Mouse Gripe

[Fishsizzle]

Just an early morning gripe about returning to our trailer to find a mouse joining our dogs for dinner. A relaxing day turned into strip down all cabinets and drawers, take everything home to be washed etc.

Trapped one, looks like that’s all there is......

Appears little dude climbed up my new zero hose and the water station door shares space with the basement and there isn’t a tight seal between the two so he slipped right in.

Cleaning the basement is next. Anyone make a “plug” for their hole your hose goes into under the trailer?

[edward willis]

don't let that mouse get up inside the walls.( If he hasn't already). They love to eat the wires which cause all kinds of electrical damage. It isn't cheap to get repaired. Been there done that. Get a can of that spray expanding foam and plug every hole you can find, to include under the sinks.

[AbHDToyHauler]

Well I have killed 8. By the time we realized they were in there it was a family. Bought one of the new Electronic traps. Holds 10 mice. Think i got them all. finally. Been a week no more signs of them. Re checked all over trailer found a few "spots" i think they came in. Sealed them with foam. Thought I had them all sealed. Have to say the electronic trap worked as advertised. Catches the small ones that the bigger trap couldn't. Can be frustrating. I think perhaps my small bbq attracted them as we had no food stored in RV. Have since bought a sealed tub to keep bbq in. Hope that's it as wife wants to sell trailer now. LOL

[bobbecky]

We've had at least one in our rig lately, in the kitchen and even found evidence under the bed where linens are stored. I sealed all the entry holes going into the kitchen L shaped island, including between the under sink area to the drawer area to the end of the island and a small access hole near the end of the island underneath. I also closed off a small area at the steps going up to the bedroom/bath area and am going to put 1/4" hardware screen behind the wood vents in the steps so the critters can't get through there. Mice are frustrating, but don't know how to seal everything up underneath as there are so many places for entry that can't be sealed. I use a large piece of foam that I cut into a round cylinder and then sliced a vertical slit into it that I put around the water hose coming into the convenience center, and that seems to work well there.

[Fishsizzle]

We've had at least one in our rig lately, in the kitchen and even found evidence under the bed where linens are stored. I sealed all the entry holes going into the kitchen L shaped island, including between the under sink area to the drawer area to the end of the island and a small access hole near the end of the island underneath. I also closed off a small area at the steps going up to the bedroom/bath area and am going to put 1/4" hardware screen behind the wood vents in the steps so the critters can't get through there. Mice are frustrating, but don't know how to seal everything up underneath as there are so many places for entry that can't be sealed. I use a large piece of foam that I cut into a round cylinder and then sliced a vertical slit into it that I put around the water hose coming into the convenience center, and that seems to work well there.


Thanks!

I was thinking along the same lines with foam.

[Fishsizzle]

Well I have killed 8. By the time we realized they were in there it was a family. Bought one of the new Electronic traps. Holds 10 mice. Think i got them all. finally. Been a week no more signs of them. Re checked all over trailer found a few "spots" i think they came in. Sealed them with foam. Thought I had them all sealed. Have to say the electronic trap worked as advertised. Catches the small ones that the bigger trap couldn't. Can be frustrating. I think perhaps my small bbq attracted them as we had no food stored in RV. Have since bought a sealed tub to keep bbq in. Hope that's it as wife wants to sell trailer now. LOL


Hahahahaaha, mine said same thing.... sell it! I’ve had it a year baby, keep bleaching, love ya

[notanlines]

When y'all chose a mate did you realize that one mouse constitutes empty the entire rig to be sterilized and then sell the rig? Any reason you didn't either head to the divorce attorney or just RV at the Hilton instead? I can only imagine the life your poor dog leads....:eek:

[Fishsizzle]

When y'all chose a mate did you realize that one mouse constitutes empty the entire rig to be sterilized and then sell the rig? Any reason you didn't either head to the divorce attorney or just RV at the Hilton instead? I can only imagine the life your poor dog leads....:eek:

This go round is MUCH better than past visits from Mickey and Minnie.

Wife always said “ I can visit their house, they can never visit mine”

Don’t get the dog reference? Lost me there

[vampress_me]

We've had at least one in our rig lately, in the kitchen and even found evidence under the bed where linens are stored. I sealed all the entry holes going into the kitchen L shaped island, including between the under sink area to the drawer area to the end of the island and a small access hole near the end of the island underneath. I also closed off a small area at the steps going up to the bedroom/bath area and am going to put 1/4" hardware screen behind the wood vents in the steps so the critters can't get through there. Mice are frustrating, but don't know how to seal everything up underneath as there are so many places for entry that can't be sealed. I use a large piece of foam that I cut into a round cylinder and then sliced a vertical slit into it that I put around the water hose coming into the convenience center, and that seems to work well there.

