O/T Mice in my ATV battery box

[Camper]

Anyone have this problem,

I was cleaning the pool yesterday and the shed door was open all of the sudden my honda 450 foreman started up!!!

Nobody was in the shed and I went what the $%&*

I ran down and flipped the kill switch, took the seat off and there was a nest of mice in my battery box half of the wires have been stripped. They could have started that thing on fire and I would have lost the whole shed 4 wheeler and lawn tractor. I killed all the babies but the mom got away. Anyone run into this and does anyone do anything to prevent this?

Camper

[A.W]

A handful of mothballs in your battery box might work. Throw some around inside your shed as well.

Just make sure you don't put them on the floor where you walk.

Cost....$1 at the Dollar store.

[GREY OWL]

Get a Cat!!!!!! Or Victor Tin Cat, its a mouse trap that lets mice in but not out. I've got one at my trailer up at our property, they work great if you don't want a real cat.

Better yet, find that mother mouse, any mouse that can start a ATV is pretty amazing. Imagine what ya can get on E-bay for her. HEHEHE

Grey Owl

[AliveInTheWild]

Hi Tech mice these days! I repair outboards/ATVs and such and have seen this problem often. A box of decon seems to protect equipment. Have had mice eat wires right next to fresh moth balls so, for me, they don't seem to work. Repairing the damage is no fun. Either black tape, which isn't a great long term fix, or splice in new wires with solder and shrink tubing to reinsulate -- good as new then. the shrink tubing provides mechanical support for the splice, electrical insulation and keeps moisture out. Good luck. Sorry to hear it!

Ron

[Tommy-SKIL-Figure]

mouse poison...

cant say i hav had a mouse turn on electrical equipment but we saw some in the shed once, put mouse poison down and the next we saw them they were dead.

[frisky]

I take the battery out when not in use. I keep it at home near the charger.

[Farmer]

I am quite sure a lot of barn fires are cause by mice an rat chewing wires in tractors, combines or other equipment..

I have had a lot of trouble over the years with mice chewing wires, electric motors, ans a few wiring harnesses in my combine . Rats or mice even chewed the rad hoses on my combine. I now use poison and mothballs. ( Ratak weather blocks, it can be wired or nailed to a stud. They only eat what they want and it gives the something they can CHEW other than wires )

Leaving hatches open on the combine seems to work as well. If you left the seat off when you store it for a long period would not make things so cozy for the mice

[wabi]

When turkey season ended I left my folding chair with a storage pouch under the seat in my pop-up blind. Today I was near the blind, so I looked inside. My folding chair now has a hole in the seat and a nest of mice in the storage pouch.

[jay73]

Bait (poison) should work. However you could have dead mice lying around the shed. In the heat of the summer, however, it's not the nicest thing, especially if you can't find them. If I were you I would pick up a half dozen snap traps, bait them with peanut butter and set them around the shed. I'd leave them there year round. If there are any mice cruisin your shed, I would almost guarantee they would end up in those traps. Empty them out(with gloves on, of course) or throw the whole trap out, your choice.

Good luck bud.

Jay

[Camper]

J, That is exactly what my dad told me to do. I am not going to use the poison because I have a dog and all the neighbours dogs like to come over and hang out with my dog. so the mouse traps will be alot less damaging to the dogs and might deter a few of the using my lawn as their personal toilet. wishful thinking!

thanks for the replies

Camper

[A.W]

Camper. You can get mouse poisen that are sealed in plastic cases. They have holes big enough for a mouse to get in and eat the poisen but nothing bigger. They are about 4-5 inches long and 3 inches deep, about 1.5 inches high.

A client gave me a couple but I don't where to get them.

[LoneWolf]

You can get louse poisen that are sealed in plastic cases. They have holes big enough for a mouse to get in and eat the poisen but nothing bigger.

A.W, he said he had problems with a mouse eating his wiring, he didn't say he had problems with louse!...

[A.W]

A.W, he said he had problems with a mouse eating his wiring, he didn't say he had problems with louse!...

Must have been thinking about married life........Corrected.

[LoneWolf]

Must have been thinking about married life.......

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean!..

My first wife was just as irritating as a louse when she got into my hair...