TL;DR - Over our last five nights of camping in Canada, we had mice in the cab three times. What is going on?
The new normal.
For more than six years, I've spent nearly 100/nights a year camping and never have I had a mouse in the cab of the Tacoma. It happened - for the very first time - in 2024 when we were on the Arizona Backcountry Discovery Route (AZBDR), but we knew how the little guy got in - through the outside air intake for the climate control - and he remained confined to the ducts until he escaped back the way he'd come.
Recently, on our two trips to Canada - Unexpectedly Wet and Mushroom Mania on the Sunshine Coast - we've ended up with a mouse in the cab three times. It happened for the first time on our last night of Unexpectedly Wet, and then twice over the course of the three nights we spent on the Sunshine Coast.
Initially, I was sure that this was due to the new fender flares that I'd installed, because I thought they created a mouse superhighway from the front bumper area straight to the front of the door hinge. There, a mouse could lay in waiting for the door to open, at which point they could scurry into the cab.
That, or I figured that there must be some grommet that fell out, and now there was a gaping hole, likely with a "welcome to our home" sign, that the mice were taking advantage of.
After a bit more looking, I've since realized that the superhighway from the front bumper area is not behind the fender flare, but is provided by the actual fender, which has not changed at all since I've been out exploring. And, I've searched high and low for a missing grommet, but I've found nothing, even as I pressure washed the entire cab.
And so, for now, we're hoping it was just a coincidence. And every night, we're taking a bit of precaution.
Because I'd rather clean up a mouse, than clean up mouse shit in the morning.
In this Series
I pick up mice out in Nevada every time I go there and I can't figure out how they are getting in.
Glue traps are your friend through...I think I am going to start keeping some in the truck so I don't give them a ride all the way back to my house. I took a Nest cam and put it on the floor of my garage and watched one unlucky mouse scurry back and forth for a couple nights before I finally ended him.
Yah, I keep the box of glue traps under my driver seat now, and pull them out each night. Haven't run into any mice - or they haven't run into my traps - since Canada, so maybe it's just that they are used to Canadian's being overly accepting of them. 😉
I found the mice and Kangaroo Rats 🐀 of DV and Southwest locations are very stealthy. Tried a number of type traps without success. The traps with bait would have the bait stolen without tripping the trap. What worked for me was a spring trap with a peanut 🥜 from a Snickers bar attached to trigger with Snickers caramel. Quite irresistible, had them by morning. 🐀 Not that I need more reasons to carry Snickers bars, but offroad we try for multifunction. 😁
Love it. I'd stock up on Snickers bar to catch 'em, but the only thing I could guarantee in that case is that I'd have no Snickers left by bedtime.
The glue traps smell nice, but I've not had the urge to eat them. Yet.