couple of sticky traps in the engine bay. Check them in the am.
That's all I got....

Oh yea. Check my avatar. Guess what I'm doing ???

 

I made up a small wire mesh box to bolt under hood and toss moth balls in it. Most rodents hate the camfor smell.

Paco

 

It looks the garage is the only safe place for my Tacoma when I get it back next week. I have made room and moved my triumph spitfire to a storage locker for now. Never had any trouble with it and it isn't driven very often but it is always in the garage. FYI - the nest I found in the Tacoma was just whole leaves from the ground, nothing that was chewed up or had anything else in the nest. That is why I think it was a squirrel. Now that stupid squirrel caused me to spend my money that I was planning to buy a TRD exhaust, on a wiring harness!!! GRRR!