I believe someone on here also once used a toilet plunger to plug the hole. Took the handle off, cut a small hole where the handle screws into the rubber part to feed the water hose through, and stuffed the larger end in that hole into the convenience center. Thought it seemed like a good plug too.

[JRTJH]

Another alternative item to use to seal the bottom opening of the convenience center is a rubber plunger. Unscrew the wooden handle, use a pocket knife to cut the bottom out of the handle hole, run your water hose up through the convenience center bottom opening, thread the hose through the hole in the plunger (that you made with your pocket knife), set the inverted plunger over the hole and "push gently to force it to "bind in the hole".... I know several people with convenience centers (I don't have one) and we've made "plunger plugs" for all of them.

[notanlines]

Justin, it was a very poor attempt at some additional humor; hinting that the dog would have to be sparkling clean...
I'll do better in the future.

[AbHDToyHauler]

Another note on the plunger. Use a "NEW" plunger or wife will be on you again as you pass the clean water hose through a plunger. HAHAHAH My attempt at humour today. !

[Bamabox]

Obviously you want to keep them OUT to begin with, that can be a real battle. But once they are in, I had and continue to use with success a super high frequency video on youtube on the smart TV I installed in place of the dumb one. Just go to youtube and search for “sounds mice hate”. Turn up the volume to max and leave. Don’t know if those super high frequencies are good for humans, and pretty sure your dog won’t care for it. I had a mouse in my ceiling this spring. Put glue boards with PB in the center outside one the ground. Turned on the vid and went in the house. Walked by the trailer an hour later, and there he was. Never even got to taste the PB. Now I run the video every 3-4 days as maintenance.

[travelin texans]

I bought a Sonic pest deterent that plugs in, put it in the 5er basement & never had a mouse, spiders, ants, squirrels went around not under & even birds would land & immediately fly away, was well worth the $10. Of course you have to be connected to shore power for it to work.

[BB1959]

Just an early morning gripe about returning to our trailer to find a mouse joining our dogs for dinner. A relaxing day turned into strip down all cabinets and drawers, take everything home to be washed etc.

Trapped one, looks like that’s all there is......

Appears little dude climbed up my new zero hose and the water station door shares space with the basement and there isn’t a tight seal between the two so he slipped right in.

Cleaning the basement is next. Anyone make a “plug” for their hole your hose goes into under the trailer?
Mice also do not like steel wool so I will use it to stuff holes where they might try to get in.

[Sinton4616]

I used "Mouse Shield" spray foam around the FW when I bought it. Still have a couple of spots to do. We lined the FW with cedar and for the battery box hole in the front storage, I used a copper scrub pad. For the water hose/cable, I use a plunger with a 3/4 hole drilled in it. Fits nicely over the opening.

[Fishsizzle]

Justin, it was a very poor attempt at some additional humor; hinting that the dog would have to be sparkling clean...
I'll do better in the future.

Ahhhh no worries! Our dogs flat stink right now from swimming in ponds.

Headed back up to trailer tomorrow and have a plunger in hand to make a seal and see if anymore are snapped

[Fishsizzle]

I bought a Sonic pest deterent that plugs in, put it in the 5er basement & never had a mouse, spiders, ants, squirrels went around not under & even birds would land & immediately fly away, was well worth the $10. Of course you have to be connected to shore power for it to work.

Just bought some of these off amazon, HW folks swear by them so that means I had to buy them of course

[terrypen]

We had one get into the interior of our trailer through the hoses for the kitchen sink. After searching online, I found that they do not like peppermint or cottonballs. I coated some cottonballs with peppermint and spread them out around the locations that I could see his damage. I continued to increase the peppermint, constricting the area towards the "entrance" and once I knew that little bugger was no longer inside the living area, I dropped all those peppermint 'bombs' down the entrance hole. I then filled the entrance with steel wool and expanding foam.
I continued to move those peppermint balls towards where I thought they entered the bottom covering. I haven't had any returning meece.

