Of Mice and storing supplies.

wideym · 10-03-2009, 03:08 PM

Last night I was looking for my E-tool, stored in one of three plastic footlockers, when I discovered that a mouse had been chewing on my kevlar body armor and several glove liners.

They were stored in a plastic footlocker I had bought while in Iraq, but there is still a small gap on the left and right side of the lid. Not much of a gap, just enough for Mickey to get in and do his thing. The two sets of glove liners are a total loss and the collar of the kevlar vest has one really bad spot along with the straps of the add-on panels.

I never considered mice when storing supplies and now I'm paying for it. The irony is that I have four cats but keep them out of my storage room. Also I never found my E-too.

larmus · 10-03-2009, 03:27 PM

dude that sucks, have you tried moth balls or traps in order to get rid of them or did you just not think of it, i total understand on just up and forgetting to seal stuff up... is any of it salvagable?

wideym · 10-03-2009, 03:33 PM

Mice just never entered into my plan. The body armor is salvagable, but the glove liners are not and nothing else seemed to have been chewed. From now on I'll let the cats have free reign over the storage room.

sea_chicken1 · 10-03-2009, 04:26 PM

That sucks about your gear. I had to take care of a mouse problem when I moved into the place I'm at now I will have to keep that in mind while storing my gear.

Mr.tbolt · 10-03-2009, 04:28 PM

If you have a fireplace, take a piece of old burnt wood and put it in the room. Mice dont seem to like the smell of fire. It has worked for me.I tried putting moth balls in my camper, but the mice still destroyed my camper.

Big Dog · 10-03-2009, 05:28 PM

Only a metal storage locker will keep Mickey Da Mouse out of your preps and gear.
Though it can be fun to identify the 'game trails', and bait it - then wait with locked&loaded pellet pistol. A .22 pellet is to Mickey like a 40mm round to a Tango....... Great fun and very satisfying.

sea_chicken1 · 10-04-2009, 11:51 AM

I love shooting mice with the old bb gun.

sunwheel29 · 10-06-2009, 02:53 PM

Let me recommend CAT.

CAT is natures solution to the mice problem.

Plus they are good company and chicks dig them.

Big Dog · 10-06-2009, 03:28 PM

I regard cats as simply bigger 'mice'...... They do soak up BB's from a Red Ryder rather well.......

If that pesky neighborhood kitty scratches my new MC seat, I WILL have a new 'fur-covered' seat soon.......

Be careful storing preps in a garage or out-building. My sister lost a bunch of horse feed when the squirrels chewed through her thick plastic trash barrels she kept it in! She switched to galvanized steel - ended that problem!

Cyrano · 10-06-2009, 03:45 PM

What big dog said. I had a problem with mice nesting behind the dishwasher and chewing through the drain line. The problem was solved by replacing the water and drain lines with metal car flex lines, and lining the space the dishwasher fits into with sheet steel from Home Depot. Haven't had a mouseproblem there since.

Metal, glass or pottery - something the little buggers can't chew through - is the only way to keep them out of stored equipment or food. During World War II, Allied POWs lined the storerooms where food was kept with tin cans cut open and beaten flat and nailed to the walls, ceilings and floor to keep the rats and mice out of their supplies. A solid sheet is better. And as roving rodent secuity, a cat or cats with hunting instincts are an excellent backup.

Just be aware not all cats have that instinct. I have five of them at the moment, and only Prima and Kismet have confirmed kills. Tommy acts like he has the instinct, but hasn't had the opportunity yet. I am positive Presto does not and I'm not sure about Milani.

CrazyIvan · 10-06-2009, 03:45 PM

You should invest in some steel, water-proof chests.

MLN1963 · 10-06-2009, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunwheel29

CAT is natures solution to the mice problem.

Not my cats. One ignores them, the other is like a pointer dog, he lets me know there is an intruder by sitting and staring at something for hours. I still have to do the dirty work myself.

Big Dog · 10-07-2009, 09:43 AM

My sister's cats were death on small lizards, and one liked bugs! Don't think they ever had the opportunity, being strictly housecats, to encounter mice.

If you have rats in a barn, get a Jack Russel Terrier (or 'Terror' as I call them) - they were bred as ratters. Saw a TV program once, they let a JRT into a rat-infested barn. He went after them and it was slaughter!

sunwheel29 · 10-13-2009, 12:58 PM

For one thing, DOG eats too much food and requires too much maintenance. Why do you think we refer to high maintenance women who are impossible to get along with by the same name as the female DOG?
DOG also barks all night long and makes a nuisance of itself in other ways. If you are late home do you really want to step in DOG's fecal leavings?

Now you know why they say people resemble their pets.

In addition to being pretty self sufficient and intelligent like its owner CAT is a smooth criminal. When it takes a dump, it BURIES THE EVIDENCE.
Smart folks work well with CAT. DOG is for morons and McSheeple.

PS in most states it is illegal to abuse an animal and its a felony to boot.
I would recommend any body to lay off such stupidity unless they secretly desire to take a shower with another man in jail.

