Warm and Hidden
"Come with me, I want to show you something in your trunk," the repairman said. I couldn't imagine why I'd need to look at the trunk, since I'd only brought the car in for the usual every-5000-miles servicing.
Back in the inspection area, they had the back of the car opened up to reveal the spare tire well under the trunk. There I saw lots of little bits of insulation conveniently arranged to make a "beautiful home" for a family of mice!
The cost of the usual service was significantly added upon because of the labor and parts needed to stop the source of the entry plus the additional price of cleaning and fumigating.
To make matters worse, a second generation made a home for these same kind of critters in the same location which then required another attempt at making the entry place completely impenterable!
Addendum to the Six Sentence Story: Trunk
We moved our bird feeders much further away from where we park our vehicles!
We had an old barn in our backyard tha served as the garage.... apparently Toyotas are known for having mice homes in their air filters. Ours was no exception!
ReplyDeleteExactly! That was one of the areas the mechanics addressed. It is amazing how quickly mice can make their nests. One day the glove compartment had not been invaded, and the very next day there was a nest made out of clean napkins left over from a take-out. I'd put the napkins in the glove compartment. I don't do that any more, just in case.
DeleteSquatters whatever their size are still a nuisance. Glad it was your problem not mine!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't wish that problem on anyone, although I learned it is a fairly common occurrence.
DeleteOh, no! Part of me says good thinking to those mice for finding such a nice home, but then I wonder what happened when someone drove the car and the mouse mommy or daddy left to get food and the car drive away with them on the curb, french fry in hand, watching the car take their family away....
ReplyDeleteYour comment sounds kind of like a Disney movie. :-)
DeleteThis would definitely not delight me! I had a friend who found that a snake had moved into her car, it made an untimely appearance as she drove down the road! I am glad you were able to fully eradicate the problem. I have to agree with Dyanne - what a going choice of lodgings, but her final thoughts left me laughing... I can almost picture that!
ReplyDeleteFortunately, I never actually saw a live mouse running around inside the car when I was driving. That would have probably have freaked me out, but not nearly as much as a loose live snake in the car!
DeleteChristine has a story about rodents and cars, too--though her story involved the engine, I think. So, the bird feeders were relocated?
ReplyDeleteWe were fortunate that there were no wires or hoses that were damaged by the mice. We only put bird seed in the feeder that is further away from parking area and none in a tray now. I tend to unlock the hood and also check the tire well a lot more frequently now to look for any signs of visitors. :-)
DeleteI wonder if the mice liked going for rides?
ReplyDeleteMaybe riding in the car lulled them to sleep, since I never saw any running under feet or elsewhere.
Delete