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Mazdax605
Mazdax605 UberDork
5/8/20 7:12 a.m.

This morning before work I fired up the Sienna and then was going to check on the mouse trap under the hood of my wife's Rav4. While walking from the Sienna I saw some critter run out from under the Sienna and towards the Rav4/house. Not sure if it was a mouse or a chipmunk. 

Mazdax605
Mazdax605 UberDork
5/10/20 5:49 p.m.

Decided to fix the Rav4 so that mice will have a harder time getting in. I was able to get the cowl off. Toyota put in a valiant effort keeping the varmints out, but plastic doesn't hold up to mice teeth it seems. 

 

 

I fashioned a cover out of gutter leaf guard this time. I did my best to make it fit. 

 

 

I was only able to put a couple of screws in front of the oval piece. I'd like to figure out something better, but this will work. 

 

 

Let me know what you think. I'd like to make more professional looking ones to sell to people, but that's probably crazy. 

californiamilleghia
californiamilleghia Dork
5/10/20 5:58 p.m.

could you  hook it up to 220v and turn it into a mice BBQ !

Mazdax605
Mazdax605 UberDork
5/10/20 5:58 p.m.
californiamilleghia said:

could you  hook it up to 220v and turn it into a mice BBQ !

Well I am an electrician.... 

Mazdax605
Mazdax605 UberDork
5/11/20 8:20 a.m.

Hey guys,

 

I was thinking that this has to be an issue with the RAV4, and possibly other models. If I wanted to make these covers for sale it would be best to be able to punch them out somehow. Could I make a mold out of wood to press the shape into the leaf guard material, and then cut the excess off? If so how would I go about doing this? Hard wood shaped as the inner and outer dimensions, and a press? Also I'm thinking that I'd have to come up with a better way to mount this rather than a couple of screws in the front part to hold it in place. I wanted to put screws in the rear part, but there is no access. I was thinking about some way of hooking it from below and wrapping something over the top to attach it, but couldn't come up with anything on hand.

Mazdax605
Mazdax605 UberDork
5/11/20 5:06 p.m.

Hey guys, 

 

Tell me if I'm crazy, but if I wanted to make said kit, is there any sort of 90 degree spring clip available with a threaded hole on it. Sorta like my crude drawing. 

 

 

 

californiamilleghia
californiamilleghia Dork
5/11/20 5:42 p.m.

Look into using a press and pressing the pattern into rubber , 

this is overkill  but gives you the idea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7JLO0BcI14

Mazdax605
Mazdax605 UberDork
5/12/20 6:51 p.m.

Found a nest in my son's Pontiac Vibe too. 

 

 

Gaping holes is a Toyota thing apparently. 

 

 

Toyman01 (Forum Supporter)
Toyman01 (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
5/12/20 6:55 p.m.

You could also press the part so it was a push fit inside the duct down on top of the factory piece. Then the spring pressure of the material would hold it in place. 

Mazdax605
Mazdax605 UberDork
5/12/20 6:56 p.m.
Toyman01 (Forum Supporter) said:

You could also press the part so it was a push fit inside the duct down on top of the factory piece. Then the spring pressure of the material would hold it in place. 

Not a bad idea. 

Mazdax605
Mazdax605 UberDork
5/12/20 7:08 p.m.
Toyman01 (Forum Supporter) said:

You could also press the part so it was a push fit inside the duct down on top of the factory piece. Then the spring pressure of the material would hold it in place. 

I don't know how to go about stamping anything, but I like your idea. Simple. I always overthink things. 

dculberson (Forum Supporter)
dculberson (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
5/12/20 10:15 p.m.

Dude! You're getting overrun there! I've had mice chew some wires in the past but the worst one I had was a groundhog that crawled up in the engine compartment and died. UGH that was nasty. I hauled everything out into the yard and was going to bundle it up and throw it in the trash but a vulture was circling overhead at that point so I let him take care of the remains. It was gone - picked clean by the time I got home from work!

TGMF
TGMF HalfDork
5/13/20 12:38 p.m.

You need yourself a mouse trap.  5 Gallon bucket, a metal rod or even a chunk of straightened coat hanger, a empty peanut butter jar or similar and  a gallon or so of used coolant.   Run the hanger through the middle of the lid and jar, so the jar will spin on the hanger like a wheel on an axle. Slather the outside of the jar with peanut butter. place jar/axle across bucket with coolant in the bottom. make some way for the little buggers to climb up to the edge of the bucket.  They will crawl, or jump to the peanut butter, which will make the jar spin, and thus the furry buggers falling into the drink. fatigue and ingestion does the rest.  

Water would work here, but  coolant kinda preserves them and keeps the smell down if you forget to empty it, it's reusable, and doesn't turn into a swamp...besides, what else yah gonna do with it.  

Mazdax605
Mazdax605 UberDork
5/13/20 12:53 p.m.
TGMF said:

You need yourself a mouse trap.  5 Gallon bucket, a metal rod or even a chunk of straightened coat hanger, a empty peanut butter jar or similar and  a gallon or so of used coolant.   Run the hanger through the middle of the lid and jar, so the jar will spin on the hanger like a wheel on an axle. Slather the outside of the jar with peanut butter. place jar/axle across bucket with coolant in the bottom. make some way for the little buggers to climb up to the edge of the bucket.  They will crawl, or jump to the peanut butter, which will make the jar spin, and thus the furry buggers falling into the drink. fatigue and ingestion does the rest.  

Water would work here, but  coolant kinda preserves them and keeps the smell down if you forget to empty it, it's reusable, and doesn't turn into a swamp...besides, what else yah gonna do with it.  

I've been contemplating doing this. However I don't know if I should put it outside, or in my garage? Thoughts? 

Toyman01 (Forum Supporter)
Toyman01 (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
5/13/20 12:56 p.m.

In reply to Mazdax605 :

If you put it outside, make sure the local dogs, cats and wildlife can't get into it. If they drink it, they are dead.

Where do you park the cars. If in the garage, put it there. 

Mazdax605
Mazdax605 UberDork
5/13/20 12:57 p.m.
Toyman01 (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to Mazdax605 :

If you put it outside, make sure the local dogs, cats and wildlife can't get into it. If they drink it, they are dead.

Where do you park the cars. If in the garage, put it there. 

The cars that this has been affecting live outside. 

Mazdax605
Mazdax605 UberDork
5/22/20 4:10 p.m.

Made one of those bucket traps yesterday and put it in the shed. Got one juvenile mouse and another big adult one in a trap. Between the traps and the bucket I've got around 8 mice in the past week or maybe more. 

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