G23c · 10-21-2009, 06:09 PM

learned the same lesson in my prep closet, big bag of rice was chewed through. now its double bagged and in a container.

Big Dog · 10-23-2009, 02:27 PM

A person once said, "Dogs have owners, cats have staff." Very true.
DOG is happy to see you when you get home. CAT just wants fed.
DOG will sit there and let you pet him as much as YOU like. CAT will come to you to petted til HE is satisfied, then take a swipe at you.
DOG gets hair on the couch. CAT claws the couch up.
DOG will protect the home from burglers. CAT will hide under the easychair til burgler is gone.
DOG will play with you. CAT cannot be bothered.

I remain a dog kinda guy.

I don't rely on either to take care of mice........

Deep13 · 10-26-2009, 02:32 PM

Snap traps. Cheap, easy and reusable. They're a necessity around here. Kill them all and Mickey can't get to your stuff.

testhop · 10-30-2009, 02:31 PM

snap traps use peanut butter for bait andput mostthe most on the bottom of the trigger.
if the bait is gone and trap is not thrown you have small mice .
if so you take sewing thread wrap it around the trigger then the peanut butter .
hope this works

Big Dog · 10-30-2009, 02:40 PM

In my old house, the Great Mouse Invasion seemed unstoppable, til I finally bagged "Big Momma"! I had nailed a slew of her babies, til I finally got her.
Final tally was about ten shot by pellet pistol, eight bodies recovered from being poisoned, and one very STUPID little mouse that I nailed with my size 14 combat boot (he thought if he didn't move I wouldn't see him - BIG MISTAKE!).
I found more poisoned meeses over the weeks, from those who crawled away to die. That Decon Mous-Prufe II works pretty good!

jrswanson1 · 10-30-2009, 11:00 PM

I buy steel ammo cans every opportunity I have. BTW, Midway is having a sale on them in November.

Jim

10-03-2009, 03:08 PM	#1
wideym Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Oklahoma/Arkansas border Posts: 117	Of Mice and storing supplies. Last night I was looking for my E-tool, stored in one of three plastic footlockers, when I discovered that a mouse had been chewing on my kevlar body armor and several glove liners. They were stored in a plastic footlocker I had bought while in Iraq, but there is still a small gap on the left and right side of the lid. Not much of a gap, just enough for Mickey to get in and do his thing. The two sets of glove liners are a total loss and the collar of the kevlar vest has one really bad spot along with the straps of the add-on panels. I never considered mice when storing supplies and now I'm paying for it. The irony is that I have four cats but keep them out of my storage room. Also I never found my E-too.

10-03-2009, 03:27 PM	#2
larmus Domestic Engineer Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: arizona Posts: 3,159 Images: 6	dude that sucks, have you tried moth balls or traps in order to get rid of them or did you just not think of it, i total understand on just up and forgetting to seal stuff up... is any of it salvagable? __________________ Lawrence Home Defense: .45 and a Shovel...

10-03-2009, 05:28 PM	#6
Big Dog Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 12,912	Only a metal storage locker will keep Mickey Da Mouse out of your preps and gear. Though it can be fun to identify the 'game trails', and bait it - then wait with locked&loaded pellet pistol. A .22 pellet is to Mickey like a 40mm round to a Tango....... Great fun and very satisfying. __________________ "A bold spirit embiggens the smallest man!" Jebediah Springfield

10-06-2009, 03:28 PM	#9
Big Dog Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 12,912	I regard cats as simply bigger 'mice'...... They do soak up BB's from a Red Ryder rather well....... If that pesky neighborhood kitty scratches my new MC seat, I WILL have a new 'fur-covered' seat soon....... Be careful storing preps in a garage or out-building. My sister lost a bunch of horse feed when the squirrels chewed through her thick plastic trash barrels she kept it in! She switched to galvanized steel - ended that problem! __________________ "A bold spirit embiggens the smallest man!" Jebediah Springfield

10-06-2009, 03:45 PM	#11
CrazyIvan Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Englewood, CO Posts: 3,413 Blog Entries: 1	You should invest in some steel, water-proof chests. __________________ "Minimum wage, minimum effort." "Never underestimate the power of stupidity." ~Me

10-03-2009, 03:33 PM	#3
wideym Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Oklahoma/Arkansas border Posts: 117	Mice just never entered into my plan. The body armor is salvagable, but the glove liners are not and nothing else seemed to have been chewed. From now on I'll let the cats have free reign over the storage room.

10-03-2009, 04:26 PM	#4
sea_chicken1 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Everett WA. and Norfolk VA. Posts: 1,017	That sucks about your gear. I had to take care of a mouse problem when I moved into the place I'm at now I will have to keep that in mind while storing my gear.

10-03-2009, 04:28 PM	#5
Mr.tbolt Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Putnam County NY Posts: 28	If you have a fireplace, take a piece of old burnt wood and put it in the room. Mice dont seem to like the smell of fire. It has worked for me.I tried putting moth balls in my camper, but the mice still destroyed my camper.

