Mice wrecking havoc

[timk]

Spend a couple of days underneath, plugging holes. Hardware cloth, spray foam, undercoating and caulking.

 

[regan]

I have had 5th wheel for many years, Alfa and Heartland. The only sure way is to use traps. I have tried everything else. I always keep a couple of traps set in basement, and keep and electronic one in the coach. Recently stayed in an RV park on Oregon Coast, trapped mouse, so even when you are RVing you can get them. I think he came up the water hose... Even when mouse trap has set awhile with the dead critter any smell leaves quickly when the trap is removed.

 

[Larry David]

You need to pull out all lower cabinets drawers, check the cabinet under the sink/s and even any cabinets/drawers you may have in the bedroom area. Look for any size openings (it does not take but a tiny hole for a mouse to squeeze thru), and use either expanding foam or mouse/rat wire and a staple gun to close up the holes. Either one can be purchased from your local hardware store for very little $. Even when you are camping they can enter by traveling the water hose into the docking station. Stop them by cutting a piece of styrofoam or rubber to fit in the hole in the docking station with a hole only large enough for your hose, tv cable, etc. to fit thru.
I even took rat wire and molded it to fit within the duct work as it leaves the furnace and also behind the return air grill. Stop them from entering the basement with rat wire and a staple gun. Cut a piece to fit anywhere there is an opening or crack and staple it to the basement panels. That way you can still remove the panels to get to the water heater, etc. if the need arises.
I had the same problem you are having. I had to keep traps set everywhere and had to check them weekly! I took two days (about 10 hours) to do all this and have yet to see any sign of mice yet! BTW.....I still keep the mouse traps set when in storage just in case. lol

 

[wonka]

Old posts, but a new problem for us. In ten years our Tahoe we never experienced any issues with mice. Less than a month in, and we have found them in our BH, gets the little woman a little bit excited. Trying to eliminate all possible points of entry. So here's my list of possible culprits:
- front landing gear
- hydraulic lines going into unit for slide, Large hole for two lines going to bedroom slide through front storage compartment
- plumbing lines any where they protrude through the floor ( especially the black, and grey tank feeds, really large holes for the pipe size
- they seem to be getting into the enclosed under belly, so I'm guessing the panels need better sealing
Any where else anybody can think of? I need to get this looked after before the wife goes insane.
Thanks
Bill

 

[jkncjordan]

I just put fresh cab in my 22 FDS. I am hoping it will satisfy my needs. I probably won't know though as the warm weather has set in now. You can pick it up at Tractor Supply.

 

[rboehlke]

I've owned 4 different campers over 30 years and all have had mice try to enter them. Mice can gain entry in any hole or gap as small as a finger, so trying to seal your camper permanently is a challenge considering all the bounce going down the road. For the last three years I have taken a new approach and it seems to work. I put 1/2 to 1 whole box of Bounce fabric sheets throughout the camper when in storage. Camper smells great when we go to use it. Every fall, I purchase 10 mouse traps and place them under the camper behind the tires. I usually get 4-7 mice and just throw the traps out. Every fall going thru winter I keep one trap set near the fridge, to assure me that no one got in. Since doing this process, I have never had a mouse in the camper and have not taken any extra steps to seal the underbody.

 

[wonka]

In the mountains for the long week end, mice running around the front storage bin like crazy. After all the sealing they seam to be contained there. I did fill the holes between the front storage and the basement, as well as sealing the stairs off ( this area was wide open to the water heater) also filled in a 12" square hole behind the kitchen drawers. I also foamed the openings for wiring and plumbing. This all with the slides out, so I'm not sure if there are ways for them to enter past the seals with the slides in, with them out the seals seam fairly tight, but I have not really looked at the mechanics for gaps around the slides. Hopefully we can keep them out, but a few bounce sheets won't hurt either.

 

[wyleyrabbit]

After having our BigHorn in storage for only a couple of weeks, we picked it up this past Friday and there were dozens if not perhaps over 100 mouse droppings inside our trailer and in the basement. This time, they did not manage to get in to the cupboards, drawers, or dresser drawers, but they did leave their turds all over the counter, floor, sofa, carpet, etc. ARGH!

A friend of mine suggested I try these "Rodent Repellent" things, from www.earth-kind.com. Before I spend any money on these, has anyone tried them?

 

[texaseagle]

I have not had a problem with mice in my Big Country, but we live out in the country and in the pasted have had problems with field mice. Several years ago I read something about getting reed of mice with pepperment extract. It said do not use the imatiation either. I found a gallon on the internet and filled a spray bottle with it. Now I go a spray my doorways a line accross my garage door openings and any other place I think my need it when I think about it. I have done this for several years and have never seen another mouse dropping since. Plus, leaves a nice peppermint smell behind.

 

[ParkIt]

Not only sealing up any hole possible, I've used the pure orange spray (think I found it at Home Depot but its probably sold anywhere), both mice and rats dislike it enough to stay away heading for the shed instead. Had a vehicle in storage and a rat chewed through every single wire on the engine - expensive replacement. I think the lavender scented fabric sheets would work as they don't like lavender either - grew up on a farm and Grandma would plant it around the house especially by the crawl space vents and they never had any mice or rat issues.