Good luck,

[markowil]

Yes, foam up all the entry points as a start. Get under your trailer and get dirty. Look for any possible entry point. We also place steel wool in places like the landing struts. Inside the trailer, when we Winterize, we take off the floor registers, fill the duct openings with steel wool, place tinfoil over the top and then screw down the registers. We also place solar powered rodent repellers outside the perimeter for the winter. So far, so good

[JRTJH]

Just an observation, not a criticism: Steel wool will rust and can stain anything it's touching when it gets wet. A better choice, although a bit more expensive, is copper wool or brass wool. It's just as "permanent" but doesn't rust.

What we do, and our trailer sits in a pole barn that's "safe haven" for what seems to be most of the field mice, chipmunks and other "critters looking for a warm dry place to nest for the winter"... Anyway, to fill holes in the bottom, I put in a small bit of expanding foam, then stuff some brass wool into the foam and finish it off with more expanding foam. That way, the foam "seals" the brass wool, keeping it from being exposed to the elements but still acting to deter anything trying to "chew through"...

We also use several packs of Fresh Cab. It's a natural product that is the most effective deterrent I've found. I use 4 or 5 packets on paper plates inside the trailer and one in each of the outside storage compartments. I also use Fresh Cab under the cover of my boat, my four wheelers, motorcycle and tractor. So far, in 10 years, I've never had any "chewed mouse damage"...<knock on wood>...

It goes without saying (I think) to remove ALL sources of food smells, remove the grill (it smells like something good to eat even after cleaning) and seal all the vents to the furnace, water heater, refrigerator and any outside air vents.

[skmct]

I bought a Sonic pest deterent that plugs in, put it in the 5er basement & never had a mouse, spiders, ants, squirrels went around not under & even birds would land & immediately fly away, was well worth the $10. Of course you have to be connected to shore power for it to work.

Dido they sell 12 volt versions for autos . I dont know what the power draw is but a solar charger will probably cover it

[Dboland9]

We have recently had a mouse problem despite our best efforts at prevention. Here are my thoughts. Irish spring soap does not work and it seems like they like the taste because the bite marks are plentiful. I have found pee and poop on top of many dryer sheets, so I have little faith in them. Fine mesh steel wool rusts quickly, so I now use copper scouring pads or bronze wool. I leave a large wad of this around the shore power cord where it enters the RV. I have installed the metal screens made to prevent mud daubers over the vents for furnace, fridge, and water heater to prevent mouse entry in those potential sites. I do believe a response on another thread suggesting that applying a cover over the RV increased the chance of an infestation (but I will continue to cover mine). Lysol brand Dual Action purple wipes have a bit of an abrasive surface and made the clean up of poop/pee stains not difficult, and it disinfects. I would love to try moth balls but think the odor inside the RV would be prohibitive for months. Perhaps I will place them outside under the RV. I would love to hear any other ideas people have

[JRTJH]

We have recently had a mouse problem... I would love to hear any other ideas people have


Order some Fresh Cab. I think after using it, you'll become another "annual purchaser"..... As for moth balls, around here, all using them does is help control the moth population, they do nothing for the mouse population.....

[cliff]

We bought a bunch of stainless steel scrubbers about 4" in diameter. You can stick those in the holes and use multiples if the hole is bigger.

[travelin texans]

Order some Fresh Cab. I think after using it, you'll become another "annual purchaser"..... As for moth balls, around here, all using them does is help control the moth population, they do nothing for the mouse population.....

Fresh Cab works great!
In my case the moth balls were absolutely no help with mice but did deter the humans, they stink up the whole place & the smell lasts forever.

[LHaven]

Just an early morning gripe about returning to our trailer to find a mouse joining our dogs for dinner.

Sounds like you need to have a Come to Jesus meeting with your dogs. :lol:

[NHcamper]

I live up here in the NH woods and park my tt (322RL Laredo) very close to the trees and in my field both winter (covered) and summer. We have lots of field mice all around. I use the ultra-sonic plug in emitters as follows: two in the bedroom, one in the bathroom, one in the kitchen area and 2 in the lounge area. In the 5 years I have been doing this I have not had one mouse in the TT. The dog doesn't seem to mind them either. Of course, you need to have Shore Power to do this. We even leave the emitters plugged in when camping to make sure we don't get foreign mice friends.

[LHaven]

Fresh Cab works great!
In my case the moth balls were absolutely no help with mice but did deter the humans, they stink up the whole place & the smell lasts forever.

My very first trailer was a 17- year-old tent trailer, which our sporting club got for cheap because the tent was rotten. We tore out the tent and used the trailer to carry bulky equipment to and from organized meets, but since it came with a small propane refrigerator and grille, we used them to offer cold drinks and hot dogs to our members on site.