10-04-2009, 11:51 AM	#7
sea_chicken1 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Everett WA. and Norfolk VA. Posts: 1,017	I love shooting mice with the old bb gun.

10-06-2009, 02:53 PM	#8
sunwheel29 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 502	Let me recommend CAT. CAT is natures solution to the mice problem. Plus they are good company and chicks dig them.

10-06-2009, 03:45 PM	#10
Cyrano Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: New York Posts: 6,931	What big dog said. I had a problem with mice nesting behind the dishwasher and chewing through the drain line. The problem was solved by replacing the water and drain lines with metal car flex lines, and lining the space the dishwasher fits into with sheet steel from Home Depot. Haven't had a mouseproblem there since. Metal, glass or pottery - something the little buggers can't chew through - is the only way to keep them out of stored equipment or food. During World War II, Allied POWs lined the storerooms where food was kept with tin cans cut open and beaten flat and nailed to the walls, ceilings and floor to keep the rats and mice out of their supplies. A solid sheet is better. And as roving rodent secuity, a cat or cats with hunting instincts are an excellent backup. Just be aware not all cats have that instinct. I have five of them at the moment, and only Prima and Kismet have confirmed kills. Tommy acts like he has the instinct, but hasn't had the opportunity yet. I am positive Presto does not and I'm not sure about Milani.

10-07-2009, 09:43 AM	#13
Big Dog Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 12,912	My sister's cats were death on small lizards, and one liked bugs! Don't think they ever had the opportunity, being strictly housecats, to encounter mice. If you have rats in a barn, get a Jack Russel Terrier (or 'Terror' as I call them) - they were bred as ratters. Saw a TV program once, they let a JRT into a rat-infested barn. He went after them and it was slaughter! __________________ "A bold spirit embiggens the smallest man!" Jebediah Springfield

10-13-2009, 12:58 PM	#14
sunwheel29 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 502	For one thing, DOG eats too much food and requires too much maintenance. Why do you think we refer to high maintenance women who are impossible to get along with by the same name as the female DOG? DOG also barks all night long and makes a nuisance of itself in other ways. If you are late home do you really want to step in DOG's fecal leavings? Now you know why they say people resemble their pets. In addition to being pretty self sufficient and intelligent like its owner CAT is a smooth criminal. When it takes a dump, it BURIES THE EVIDENCE. Smart folks work well with CAT. DOG is for morons and McSheeple. PS in most states it is illegal to abuse an animal and its a felony to boot. I would recommend any body to lay off such stupidity unless they secretly desire to take a shower with another man in jail.

10-21-2009, 06:09 PM	#15
G23c Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: houston, texas Posts: 267	learned the same lesson in my prep closet, big bag of rice was chewed through. now its double bagged and in a container.

10-23-2009, 02:27 PM	#16
Big Dog Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 12,912	A person once said, "Dogs have owners, cats have staff." Very true. DOG is happy to see you when you get home. CAT just wants fed. DOG will sit there and let you pet him as much as YOU like. CAT will come to you to petted til HE is satisfied, then take a swipe at you. DOG gets hair on the couch. CAT claws the couch up. DOG will protect the home from burglers. CAT will hide under the easychair til burgler is gone. DOG will play with you. CAT cannot be bothered. I remain a dog kinda guy. I don't rely on either to take care of mice........ __________________ "A bold spirit embiggens the smallest man!" Jebediah Springfield

10-26-2009, 02:32 PM	#17
Deep13 Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 596	Snap traps. Cheap, easy and reusable. They're a necessity around here. Kill them all and Mickey can't get to your stuff. __________________ That which can be asserted without evidence may be dismissed without evidence.

10-30-2009, 02:31 PM	#18
testhop Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 196	snap traps use peanut butter for bait andput mostthe most on the bottom of the trigger. if the bait is gone and trap is not thrown you have small mice . if so you take sewing thread wrap it around the trigger then the peanut butter . hope this works __________________ A LOADED GUN IN THE HAND IS BETTER THAN A COP ON THE PHONE HOW DO YOU LIKE THE GREAT CHANGE?

10-30-2009, 02:40 PM	#19
Big Dog Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Tallahassee, Florida Posts: 12,912	In my old house, the Great Mouse Invasion seemed unstoppable, til I finally bagged "Big Momma"! I had nailed a slew of her babies, til I finally got her. Final tally was about ten shot by pellet pistol, eight bodies recovered from being poisoned, and one very STUPID little mouse that I nailed with my size 14 combat boot (he thought if he didn't move I wouldn't see him - BIG MISTAKE!). I found more poisoned meeses over the weeks, from those who crawled away to die. That Decon Mous-Prufe II works pretty good! __________________ "A bold spirit embiggens the smallest man!" Jebediah Springfield

10-30-2009, 11:00 PM	#20
jrswanson1 Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 1,093	I buy steel ammo cans every opportunity I have. BTW, Midway is having a sale on them in November. Jim