Mouse damage

[skyking]

Has anybody here ever had the heartache of mice in your plane?

I went to go flying last Sunday and after only a week of sitting the amount of damage was amazing.

My poor little plane is now at Rightwing aviation getting everything torn out to see if any of the wiring or cables were chewed.

The interior is a mess.

i cant even figure out how the little buggers even got into the plane.

If you have had this happen to you what was the damage ? interior only or did they get to the cables etc and did you ever figure out how they got into the plane?

In 30 years of aircraft ownership i have never had this happen.

[rbridges]

I'm sure it happens, but I've never heard anyone around the airport mention it. 

[MooneyMitch]

Yes Russ.  This happened to my F model.  I bought the plane with what turned out to be a poor pre-buy inspection.  Tough lesson learned for me, being a complete novice.

Regardless, the mice had been inside the cockpit for sometime doing their thing on the top spar cap.  The urine and such corroded enough that the cap had to be completely removed and replaced.   EXPENSIVE!!!

At least you've found the problem right away.

[skyking]

Mitch: thanks. Hopefully i have found the issue soon enough. Tyler at rightwing is tearing the interior out today and i have mouseboards all over the plane and around the wheels to hopefully catch them.

[kerry]

I've had them get into my boat which is in my garage.  It's a mystery to me how they can scale the smooth fiberglass to get into the boat.  I think it would be easier for a mouse to get into a plane vs. a boat.  I could see how a mouse could make its way up the landing gear and into the plane.  I wouldn't think it would do any damage to your wiring.  I have heard of snakes in planes for real.  I think I saw a picture from somewhere in Florida with a big snake entangled in the heating duct and it took a lot of effort to get it out of the plane.  It could be quite startling to have a mouse hop on your lap while landing on final and even more so if it was a snake.

[sleepingsquirrel]

Here's hoping that they didn't chew holes in your wooden spar.

[skyking]

squirrel: Thats the part that has me really scared but my mechanic tells me that due to the wood sealer etc they dont like it.

i hope he is right.

i will know more when he has the interior out but i am totaly bummed out and depressed.

My toys have taken a beating this year. My trailer was stolen, my Triumph spitfire was hit and now this!

 

[MooneyMitch]

Russ, we know the really great times cause we know the really bad and tough times.  Life does have a way of showing us these distinctions from time to time.

I know that does not help much but blue skies are on the way for you.  I'll bet your Mooney is going to be just fine.

Take care and keep us informed on your happy outcome please.

[AndyFromCB]

One day I accidently built a better mouse trap in my hangar. I left a 2 foot section of 3/4 inch nylon hose hanging over a 5 gallon bucket, one end touching the ground, the other right over the edge of the bucket. The bucket had some trash at the bottom. Came back to the hangar about 2 weeks later and guess what? 5 dead little criters in the bucket. Apparently, if you're a mouse and you see a piece of hose you simply cannot resist...Now it's a permanent setup with some dehydrating kitty litter on the bottom of the bucket and a slice of bread.

[KSMooniac]

Make sure the "mouse boots" on your gear rods are intact and sealed!  LASAR makes some replacements if needed, although you could easily duplicate them if needed from raw material.  I had one/some get in my cabin by scaling my BatteryMinder wire (I think) that was connected through the baggage door, which I left closed but not latched over the wire.  No damage that I could detect, fortunately, just some droppings on the carpet.  After latching the door I didn't noticed any evidence, and my traps/poison didn't yield any carcasses.

[OR75]

It helps to not leave a plane static for too long.

Rodents like their potential home to be quiet and do not like to go flying.

  

[MARZ]

I hanger with about 12 other planes, the owners have two cats that are always around - I'm not a cat hater by any means - but I would cringe when I would see one or both lounging on my wing or cowling.....  this thread makes me want to go out and buy the nice kitty a bed to set on the cowling (better vantage point )

[skyking]

OR75. the plane was only sitting for one week!

Mitch: Thanks for the kind words of encouragement, it has just been a very trying 6 months.

[Becca]

Quote: skyking

Has anybody here ever had the heartache of mice in your plane?

I went to go flying last Sunday and after only a week of sitting the amount of damage was amazing.

My poor little plane is now at Rightwing aviation getting everything torn out to see if any of the wiring or cables were chewed.

