You people who don't like cats, might consider a terrier. Terriers, at least
Westies, don't like rodents of any kind. You won't see any rats where
they're around.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Sutter" <mjsutter@cts.com>
To: <tigers@autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, October 03, 2000 1:52 PM
Subject: A long-winded mouse story
>
> Paul R. Sheahan wrote:
>
> Mice hate.......Shotguns, .357's, cats, mouse traps, bricks, and
> brooms.
>
>
>
> Yes They Do!
>
> They also have a good reason to hate rats.
>
> If you want technical Tiger content, don't read the following.
>
> I left my Tiger undriven for about one month last winter. During that time
> a mouse moved into the engine compartment and built a nest on the back of
> the intake manifold. Thankfully he used some sound-deadening insulation
> from a roll leaning against the garage wall, instead of wiring insulation.
> One month later I took the car out for a little weekend blast through the
> hills. The mouse didn't survive the outing. He was baked right there on
top
> of the intake. I parked the car in the garage. I had no idea the mouse was
> there.
>
> That's when the rats came to town. They apparently got "wind" of the mouse
> on the intake manifold and moved in to feed. The metallic atmosphere of
the
> engine compartment didn't appeal to them, so they chose the rolled up car
> cover in the trunk for their domicile instead. The only problem was, that
> tasty mouse was all the way up front in the engine compartment, quite a
> long hike from the comfy trunk. That's when they got the idea to drag the
> baked mouse carcass over the air filter, out through the hood scoop,
across
> the hood, along the top of the drivers door, and down into the trunk via a
> small opening between the tonneau and the B post finisher.
>
> After about a week I decided to put the cover on the car. The cover was in
> the trunk. Imagine my, and the rats, surprise when I opened the trunk and
> interrupted the rat in mid mouthful. I jumped back about three feet and he
> took off for the convertible top well.
>
> I immediately dismantled the trunk, put the top half way up and set
> numerous traps (baited with peanut butter) in and around the car. The next
> morning I checked the traps to find, one rat trapped in the bottom of the
> trunk and another next to the right front tire.
>
> While I was lowering the top and putting the trunk back together I found
> the trail from the engine to the trunk and back. The trail was marked with
> little rat footprints in the dust and a stripe of unidentifiable crusty
> yellow "stuff". I followed the trail into the engine compartment and
that's
> when I finally found the remnants of the poor little mouse stuck to the
> intake. I guess the mouse was still a little raw, hence the trail where
the
> rats had dragged the half-baked pieces back home.
>
> I don't know if mothballs work, but I know traps do. I installed sealing
> strips to the bottom of the doors and I keep a set trap in the garage at
> all times.
>
> Chipping the mouse remnants off of the car was disgusting.
>
> MS
>
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