I Have A Ridiculous Problem

[Jeanway 0]

A couple of days ago I got into my car and turned on the air conditioner. All this black foamy kind of spongy stuff blew out at me. I figured it was just some little thing that happened and that was the end of it. The next day it happened again, only this time there were little wads of fur mixed in with it. I shut the fan off and listened. I heard funny little noises coming from the vent, like squeeky sounds like an animal. I opened my glove compartment and found a bunch of loose cigaretts I had in there all chewed up and my registration was all wet. I came to the conclusion that something was living in my heating and cooling system. So I know if it stays in there it could cause some damage from all the chewing and peeing. I don't want to leave it in there but I don't want to tear the dashboard out to get it, as it may go deeper into some other places and I may not get it out. So I set a couple mouse traps in the car last night. This morning the cheese was gone and the traps weren't snapped. So I know there is definately a tiny little animal in the car. Any suggestions?? I set the traps again tonight, only this time I used peanut butter. Any guess what it might be or how to get it out?? Is this the stupidest thing you've ever heard or what??

[sea trooper 0]

Oh my. That is a problem isn't it...... Why not call animal control or something? They always get snakes out of cars.

 

Or maybe put a snake in there to eat it. The snake might come out. If not, call animal control

Edited July 9, 2004 by sea trooper

[Jeanway 0]

So if I put a snake in there, how do I get the snake out??

[sea trooper 0]

Hopefully it will get out on it's own. You'll never know, your car just might be a good small creature home. And are you sure it's a mouse? Maybe a mongoose or something........ And have you tried a humane trap? That is the best way so far.

[TrekkieMage 0]

Yikes

 

Call amimal control.

 

Or go to a car mechanic....They can probably get to it without ruining your car.

[Jeanway 0]

OK, update, July 9th. been 3 days since I first noticed it was in there. Last night I put two mousetraps in there, this time with peanut butter on them. This morning, I found one trap licked clean the other trap, nowhere to be found. I think it's attatched to the whatever it is and it's dragging it around inside the car, hiding. I also found the passenger seat has been chewed and all the stuffing was on the floor under the seat. I don't know where the other trap went.

Edited July 9, 2004 by Jeanway

[Jeanway 0]

Hopefully it will get out on it's own. You'll never know, your car just might be a good small creature home. And are you sure it's a mouse? Maybe a mongoose or something........ And have you tried a humane trap? That is the best way so far. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Mongoose? I don't live in India. Could be a mouse, a chipmunk or a vole???? Haven't seen it, only evidence of it's presence.

[sea trooper 0]

lol. Yeah call animal control. Or since it might die soon (with the trap) call a mechanic.

[A l t e r E g o 9]

Imo opinion animal control will force you to take costly actions to remove it.

 

It must be a small animal capable of squeezing though the AC/Heating ducts yet large enough to escape being harmed by the traps.

 

Instead of making it's environment pleasant with food and gifts try starving it out; clean out everything it could eat or drink and eventually it'll WANT to leave.

 

Park the car in a hot area, (like in the sun) and run the heater full blast. Watch for movement, when you see it open the door and it'll probably run out to escape the inferno.

[Jeanway 0]

Let me ask you this AE. Do I sit in this INFERNO AND WAIT? I'll run before it does IF I OPEN THE DOOR TO GET OUT, ALL THE HEAT WILL ESCAPE AND AT THE LAST MINUTE IT WILL CHANGE IT'S MIND AND SAY " I'TS NOT SO BAD IN HERE". Then it'll turn around and go back into where ever it is hiding. I opened all the doors and the hatch yesterday and left it that way for a couple hours. I found the other trap, also licked clean. Yep, it must be a tiny little thing. I think it knows I'm after it now, I can hear little tiny laughter coming frm behind the dashboard. ^_^

[Sam The Smuggler 1]

Blowup Your Car. You'll Need A New Car, But Atleast You Won't Have A Little Animal Proplem Anymore.