The interior is a mess.

i cant even figure out how the little buggers even got into the plane.

If you have had this happen to you what was the damage ? interior only or did they get to the cables etc and did you ever figure out how they got into the plane?

In 30 years of aircraft ownership i have never had this happen.

[PTK]

Quote: Becca

I've heard this actually happens quite often.  In Florida and Georgia, we also got wasps nests and mudd daubers pretty much all the time, they would appear over night.  Birds nests too.   I think the best thing you can do is cover what you can (pitot tube, close cowl flaps, cowl covers, etc.) to prevent entry points.  In the interior of the plane, I have heard that placing fabric softener sheets in some strategic locations really helps - apparently mice don't like the smell and that keeps them away.  I know people who put osme underneath their carpets and in their cargo compartment.

[rocketman]

They come by crawling up the wheels and typically looking for unwrapped food, gum, etc. I do not allow anyone to eat or bring in any foods or pop in fear that my little kids might leave some of it in the plane. You can also try getting some sheets of aluminum maybe 12 inches wide and wrap them around each tire. Its a pain but if the plane is going to sit for a while (never a good idea), this might keep them from harming your interior. And btw, if there is any damage, your insurance usually will help you out. Check with them.

[Hank]

d-CON in the hangar works very well. Sometimes I have to kick a motionless one out the door, but never the same one twice. Seems to always be a spike in the fall when it starts cooling off . . .

[Awful_Charlie]

Since I went TKS I've not had a problem.  Before the critters used to cost me a fortune in brake pipes and air filters (air filters were a comfy home I guess)  If I happen to slightly overfill the TKS tanks, then quite a lot drains onto the floor.  Lo and behold, a week later there will be half a dozen mouse corpses in various places around the hangar, and a dustpan and brush easily puts them out of the way.  Brake pipes and air filters last a lot longer now for some reason

[jetdriven]

they run up the ropes/  Mouses love those.

Quote: kerry

I've had them get into my boat which is in my garage.  It's a mystery to me how they can scale the smooth fiberglass to get into the boat.  I think it would be easier for a mouse to get into a plane vs. a boat.  I could see how a mouse could make its way up the landing gear and into the plane.  I wouldn't think it would do any damage to your wiring.  I have heard of snakes in planes for real.  I think I saw a picture from somewhere in Florida with a big snake entangled in the heating duct and it took a lot of effort to get it out of the plane.  It could be quite startling to have a mouse hop on your lap while landing on final and even more so if it was a snake.

[kerry]

Quote: jetdriven

I have no ropes.  I thought maybe they get into the rafters of the garage and then leap about 6 ft. into the boat.

[skyking]

Went over to the airport today and we caught the little devil.

After tearing out all the rear area we found a nest the size of a dodgeball under the seat.

All the insulation and rubber soundproofing between the rear seat and the gas tank is ripped to pieces.

Those of you who know me know i have dial up as i live in the middle of nowhere but i will post pics of the damage.

Tyler also found out where he got in and it was on the left side gear well.

Total damage is about a grand ( including a good cleaning to get rid of any mouse pee!) so i got off easy.

[MooneyMitch]

Yippee Russ.  Congratulations to you, your Mooney is safe!

 

[DaV8or]

We discovered at annual this year a mouse nest in my right wing on the outboard side of the wheel well. It's pretty common to find mice in planes. Airports almost always have open fields surounding them and they climb into the planes that are closest or easiest. My old hangar was next to the field. In my case, they didn't seem to live there long enough to do any damage.

I spent a fair amount of time with mice as a kid and I can tell to that they can really jump and be resourceful. Not as clever as rats though. Way into a Mooney is through the gear wells and on vintage Mooneys, the retractable step is an easy way in.

[gjkirsch]

I had a mouse problem with the last plane that required quite a bit of electrical work.  I now have sticky traps on the floor at all the corners in the hanger.  I have caught 2 so far this year.  I have the belly pan pulled at every oil chnage to check for any sign of mice. 

Gordon

98 Bravo KGRR

[74657]

A guy that I used to hangar across from took narrow paint trays and placed 4 of them around each wheel, forming a square and filled them with antifreeze.  If the mouse tried climbing in it either drowned or drank enough of the green stuff to kick the bucket.