Need Help Getting Out Mouse Nest ABOVE Cabin Filter

Ok, I've searched on here, and other people have had this problem, but no one tells you how to actually remove the nest. Is their a fairly simple way to do this, or I do I need to take this to the dealer? I don't have a garage, very rural area. No pavement, no decent lighting, except the sun (when it decides to come out here.) The opening where the cabin air filter goes is too small for me to get my hand in there and get it out, nor can I get a shop vac in there. Is there access from inside the engine compartment or somewhere else? This is my second nest in a year (first one removed by a shop, but of course...they came back) and I shoved some steel mesh around the fresh air intake cover, but either they are going around that or they are getting in somewhere else. First thing I need to do is remove the freakin' nest.
Thanks.

 

I had the same issue with my 2003 TRD! I could not figure out how to get it out either! I eventually traded (recently). The smell was awful on humid days! I had kept my truck parked outside the garage and field mice moved in! Same with my wife's RAV4. We keep both vehicles in the garage now and that seems to be the key. I wish I could help you though! The rodents are getting in there somehow. It's just a matter of finding the entry point and installing hardware cloth to block it I guess.

 

We pull the blower motor and pull cowl panel and work from both directions.
Sometimes they play spin the wheel and end up in 3 or 4 pieces stuck between the blades.

 

I also pulled the blower motor from my 2003 and cleaned it out. Pretty easy to do, BUT, it still didn't solve the issue of mice getting into the vehicle in the first place. I even had nests in my frame as well. I suppose they met their demise when I had the frame spray recall completed though. The bad part was when one mouse (or more) died up in the vent housing somewhere! I just couldn't get at it. I even considered getting one of those flexible cameras and a mechanics grabber to reach it! The manager of the Toyota shop stated that the dash would have to be pulled! No way! I was glad to get rid of it last summer when I did!

 

Sometimes it gets that bad. I had one that built a nest in three places. In the roof, floor, and dash. It was covered by her insurance but the bill was thousands. I gut the complete interior to bare metal and had a company come in and disinfect the car for urin and poop. I had to wear a respirator. The whole shop smelled. Mike Rowe of dirty jobs would of liked that one.

Like I've said before. Unless the cause is fixed the problem will return.