We developed a mouse problem too, so after chasing around and sucking up as many as we could find with our wet/dry vac, we went the mothball route. The mice particularly liked stealing the fiberglass out of the stove for nesting material, so we stored mothballs under the range hood too.

One week we fired up the range without remembering to take out the mothballs. If I ever have a need to generate a huge amount of opaque smoke on short notice, I know how to do that now.

[WJQ]

As we all know, there are at least 3,799 ways to stop mice in your RV. Or at least to try to stop mice. I think I have tried them all.

My latest concept depends on keeping them out. I made small boxes -- roughly 9 inch long, 5 inch wide by 2 inches high. The dimensions are not critical. One side has a 1 inch hole. Inside I put TomCat Bait Chunks. There is enough space for 4 or 5 chunks. I place several boxes around the outside of my trailer and around my home.

These boxes keep cats or dogs from accessing the blocks. The mice die OUTSIDE of the trailer. From what I have heard, the mice are dead but not toxic if other critters eat them. You can get the blocks at hardware stores, Amazon, etc. It works and it does not cost much. You can also buy plastic boxes but they are more costly.

Here is the Manufacturer info:
Tomcat with Bromethalin Bait Chunx Excellent for knockdown of severe infestations

Tomcat with Bromethalin Bait Chunx contains the premium active ingredient Bromethalin, excellent for proven control of high rodent populations and severe infestations. Bromethalin is an acute, non-anticoagulant active that will begin to kill rats & mice in 2 or more days after consuming a lethal dose, faster than anticoagulant baits. Due to a quick knockdown, relatively more rodents can be controlled with less bait.

Motomco's unique, proprietary extrusion process produces Bait Chunx with multiple edges that appeal to a rodent's desire to gnaw. Chunx are made with food-grade ingredients and small amounts of paraffin for a highly palatable bait. Each block kills up to 12 mice on an average.

Kills by affecting the rodents’ nervous system – Bromethalin is an ATP Inhibitor, which prevents the transfer of energy across nerve cells.

[Weekender 1]

Amazon sells stainless steel wool, no rust and does the job. We also use the fresh cab in storage areas and inside the camper during winter.
Peppermint and all those other ones the mice will get used to it in a short period of time and foam, they'll chew through.
One area most overlooked is the slides. In or out there is always a gap that just a rubber flapper covers SOMEWHAT and we stuff stainless steel wool in them.
Ours stays parked in a RV site so, fox urine and clumps of cat litter near the jacks etc, done once a month I think is a good deterrent from them even trying to get to get near areas where they can get in, nothing like a natural predator scent.

[Pete and Jeanne]

Ahhhh no worries! Our dogs flat stink right now from swimming in ponds.

Headed back up to trailer tomorrow and have a plunger in hand to make a seal and see if anymore are snapped

Hey Fishsizzle ! Just noticed your reference to your fur babies swimming in ponds. Beware!!! Dogs have been known to get very sick and even die within an hour of swimming in any body of water that contains an algae bloom. Highly toxic stuff!!!
You probably have also seen reference to the same...but I'm just saying. My Poods love the water and the looks I get when I no longer let them near any body of water that is (and most in the South are) affected speak(bark?) volumes.

[Fishsizzle]

Hey Fishsizzle ! Just noticed your reference to your fur babies swimming in ponds. Beware!!! Dogs have been known to get very sick and even die within an hour of swimming in any body of water that contains an algae bloom. Highly toxic stuff!!!
You probably have also seen reference to the same...but I'm just saying. My Poods love the water and the looks I get when I no longer let them near any body of water that is (and most in the South are) affected speak(bark?) volumes.


I read about some dogs dying. We have blooms on 2-3 of our big lakes out here couple times a year. My stock pond is pumped from a canal and then pumped to the grass. Pond turns over pretty frequently. Thanks for the heads up!

[mwalter]

Wrap a piece of foam insulation like the kind used around a water hose to close up the hole.

[Fishsizzle]

Wrap a piece of foam insulation like the kind used around a water hose to close up the hole.


The whole is about 6” in diameter. I got a plunger at HD and cut a cross in it to open it up and hose went through. Nice and tight fit on hose and the hole as well. No mice last weekend. Wife headed up to fishing cleaning basement, we will see if we are rid of them.

It’s hard, 2 spaces down the lady covers the ground in birdseed for the birds and chipmunks. Out basement had tons of the seed in it.