So my boating season is off to a great start...

[jrs_diesel]

And my boat hasn't even hit the water yet.

So I went in my garage this past weekend to get our bicycle tire pump for the boys bikes during a warm day, and I found a dead mouse . So I set a few traps out around the garage, and so far I caught 5. I noticed that the traps in the back corner of the garage got hit more than the others. The back corner is also where I keep my inflatable boat deflated, rolled up, and covered for the winter.

So tonight I started clearing out the back corner of the garage, looking around to see where the mice had settled for the winter. Didn't find anything substantial, so I pulled the cover off of the boat, and knew in an instant where my unwelcome guests had been staying . Found out they had used the boat to sleep and nest, and found out out they had been munching on tulip bulbs. The bulbs were in a 5 gallon bucket in the opposite corner of the garage. Amazing what these little critters can do in the dark.

I inflated the boat to clean it out and luckily they did not chew on the tubes at all as far as I can tell (no air leaks). Didn't find any more live ones either. They made quite a mess too. Of all places, they had to shack up inside my boat :facepalm: .

Anyone ever have a similar problem with mice and boats? Any ideas on how I can keep them out of the garage in the first place?

 

[BonairII]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

Seal every little bitty hole in the garage and/or foundation. It won't prevent all mice from entering, but it should keep them to a minimum. Don't leave anything piled on the floor either. You can always put D-con boxes around, but be careful if you have pets and/or kids.

 

[Augoose]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

Sorry to hear about the mice but glad they didn't destroy the boat. I dealt with mice in my garage by one, removing whatever temptation which was bringing them in there (the wife left a spilled bag of bird seed on a shelf) and two, setting out traps to physically get rid of them. Peanut butter with some snap traps worked well. One year later, no food in the garage, and the mice are all gone.

Another option is a cat....

 

[foodfisher]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

They're there. Gotta wipe'em out. Steel wool tied to the mouse trap trigger smeared w/peanutbutter. Their curved teeth in the steel wool is a death trap. When the meeces discovered my flower seeds the count was fifteen before it ended.

 

[ricohman]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

I have used those sticky traps with great success. Just put a bit of peanut butter in the center.

 

[jrs_diesel]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

I've been using both the snap traps and the sticky traps, loaded with peanut butter, with good success. So far nothing has hit them since last night, and since I have found their nesting area, I think I have gotten rid of them (fingers crossed). I am not going to use poison, I don't want to smell the dead ones and I have a small dog. I'm going to keep the traps out longer, just in case. I did eliminate the food source.

 

[produceguy]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

Sorry to hear it. Have you checked the wireing in your boat?
Those nasty critters can really do a number on it.

Find a stray cat and let it do the dirty work. Good luck bud.

 

[PrinceValium]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

I have used those sticky traps with great success. Just put a bit of peanut butter in the center.

The problem with the sticky traps is sometimes you can hear them screaming because they cannot come loose. Decon works great but they usually end up going to a place you don't want them to (like your walls) to die and they wreak for several months. I like the snap traps of the electrical traps(for less mess)

I agree you should check the wiring in the boat etc. There is a certain type of rat orison that makes them thirsty and they go out to get water and end up dying outside...but I forgot the name of it.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

dcon and similar poisons send them looking for water, too. The "poison" is basically dry cement, and causes internal bleeding--much like an OD of aspirin would (homemade rat poison = corn + dry cement). Dcon adds some fish oil to attract them.

Take an iold plastic tool or tackle box, cut an 1 1/2 " hole in the ends w/ a hole saw; put dcon inside; latch the top + cable tie/small padlock. This feeder is safe from pets, raccoons and children. Put one in the garage (although you may have dead ones inside) and put them outside near where they might get in, by woodpiles, etc.

While dead rats stink, I find the mice, in a garage, aren't so bad.

Seal holes with steel wool; they won't chew it.

 

[hostage]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

When I was younger and in college we had a Suburban that we used for hauling and to use when I was home from college. One day the lights weren't working and the mechanic said that squirrels got into the engine compartment and chewed on the wires. The guy suggested using moth balls. So my old man put moth balls in the engine compartment and put the rest of the box on the passenger seat. During the hot Texas summer I came home to visit and after my old man forgot the box of mothballs in the passenger seat, that suburban smelled bad! I felt like I was an old storage closet.

 

[gtochris]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

When I had a Sea Doo, it was wrapped up VERY tightly in plastic and they found a way into it, I had a family living under the front storage compartment.... It was a mess! Fortunately they didnt chew through anything.

 

[DBreskin]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

Have you checked the wireing in your boat?
Those nasty critters can really do a number on it.

How much wiring can there be in a rolled up inflatable boat?

 

[jrs_diesel]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

How much wiring can there be in a rolled up inflatable boat?

Answer is none. It's just that, a 9 ft inflatable boat. It's a darn good fishing boat though with its shallow draft. My boys and I love taking it fishing.

So no wiring to worry about and they did not chew up the tubes or the wood (hard floor). I just have to clean it now and keep any more mice out of the garage. My traps have not been touched at all since yesterday, and I didn't see any live ones when I unrolled the boat, so I think I got them all.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

You will need to keep the traps set, moving forward. They will always find a way in, or at least assume they will. Some of the poison they sell now, really dries em up after they die, this will almost stop any odor you may get, and if you keep it off the floor, your pets will be safe too.
If it were my boat, I would bring it inside for the winter and not take a chance. They chewed my tent and ice fishing shanty up good one year, and that was the last time.

 

[PrinceValium]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

When I was younger and in college we had a Suburban that we used for hauling and to use when I was home from college. One day the lights weren't working and the mechanic said that squirrels got into the engine compartment and chewed on the wires. The guy suggested using moth balls. So my old man put moth balls in the engine compartment and put the rest of the box on the passenger seat. During the hot Texas summer I came home to visit and after my old man forgot the box of mothballs in the passenger seat, that suburban smelled bad! I felt like I was an old storage closet.

On an off topic note: I can say for sure that those mothballs work EXCELLENT for warding off skunks. They hate the smell so if you have a skunk problem dropping some of those in the hole you think they are staying in will surely make them move elsewhere!

 

[5150abf]

Re: So my boating season is off to a great start...

I saw a mouse scurry across my boat once and had poison out wihtin a day, never saw another one, they can be very distructive.