If you are wondering where they have been or coming in, buy a cheap blacklight from any pet store and check at night for the pee trail. All rodents urinate as they move so you can find a specific entry point and clean where ever they've been. Just be prepared to freak out a bit when everything lights up...

 

[hriker]

Any one ever hear of a new product called Mouse-Free? Its sprayed on the under body once a year. Its slippery and smells like menthol. Its advertised to repell mice and insects. Supposedly do not like the smell of the product. Interested if anyone has used it or heard of it. Below is a url to the product website.

http://www.mouse-free.com/index.php

 

[GETnBYE]

The solution is called "Great Stuff". and it is great stuff.
It is an expandable foam.
But.......you must get tons of it in everyone of those holes that pipes or wires come up. You have to take wood panels off and fill areas where they can get up from the basement. For the closet we had to take the wood off where the water lines and drains for in for a washer dryer prep.
For the dresser drawers, we followed some electric lines to a covered panel where they went down, took it apart, filled the hole and then some and put the panel back.
Also, had tons of places to fill around all plumbing and wires in the liv/kit areas.
We have not had any this year, (fingers crossed).
We keep a few glue traps in the basement, but have not found any, I guess if they can't get in they just go back outside. We never store the grill or anything that is food related in the camper or basement either.
Good luck, I don't know any other way unless you want to just keep cleaning up after them or killing them.
Not for me, I will keep finding where they get in and seal it.

 

[GETnBYE]

If you are wondering where they have been or coming in, buy a cheap blacklight from any pet store and check at night for the pee trail. All rodents urinate as they move so you can find a specific entry point and clean where ever they've been. Just be prepared to freak out a bit when everything lights up...

OMG, now I have to go do that and clean the trails. ugg

 

[tweber]

I looked at the videos and read the info, and it is interesting. The suggested retail price is $10 per linear foot. That comes to almost $400 for a Big Horn. Rather expensive, and it must be applied by the dealer. I think I will stick to plugging holes, using drier sheets, and good old D-Con. Thanks for the info, Harry

 

[StephenKatSea]

We also took the time to enclose the bottom sides of the propane & battery compartments and the forward landing gears with wire mesh and foam on our BH 3670. Along with the previously mentioned "Bounce", steel wool, insulation foam, peppermint oil etc. . . we have not a revisit by the local desert rodents here in AZ.

 

[caissiel]

We have been using mouse electronic alarms by Black and Decker in our trailer, one in the central kitchen area and one in the basement. You will find them in the B & D tool shelves at Wallyworld. The mouse problem has been none existent.

I put one on one plug in the garage and completly lost all the squarrels that were living in the garage all summer. I had to give one to my neighbour because all my squarrels ran to his garage and he could not get rid of them. Now the neighbours all have these units in garages and i have one in the basement of my house and they all work.

Now only on 12volt might be a problem because its 120V unit.

 

[DRGalligher]

Wow. I thought we were the only ones having this problem with our Bighhorn. We have had four previous RV's - TT's - and never had mice get in. First trip out last September, a chipmunk got in under the fridge. On our most recent trip to the mountains, our lab alerted us to the varmints, but we never saw them, but in the middle of the night, the motion sensitive light on our steps would come on. Then on the way home, when we stopped to dump our tanks, as I got out of the truck, a mouse ran out from under it, coming from the direction of the fifth wheel! It ran off into the grass. It's good to read all about the various solutions and first thing we'll have to do is close up the holes and I think we'll go with the cheapest solution first - dryer sheets - lavender scent.

 

[JohnDar]

So far we've caught four mice in our rig this season. Three chunky monkies stopped at the Victor Peanut Butter Buffet I put under the kitchen counter (inside it under the bottom drawer) and got terminal head-aches. A fourth small one (might have come with chunky #1, it's momma) was dealt with by Jaws 'n' Claws. We found it dead, but not mutilated, near their food bowl. Right under the electronic mouse repeller. They may have already been in the underbelly when I sealed up some additional holes I found. Since I've been trapping them under the kitchen cabinet drawers, they must be getting inside the rig via the hole for the kitchen gray tank drain or the water lines, which come up under the false floor of the cabinet. Might have to do some surgery in there so I can spray some foam around it. It doesn't look like I can reach it from the underside of the rig.

 

[wonka]

In our unit, I popped the bottom shelf up, it was only held down with a few narrow crown staples. Sealed the holes and remounted the shelf (1/8" wood) with my narrow crown stapler( I'm sure a few finish nails would work). There was a mile of space around those pipes.

 

[JohnDar]

In our unit, I popped the bottom shelf up, it was only held down with a few narrow crown staples. Sealed the holes and remounted the shelf (1/8" wood) with my narrow crown stapler( I'm sure a few finish nails would work). There was a mile of space around those pipes.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Nothing like justification for purchasing a new tool! I've got a brad nailer and a pin nailer, but have been holding off on adding a narrow crown stapler to my WW'ing collection. Man can never have too many tools.