[Jeanway 0]

It IS a new car

[Sam The Smuggler 1]

It IS a new car

I Was Just Kidding

[BlueCrystal 0]

I'm also thinking that a humane trap would work best for you in this case. We use them at work and the creatures are firmly stuck but alive when maintence comes and retrieves them. Good luck and keep us posted on your traveling furry *friend*. Just be glad it's not Tribbles.

[Jeanway 0]

" TRIBBLES " AAWWKKK!!!!! THAT MEANS BABIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Q stole my bike 0]

lol, if it was tribbles they'd be coming out of the exhaust pipe

 

Don't worry, it'll die soon enough, then you can that your car to the mechanic when it starts to stink and have them fish it out

[Jeanway 0]

Or I could just put a bunch of "Attack Kittens" in there. If I don't laugh about this I'll cry.

[Theunicornhunter 2]

Do you know a mechanic you trust. Sometimes if you have a regular mechanic you can just call and they will give you suggestions of what you could do yourself.

 

If it's in your heating/cooling system there had to be a point of access. I don't know where you set your trap but maybe if you set it by the point of access it might exit. Do you have any idea what kind of animal it is? I'm guessing a mouse - although the smell usually gives that away. Anyway, that'll give you a better idea of what food to use. I know slugs are drawn to beer, don't know about mice but they eat grains so maybe - that way it would just pass out and forget how to find it's way back to the vent. (just don't get pulled for anything, honestly officer I'm just trying to get a mouse out of my vent)

 

You definitely want to draw it out...you don't want it to die inside.

Edited July 11, 2004 by TheUnicornHunter

[Jeanway 0]

Well, so far I've found out it loves cheese and Peanut butter. But it also likes cigarettes and seat stuffing, so that's not telling me much :( If this thing is so tiny it does't snap the traps with it's very light LICK, then maybe I should put some 'FLY PAPER' in there :) OHHHH. I think I'm losin it ^_^

Edited July 11, 2004 by Jeanway

[jdigs 0]

Jeanway! what happened? with the animal I mean..

Edited July 12, 2004 by jdigs

[Ace 0]

I know someone who had this same problem; I'll have to find out what they did about it.

[Jeanway 0]

I know someone who had this same problem; I'll have to find out what they did about it.

 

 

Really?? I just set the traps again tonight. Smothered the entire set, trap in Peanut butter, a small mountain of it. It'll have to sit on it to get it all, then maybe, just maybe the added weight of it all will snap it shut on the little *******!

Edited July 12, 2004 by Jeanway

[Jeanway 0]

Jeanway! what happened? with the animal I mean..

 

 

 

 

It's still in there. Been 6 days now. I don't know actually how long it has been in there. I just noticed it 6 days ago. It may have been in there for a while before I noticed. But a flurry of black foam blowing on you is a pretty good indication there is something in there chewing it up. Can you pull those vents out by hand?? anyone know this??

[sea trooper 0]

Have you tried popping the hood and digging around?

[Jeanway 0]

Have you tried popping the hood and digging around?

 

 

 

OH yea.

[sea trooper 0]

How about checking from under the car?

[BlueCrystal 0]

Well in thinking about this, have you thought of trying to vacuum it out of the vent. If it's so small and feather light around the traps maybe it can be sucked out of it's nest in your car. But then you might have to hear the squeeks of hungry little ones that managed to survive that cleaning.

[Jeanway 0]

I have been inside, underneath and under the hood. It's inside the heating system, in back of the vent on the dashboard. I does comeout to eat off the mousetraps, never springing them so it's chewing on anything and everything has slowed down for now. It's kind of a balancing act trying to keep it fed til I can kill it. Still trying though.

[sea trooper 0]

I have an idea. Put a big plate of peanut butter in your car, then wait in like the back seat until the thing comes out. Have a net or something. And make sure you have a few hours of free time. Don't make too much movement and no sound at all. It will come out. Try to find the most odorous peanut butter you can find too. You're going huntin'!

[Odo 0]

Mean they want to cruise to

mouse haters

boo hiss hiss boo