Rodents got into my truck last night.

Some freaking rodent got INSIDE my truck in the middle of the night. The alarm went off at 11pm. I didn’t think much of it but then it went off again at 2am, triggered by Compustar’s window breakage sensor. Checked on the truck from the porch but didn’t go inside it. So noticed this eaten apple when I left this morning to get the kids to school.

No windows or doors were open. So I presume it got in through the engine and firewall and then through the vents. And probably got startled by the alarm and scurried away. There was no other trace of them inside the cabin and they didn’t eat anything else, like the foam handles of my crutches and cane.

Cleaned everything thoroughly this morning. I’m reasonably confident they aren’t still hiding in the truck. I hope…

but what can I do to make sure they’re not in here, and more importantly, they can’t get back in?

worth noting we live in the hills on several acres of forested and natural habitat, so it’s not surprising in the least that they’re here. I just don’t want them climbing back in.

 

my daughters car is in the shop as we speak getting damage fixed from rodents chewing up the wire harnesses.

 

with that much debris in the engine bay, i'm doubting it is gone. how's the cabin air filter?

 

Much of that was already there.

I’ll check the air filter. I didn’t think of that. Thanks.

 

I would be more concerned with them eating the soy based wire insulation on the wiring harnesses than them getting inside the truck. Couple chewed wires shorting out can wreak absolute havoc on these trucks.

 

I get that. But I come back to my original question - what can I do to prevent them from getting into the truck (cabin OR engine bay)?

 

I had nearly $5K damage to my SRT sitting in the driveway. Mice ate the wire coating on the main engine harness. I live in a sidewalk city so I was surprised.

Now I use this. Peppermint spray. Apparently they don't like the smell. I spray the engine compartment of all my cars AND the ground around my mustang that is in the garage under a cover. Seems to work and my car always smells like Christmas!

$22 Mighty Mint Peppermint Oil Rodent Repellent Spray – Natural Indoor & Outdoor Control for Mice and Rats – Plant-Based, Extra-Strong Formula - 16 oz

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HYP6D5C?th=1

$22 Mighty Mint Peppermint Oil Rodent Repellent Spray for Vehicles – Natural Mouse & Rat Control for Car Engines, RVs, Trucks & Boats – Plant-Based, Extra-Strong Formula – 16 oz

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BTRQRBM?th=1

Also soak a dryer ball with the above and wedge into some corner in your engine compartment to keep them out. I have had no issues since doing this.

$10 Budieggs Wool Dryer Balls Organic XL 6-Pack, 100% New Zealand Wool Chemical Free Fabric Softener for 1000+ Loads, Baby Safe & Hypoallergenic, Fabrics Soft and Fluffy Naturally

https://www.amazon.com/Budieggs-Chemical-Softener-Hypoallergenic-Naturally/dp/B06ZYN7LLK?crid=299FA74RFT72M&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.L8ugfClpt3n2F_j8ZhQgcl4Sse1Ate6RieOVeDd6itpItAdyMklEBhxajz42mi4ak_f66NxTBVkSmwqh7fAP39n7vRO51TBjN_szs5pR5f-wBFjrgD67I3a3OXB2GsYGUyt2Hbi9GO-E64-aQ3AFwYEjZ_ny1tsqdpyCGWjFIOhkV28Jdyr7jGcsSrd7PlUG2bYYI7XzwzokK0k4woshtzbvNt9u4rQoERd-8Qhwwr9JO7-B8CcwEI8wUnkePL6AVDSemZ9I0PURX5SNlttvrNv9D12Q_Bbh1wdQhRpkOHc.ulKyBapBpXApEZTKSMzA7PZ1a7LdxagUOGrxr4kkj-Y&dib_tag=se&keywords=dryer+balls&qid=1762285945&s=hpc&sprefix=dryer+ba%2Chpc%2C195&sr=1-5&th=1

 

Peppermint spray!! And wire mesh. If you look around there are a few with step by step instructions. And that looks like a rat has been using the top of the engine for his toilet!!! I hate mieces to pieces!!!!

