Dead mouse in my truck

Joined
Jul 17, 2018
Messages
1,366
Location
NW Arkansas
Had this same situation last year when I got back home from Colorado. Mouse must have crawled up in there when we were hunting and made the ride back to Arkansas. Never found him and it took about 3 weeks for the smell to go away. It was bad for a while though
 
Joined
Mar 16, 2021
Messages
3,665
Location
Western Iowa
Not sure on make/model, but in my 2000 Silverado farm truck, they somehow got into the dash behind the stereo and built their nests and died. Fortunately once you take off the front fascia panel, the stereo pulls righ out with a couple tabs on the Chevy's. I cleaned it all out and changed the soiled cabin air filter and then stuffed a handful of dryer sheets in there. They never nested in there again.

I've also had mice get in between the headliner and the roof. If you start seeing bite-sized pieces of foam rain down in front of your windshield, that is another likely location.

Nowadays, when I don't drive any vehicle on the farm for an extended period, and smell isn't an issue, I toss a handful of mothballs on the floor boards and in the engine compartment. That's been the best repellent I've used, and it makes your truck smell like Nana's house.
 
Joined
Jul 1, 2015
Messages
1,151
Location
Colo Spgs
Prob peed too

We had one sneak in because we found stuff nibbled on

Set sticky track

Shocked when we found two stuck in the sticky trap

Ozone stuff. There’s a good spray that neutralizes too from auto part stores


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

5811

WKR
Joined
Jan 25, 2023
Messages
631
I just went through this as well. Pulled 4 dead mice and a nest from the cabin air filter. Used ozone and a couple aerosol bombs from auto zone, which helped a bunch. Also might be worth a charcoal air filter to help for a while.
 
Joined
Mar 16, 2021
Messages
3,665
Location
Western Iowa
The little ba$tards can be destructive as well as smelly. I had one get under the fuel rails on a Tundra one time and chew off the wires on a couple fuel injectors right where they entered the top of the injector. To make a long story short, warranties don't cover rodent damage.
 
Joined
Jun 7, 2018
Messages
491
Location
South Carolina
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thedutchtouch

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Sep 2, 2021
Messages
186
Would a dog be able to better locate the source of the smell?
If people cared more about ethical truck placement they wouldn't need tracking dogs. Sounds like he's already grid searched anyway though so might be difficult for a dog since the scent has been spread around most likely. OP, hope you find it, the meat is most likely spoiled by now but you could likely salvage a euro mount or possibly use a different cape for your trophy if you do want to shoulder mount it.
 
Joined
May 1, 2021
Messages
489
I thought "let the hound find it" too, but you guys beat me to it.
Rat jerky doesn't smell too bad, so yea dry it out.
Of course, when monsoon season comes around, it'll hydrate back to maggot food...
 
OP
RuggedYogi
Joined
Mar 21, 2022
Messages
442
Location
Nuevo Mexico
If people cared more about ethical truck placement they wouldn't need tracking dogs. Sounds like he's already grid searched anyway though so might be difficult for a dog since the scent has been spread around most likely. OP, hope you find it, the meat is most likely spoiled by now but you could likely salvage a euro mount or possibly use a different cape for your trophy if you do want to shoulder mount it.
I was really hoping to be able to salvage the backstraps. Doesn’t seem likely at this point.
 
Joined
Jun 7, 2023
Messages
20
That’s rough, I’d just leave all the doors open and let it air out then I’d take to a detail shop and let them deal with it. They should have some kind of chemical bomb they can set off in there to get it out
 

7mm-08

WKR
Joined
Oct 31, 2016
Messages
860
Location
Idaho
All kidding aside and as a follow-up to my previous post, you need to be aware that ozone is not a friendly inorganic molecule that should be inhaled. IF you decide to use an ozone generator in your vehicle, do so with some caution. Ozone will kill animals (including humans) and plants if the exposure is great and over time. I've run ozone generators in a car for eight hours with the windows up. That singular treatment will eliminate the odor left behind from virtually anything, including smoke or a mouse carcass. Park the vehicle in a garage and leave windows open for a few days after treatment and the solvent odor disappears. Good luck!
 
Joined
Nov 28, 2022
Messages
749
Check inside your A-pillars. It could have accessed that spot through the engine bay and it tightens up in there so it could get stuck. Just a couple of screws around the "oh shit" handles and you can pop em right off.
 
Joined
May 4, 2023
Messages
12
Get some peppermint oil & spray it around the underside of your truck. It'll help cover the smell but most importantly it'll keep the bastards from coming back.
Someone told me about this stuff after one chewed up the main wiring harness on my bobcat ($5k + to fix)
^^ I have heard this works as well
 

hikenhunt

WKR
Joined
Jan 28, 2013
Messages
469
Location
WA
All kidding aside and as a follow-up to my previous post, you need to be aware that ozone is not a friendly inorganic molecule that should be inhaled. IF you decide to use an ozone generator in your vehicle, do so with some caution. Ozone will kill animals (including humans) and plants if the exposure is great and over time. I've run ozone generators in a car for eight hours with the windows up. That singular treatment will eliminate the odor left behind from virtually anything, including smoke or a mouse carcass. Park the vehicle in a garage and leave windows open for a few days after treatment and the solvent odor disappears. Good luck!
+1 to this. Ozone is an awesome odor eliminator because it destroys the odor compound instead of just trying to cover it up like most other options, think febreeze or any other air freshener and doesn’t try to absorb it, think carbon. Note that the amount of time in the car depends on the ozone output of your unit.
 
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