Mouse ID - HELP!

A few days ago, I noticed what I was pretty sure was evidence of a mouse in my car. I had a hiking backpack and inside a pouch, I had two unopened granola bars. It chewed its way through the zipper/backpack, through the packaging, and nibbled on the bars. I hadn't seen/smelled any evidence of rodents in the car previous to this, though I did see one or two droppings inside one of our storage bins a couple of weeks ago. We set a bunch of different types of traps inside the car and were able to capture the mouse (the photo is from when it was alive). I would love any help with identifying it as I am concerned about cleaning up the droppings (as well as if I was exposed at all previously) and hantavirus. All of the articles I read online seem to have conflicting descriptions of house mice versus deer mice. For reference, we are in suburban Durham, NC in a subdivision, and my car was parked in the garage.

 

I fail to see how the species of mouse makes any difference whatsoever.

 

It is, was, a cute little field mouse!

 

Deer mice, white-footed mice, and cotton rats can transmit hantavirus, a respiratory disease that is relatively rare but has a 30-40% case fatality rate. House mice can carry other diseases but their droppings/urine/saliva are generally considered less of a biohazard than other types of mice. Of course, we will take as many precautions as possible cleaning up but just thought identifying the mouse species would be informative.

 

That mouse is named George. Father of 23 and loving mouse husband and reported missing by his family several days ago.

 

You should also check under the hood. Rodents like to chew on engine wiring especially if the insulation is soy based. I had to replace an ignition harness because of that. I also had two mice die in the heater/AC fan wheel. They apparently got in through the fresh air vent. Noisy and smelly!

 

I second Johns post about rodents chewing wiring. Automotive wiring covers/wrap can be purchased that is impregnated with hot peppers, etc. It really is an issue. I always have snap traps, etc. set in the garage, pole barn and freshen the bait periodically just in case one gets in, which does happen.

I can't ID the species of this mouse, but then we never really did pursue ID beyond establishing that there was a mouse problem versus a rat/squirrel problem. In 30+ years of checking rodent bait stations and traps all the while cleaning out droppings, nesting material and crawling through crawl spaces for termite work, I've never gotten sick and don't know anyone who ever did. That said, I recognize that our industry's workers may have slowly built up an immunity over time. I also recognize that we may be complacent, as well. It is wise to take precautions.

 

Thanks PAbugman, that is really helpful!! And makes me feel a bit better Do you have any recommendations for how to best disinfect the car? It seems that 10% bleach or other commercial disinfectants are recommended generally, but also that it's not recommended to clean leather seats or carpet in cars with bleach, so I'm not sure what to do!

 

I'm not finding anything helpful as far as disinfectant/sanitizer that is safe to use on leather either. It looks like they aren't that effective on soft material anyway; geared for hard surfaces such as showers, counters, tables, etc. I'm sure you've done internet searches, too.

There are cleaners safe for leather but aren't disinfectants. I'm wondering if the friction from wiping would at least pick up the germs, bacteria, etc. Leather is not very porous, which is why I'm thinking that friction could work.

I would be careful about making any dust/dirt/particles airborne such as in a shop vac, unless you could attach long hoses to get the unit well away from the operator.

What about finding a reputable car detailer and ask them specifically about cleaning that is targeted to rodents? I'm sure that experienced detailers have run into this. I wish I had better answers.

 

Thanks for looking into it!! Yeah, I googled myself in circles for hours yesterday trying to figure it out. I'm surprised there isn't better guidance!

I think what I've decided on is disinfectant for the all-weather mats and hard surfaces, disinfectant + carpet cleaner for the car carpets under/between the all-weather mats, and then soap and water followed by leather cleaner for the seats. The mouse droppings are only on the floor (not on the seats) so I'm hoping that will be sufficient. Definitely will not be doing any vacuuming.

That's a great idea about asking car dealers -- might try that out! Again, thank you so much for your thoughtful responses. I'm hoping this thread will help others out in the future

 

Sounds like you've got the best strategy for each type of surface. Minor point, but my comment was more about car detailers than dealers, but I think you'll get to the best one who ever you start with.

Another thought that I have is maybe the companies that do fire/water/decontamination/crime scene clean up, etc. would be helpful. Insurance companies may be able to provide contact info?