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/mouse-rodent-proofing-stage-one.44679/

 

Peppermint oil, dryer sheets, wire mesh over cabin air intake passenger side of engine compartment.

Traps loaded with peanut butter or chocolate syrup.

Looks like mice most likely.

And the most fun, pellet gun or .22 with a thermal sight.

 

https://www.predatorpeestore.com/bobcat-urine.html

The spray STINKS. The little cannisters work good for about 2-3 weeks and need to be swapped out, says a month, but I find that's pushing it. Doesn't make the inside of the car smell.

 

Well crap. Good call. They’re clearly getting in through the cabin filter.
Guess I’ll replace that today. And figure out some way to get a wire mesh into that tight area.

 

If you go through that link I shared above, there's the 2 spots on the passenger side firewall, and then in the second page, @TILLY reminded everyone of the third opening on the driver's side.

That'll keep them outside of the cab, at which point you can choose your flavor/poison/scent/signal to deter them.

 

Damn they have been living in your truck for sometime now!

 

I park in wooded outdoor area too. I taped some rag strips in engine bay and spray them with peppermint periodically. As long as I respray weekly, critters stay away. They luckily never got inside mine but I found acorns stashed up behind bumper and a couple places under hood that lead me to start spraying. Footprints in the dust let's me know they were there too.

 

oh wow! did that smell any?

 

do they still have the same problem with the new Tundras ?

 

^^^ this

And I have not found that peppermint spray works on the bastages at all. I was religiously using a spray with peppermint, eucalyptus, and rosemary (using a good essential oils brand) and I still had them in the engine bay. Snap traps behind the front tires and an ultrasonic unit under the hood and I've been bastage free for a couple of years now.

Oh, and make sure you have no food in the cab whatsoever.

 

Happened to my taco. I spray my truck wheel wells about every 2-3 days with peppermint, I have peppermint balls stuffed between the air filter and battery bay, and I have that silent noise machine strobe light thing. Don’t want to deal with that again! So far, so good. *knock on wood*

 

Lights are excellent deterrents for rodents too. You could buy some rope lights and run them under where you park at night, then put them on an outlet timer.

Also might be worth going to the humane society and grabbing some scruffy looking yard/barn cats

 

Peppermint didn’t work whatsoever on my vehicle either. 100% agree on absolutely zero food in the cab! I had a mouse infestation in my scion xB about 5 years ago. I ended up removing the ENTIRE interior (all seats but the driver’s, headliner, carpet, ect) and continued to drive around like that for an entire year while i kept chasing them out. I ended up getting a roll of stainless steel mesh screen and installed it over each and every vent hole, HVAC inlets, and airbox intake. Zero mice since. I don’t eat in my vehicles, but it stemmed from leaving a loaf of bread in my xB overnight. So after you go grocery shopping, unload the truck asap.

And if they want to make nests under the hood, you’re going to have to resort to opening up the hood when you park the truck. Mice like dark places, and an open hood will keep them out.

 

Screen off the air intake under the cowl. I use Fresh Cab pouches in the engine bay and inside.. Seem to work

 

Mice ate our Rav4 and Sequoias washer fluid hoses, no damage to the harnesses thank goodness. None of the deterents worked. The only thing that was reliable was a glue trap for us. Unfortunately glue traps are non-selective and we were catching other stuff we didn't want to catch, like geckos and even a Carolina Wren one time (all in the garage too).

I've heard the bucket trap works well, but I haven't tried it yet.

 

I had a rat that was sleeping on my engine cover. I finally Put out poison blocks. Found him dead laying on my skid plate.

 

I tried the bucket trap with the ramp and peanut butter. Didn't catch a single one. At night I often thought I heard the mice laughing at my attempt to catch them.

 

They wouldn't laugh at this.

 

Cat would be good if they didn't eat everything that crawls or flies. They make great live ballistic test media.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/war...nfestation-in-engine-bay.119297/#post-3063161

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/my-tundra-and-the-rats-that-almost-killed-me.102095/#post-2618263