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I noticed that there was a 1" gap between the edge of either side of the bottom rubber weather strip on the garage door and the door frame. Now I see that it is 3-4", and likely being chewed by mice. I don't have a serious mouse problem because they don't hang around in the garage or come into the house, but would still like to keep them from eating the weather strip. Is there a solution to keep mice from eating the bottom rubber weather strip?

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6 Answers

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When you have to fill the gap, use steel wool (not Brillo pads, but stuff you can get at Home Depot or Lowes) and then put a foam sealer around it. It'll stop the mice from eating through.

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Actually, mice seem to like rubber, certainly insulation, especially since many of these compounds are now made from renewable sources for oil.

I'd not be surprised if you do have mice getting in, and just not know if it. Or it might be chipmunks doing the chewing. We get them in our garage too.

What can you do? I place traps where they will run. Put one near the corners of the door on the floor. Put a few on the rafters in the garage. I'll bet you catch a mouse or two.

PLEASE don't put down poison. I recently spent a few anxious hours and then days afterwards when our dog got into rat poison that a neighbor put down.

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We get chipmunks in our garage too, though ours do not eat the weather stripping they just sneak in at the sides were it does not go all the way to the end. They eat all of our extra grass seed (the bag just has empty husks in it). I also agree, done use poison. Super deadly to dogs and even when it does work it just means you get a dead, rotting mouse somewhere you may not be able to get at (like in a wall). – auujay Mar 19 '12 at 13:38
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Just the other week, I took out an opened bag of fertilizer I had left over from last year, planning on spreading some in a few spots on the lawn. Inside, I found a whole pile of acorns, neatly stored away. My wife insists she did not hide them there, so I can only place the blame on something furry and small. :) – woodchips Mar 19 '12 at 17:35
@auujay most mice poison is designed to kill the animal via dehydration. The idea is to get the animal outside searching for water to die and/or even if it does die, it's a fairly dried out corpse. As for dogs and other animals, bait should be placed in actual bait stations to prevent that (plus, well, maybe don't let your dogs into the neighbor's yard ;) – DA01 Oct 28 '12 at 2:40
@DA01 - This is NOT at all true from what I have found. Many poisons are designed to kill by the animal internally bleeding to death. And our dog was NOT wandering around another yard, but was welcomed into their house in the company of my wife for a visit. Our neighbor forgot that she had put down the poison, until our dog found it and quickly (and quietly) ate it. Luckily we found out what had happened in time. Lastly, this is NOT worth a wink. There is NOTHING even remotely funny about the matter! – woodchips Oct 28 '12 at 9:12
@DA01 - Oh, by the way, I suppose that an animal will get dehydrated as it dies from this poison. After all, it is a nice, pleasant euphemistic way of describing bleeding to death, until it "accidentally" happens to your child. (It does happen, you know.) But don't insult me by insinuating that I would take less good care of my dog than most people would of their children. Quite the reverse may be true in fact. – woodchips Oct 28 '12 at 10:26
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Interesting question Mike. Last I knew rubber and plastic weren't on the Chez Mouse Menu. I would think that there may be some attractant stored in your garage that may be attracting them. Things like dry pet foods, nesting materials or pet water bowls can attract the little dears. Take a good look around your area for concentration of droppings. This may give you a hint what they are looking for or nesting in. Short of baiting them with a rodent poison or traps, try to remove the attractants and hide outs so they will visit the neighbor's house instead of yours!

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They like composite decking as well. Got all kinds of bite and chew marks on the corners of my deck. – Jon Raynor Mar 19 '12 at 14:51
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Setup some traps. Peanut butter and cereal grains make good bait. Or you could put a glue strip near your garage strip.

Another option is to set up a video camera and see what you are dealing with first and then decide how to deal with it. I believe there are also humane traps if you prefer catch and release.

If you don't want to kill them, try some fox urine on your door. A fox is a natural predator for mice. I believe amonia works as well.

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Get a cat. :)

But only if you're willing to be a responsible pet owner.

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Pile garage weatherstripping - the brush style type

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Could you please add some more detail to this answer to say exactly how you'd use the weatherstripping? – Niall C. Nov 1 '12 at 14:25

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