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Dec 20, 2025 | 11:17 AM

#16

440 sixpack

Lead Driver

Joined: Oct 2018

Posts: 7,894

Likes: 2,372

The peppermint thing always cracks me up, I know guys swear by it but I've never seen anything to it. for decades I grew about 1000 acres of peppermint and had my own distillery to process it. if you've never experienced a mint still or pure peppermint oil you've missed out on what mints smells like. I had mice in my still and the equipment used to harvest it.

What does work is gopher bait you can buy at any feed or farm store. usually, it's strychnine laced millet or grain, and it's the end of mice. sprinkle it lightly in places pets can't get or build little boxes with a 1" hole in the middle so other animals can't get it and your mouse problem is gone. even in my combines and wheat storage I never have mice anymore.

Dec 20, 2025 | 12:36 PM

#17

Pickupmanx2

Lead Driver

Joined: Jun 2006

Posts: 5,677

Likes: 999

From: Near Yosemite CA

I almost spit my coffee out laughing!! Good one! Can't beat having a Torti around!

I have the same issue in my shop, I have about 6 traps w/p-nut butter placed all around, seems they come in waves, won't have any for weeks, then I'll get 3 or so in a night, been feeding them to my possum I was raising as I catch them. My shop is cinder block with metal roll-up doors, so putting in a cat door presents a challenge, having used the poison before and then as stated, they crawl into someplace you can't get to and stink for days I stopped doing that and stick to traps... I have heard moth ***** work well, but I can never figure out which moth is the male to castrate so I haven't tried them yet...

Quote:

Originally Posted by ranger140892

Try this....I've got mine attached to the passenger side valve cover, but you can put one pretty much anywhere.

Dec 20, 2025 | 07:56 PM

#18

sbilby123

More Turbo

Joined: Jan 2021

Posts: 548

Likes: 52

From: CT

Bounce dryer sheets by the box....all over the engine compartment ,in the air cleaner, around all wire harness areas, and in cab on floor, behind seat, under dash,,,,,,have not had any issues that I have found over the years

Dec 21, 2025 | 06:40 AM

#19

HertzHound

Tuned

Joined: Feb 2024

Posts: 273

Likes: 128

From: NJ

Quote:

Originally Posted by flowney

Perhaps there is a kind of wire loom that rodents find noxious – pepermint?

I was told that the old Romex wire had arsenic in it. It was after **** and tube wiring that rodents would pick clean. It was after the armor AC type (BX) they used before they need the steel for WW2.

It was the “new” Romex that had the tar and silver type jacket with the cotton stings inside the jacket. I’ve only ripped it out. Real dirty stuff when you’re replacing it. The tar crap gets all over your hands, then it’s time for lunch. Sometimes you would see rodent damage, but never picked clean. It’s been a long time since I did a lot of residential old work. I gotta go wash my hands just thinking about that stuff.

Dec 21, 2025 | 10:57 AM

#20

flowney

Cargo Master

Joined: Jun 2014

Posts: 2,217

Likes: 325

From: Central Florida

Re poisons, point well taken. However, there are poisons that create insatiable thirst before death so those critters leave the scene in search of water before they croak.

Quote:

Methods to Avoid Finding Bodies

RatX Pesticide: This product is a non-toxic (to most other animals) bait made from corn gluten meal or cob that rats cannot digest. It causes the rats to become dehydrated and die, and they often leave the premises in search of water, dying outside. This method carries no secondary poisoning risk for predators or pets.
Dry Ice/Carbon Dioxide (for outdoor burrows): For rats living in outdoor burrows, dry ice produces carbon dioxide gas which humanely anesthetizes and then kills the rats quickly. You place the dry ice down the burrows and then block them off. Caution: This method should not be used in or near enclosed human or pet-inhabited spaces due to the risk of CO2 buildup.
Natural Predators (long-term): Encouraging natural predators like owls and barn cats to frequent your property can help control the rat population, with the added benefit of the bodies being disposed of naturally by the predators. An owl house can attract local owls to your yard.

Last edited by flowney; Dec 21, 2025 at 11:02 AM.

Dec 22, 2025 | 04:10 PM

#21

Patpät

Mountain Pass

Joined: Jan 2023

Posts: 244

Likes: 81

From: Germany, Bavaria

Quote:

Originally Posted by ranger140892

Try this....I've got mine attached to the passenger side valve cover, but you can put one pretty much anywhere.

Just a cat being a cat

Ours used to catch mice when she was young, but now being an older lady she prefers a less stressfull hobby.

Dec 22, 2025 | 05:07 PM

#22

AZSCAWPION

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Dec 2016

Posts: 1,259

Likes: 713

Best thing I've found is a good old fashioned snap trap. Problem with peanut butter tho is will attract ants and will be stripped clean in no time. There's also no resistance to spring the trap with peanut butter. Best thing is to hot glue a peanut to the trap. Also saves the hassle of having to re-bait.

Dec 23, 2025 | 11:36 AM

#23

egchewy

More Turbo

Joined: Mar 2022

Posts: 704

Likes: 216

If you're bored, check out the A24 mouse/rat trap.
It's a self resetting pneumatically powered trap that basically snaps their necks w/ a pneumatic piston.
The youtube videos are fascinating.