Jump to content

Risk of Mice Nests


Bingster

Recommended Posts

Most all of us who have a car in a barn or somewhere outside have run across mouse nests.  I am told that deer mice especially carry a virus that is quite harmful if the dust in the nest is ingested or some contact with their urine or crap. I ran across a nest packed into my snow blower engine and picked it out with a wire. I didn't put on a mask at first but then thought that I better.  I had no gloves and did touch some of the metal after it was all cleaned out.  Anybody get sick from these critters?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Bingster said:

Most all of us who have a car in a barn or somewhere outside have run across mouse nests.  I am told that deer mice especially carry a virus that is quite harmful if the dust in the nest is ingested or some contact with their urine or crap. I ran across a nest packed into my snow blower engine and picked it out with a wire. I didn't put on a mask at first but then thought that I better.  I had no gloves and did touch some of the metal after it was all cleaned out.  Anybody get sick from these critters?

I don't personally know anyone that has,but you can bet someone has gotten sick. Probably people who rode around in the cars before the nests and odor were eliminated.

Out in the open,pulling a nest out with a piece of wire or even your hands,I wouldn't worry about it. Just wash your hands afterwards,and spray everything with carb cleaner and you should be good to go.

 

Riding around inside a old car that smells like mouse urine is a major Bozo No-No,though.  Put on a respirator and pull everything out of the car and drag it out in the open to air out before spraying and scrubbing down everything inside,and then rinsing it down good while wearing rubber gloves and a respirator. If there is something you can't spray with a hose,spay a rag with something like brake cleaner,and then use the rag to wipe that area.

 

There ain't no such thing as saving upholstery that has mouse urine in it,though.  Remove and replace,and clean the metal good before replacing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Don Coatney said:

How does one know what mouse urine smells like? I have tweezers  to spread the little legs so I know what moth balls smell like but I never tried them on mice or any other kind of pee.

Don,it's one of those things that is so "special" you will recognize it for what it is right away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That'd be hantavirus.  New Mexico had a near epidemic of it in the late '90s, none got it from poking around old cars.  Mouse nests were indeed the source, poop and urine as mentioned is where it resides.  If I recall, most had contracted it from mouse infested buildings - attics, crawls spaces, etc.  Enclosed spaces, dust, and no protection.  It's more prevalent in drier climates.  Always better to be safe than sorry, though.  There are a few old threads in the forum that address how best to clean out former mouse condos. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Set Traps. I caught three in my Garage one Twas the Night before Christmas when my kids were 8 and 10. I bought them to their attention while singing:

"They'll go down in history". And they did. No alive mice near my cars - Traps set. My kids today. U.S.M.C.

unnamed (8).jpg

Edited by Tom Skinner
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Tom Skinner said:

We were 40 and then 42 when we had these two wonderful children. Jennie is a Firing Range instructor (Lance Corporal) in Japan.

Chris is stationed in Raleigh North Carolina (Lance Corporal) They are 22 and 20

What's he doing in Raleigh,recruiting?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Terms of Use