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Old 11-28-2022, 05:06 PM   #1
Rick!
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Mice in the underbelly???

Hello!
I recently bought a used 2009 outback 250 RS and hauled it from Pennsylvania to Texas lol! I have been in this camper overnight about a dozen times in the 3 months I have owned it. I have never heard or seen any critters. However I did notice a few times that there were some leaves and debris by the back door, Even during my 3-day drive back from Pennsylvania.. I attributed this to the rear slide but could find no obvious reason for it. This past weekend I camped with my family and we noticed some paper towels were disfigured under the sink. I now knew mice have been in the camper. I suspect I brought them with me from Pennsylvania. I also suspect that they hang out in the underbelly because I have cleaned that place spick and span several times and only seen a tiny bit of evidence under the sink as in droppings (which I assumed were old droppings from the prior location). If they are under the floor, what are my options for keeping them from doing damage there and encouraging them to be gone?
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Old 11-29-2022, 08:19 AM   #2
wiredgeorge
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My wife and I were camping last year and sitting in our recliners at night watching TV and had blankets over us since the A/C was cranking and we had a fan on. A mouse ran up the blanket, over my feet then up over my shoulder and jumped somewhere and eventually got on top a cabinet. My wife screamed. Then screamed some more. She made me poke around with a broom at the cabinet tops but we never caught sight of the mouse again.

Into exterminator mode. I bought several of those gizmos which emit some sort of noise that chases off mice. I bought some of that natural oil stuff which is supposed to chase off mice. I bought mouse bait which is supposed to kill them off. I deployed mouse traps (not being a mouse trap setter I did get my finger). I got stuck in our pass through after plugging holes and had to have my wife drag my feet and eventually my rear end out. I got some of that spray foam filler and filled all the holes I could find from the inside.

Haven't seen a mouse again. Not sure what worked or if it is just coincidence. My wife doesn't like mice so I keep my 12GA handy in case we see another inside our camper. (joke). Easiest place for mice to get in is in the front compartment in a 5th wheel OR the side compartments for propane bottles in a fifth wheel. Not really to many great ways to keep mice out of the pass through storage so that is a good place to do some sealing work. BTW: We are kinda neighbors as we live in Medina County.
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Old 12-02-2022, 06:45 AM   #3
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Thanks for the reply! I just returned home to San Antonio from the camper, which is at my off-grid Hill Country acreage (7 acres, lol!) north of Leakey (no cell service out there). I was initiating a low-key war with the mice. So far dryer sheets and peppermint extract have been deployed. I need to get a couple of game cameras, one for in and one for out, to see if these are local mice or stowaways, and hopefully figure out their egress. (Maybe later I can use the cameras to spot the bears and mountain lions others have "captured"). I am fearful of having mice die in the well-sealed underbelly, but also have been warned that they will start attacking the pipes. I also put up notes requesting that they evacuate immediately, or face my wrath (joke?). I saw more droppings (tiny!) out in the open, so I fear this conflict may escalate. Any additional advice or funny stories would be greatly appreciated!
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Old 12-02-2022, 02:13 PM   #4
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On another thread several people mentioned using Cab fresh packets to help repel mice. I bought some at Tractor supply. It seemed to help but only for about a month. Then they were back. I went with some tom cat poison blocks while I had mine stored under a shed for a couple months. It killed a bunch of mice and after a month the smell went away. (I figured on them drying up as they have in other places I have used this product.) I now keep those poison blocks scattered all around under the shed. I would use everything at my disposal if I was you and not care which one worked. Scented oil, traps, cab fresh, poison where appropriate, 12 gauge shotguns. Whatever it takes!
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Old 12-03-2022, 10:56 AM   #5
Rick!
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My primary concern is if they are living in the underbelly. With the sealed underbelly in the Outback it would make a great hideout, a place to destroy pipes and wiring, and a difficult place for me to "shoo" them away from. Is a poison that they can share with the family my best option, and literally hold my nose with the results?
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Old 12-11-2022, 08:36 AM   #6
WDPatterson
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I recently bought a pack of three of those Barrel lids with the little flapper doors on them. They have a ladder that comes with each one. You put them on a 5 gallon bucket, add bait, and let them do their work. Before you put the lid on, you put about 1/3 bucket full of water. That way, they climb up the ladder to the bait, the door flips out from under them, and they're in the bucket unable to get out. End of story.
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Old 12-11-2022, 09:30 AM   #7
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I recently bought a pack of three of those Barrel lids with the little flapper doors on them. They have a ladder that comes with each one. You put them on a 5 gallon bucket, add bait, and let them do their work. Before you put the lid on, you put about 1/3 bucket full of water. That way, they climb up the ladder to the bait, the door flips out from under them, and they're in the bucket unable to get out. End of story.

Have these worked for you? My mice are ignoring them.
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Old 12-11-2022, 10:27 AM   #8
bobnelms
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We've had plenty of mouse problems in our 5th wheel, and have done just about everything that the others have mentioned to keep them out -- so far with success. However, I'll share what I've done to keep them out of our HOME when they get into our crawl space there. I BOMB the heck out of the crawl space -- the kind of bombs used to kill ants, roaches, etc. I don't think it kills the mice (which I don't want to do because they'd stink). I think it drives them away. So far, it's worked GREAT.

If I though I had mice in my underbelly, I think that might be a good thing to do -- BOMB them out.
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Old 12-11-2022, 10:50 AM   #9
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Have these worked for you? My mice are ignoring them.
Your mice may not be "ignoring the traps" but they may be too small to trip the counterweight on the "trap door lids" on the buckets. We've got several species of "field mice" that call the woods around our property and our pole barn home. When the fifth wheel is parked in the pole barn, it becomes a "curiosity to be explored" by anything that ventures into the pole barn.

Some of the "field mice", along with the chipmunks, will venture onto the trap door and fall to their doom. Other's, quite a bit smaller, walk around freely on the trap doors and never seem to trigger the door to fall open. Why? They just don't weigh enough to make the door work. But they're big enough to leave droppings with equal angst to anyone trying to keep an RV clean.


But, even the small ones do like to venture onto a mouse trap with peanut butter on a cotton ball and they are "big enough to pull the trigger on those traps"..... Quite a few (but never all of them) have become owl food, cat food and fox food behind the pole barn.
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Old 12-11-2022, 10:53 AM   #10
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Have these worked for you? My mice are ignoring them.
Use peanut butter. It's like kryptonite.
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Old 12-11-2022, 12:12 PM   #11
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Use peanut butter. It's like kryptonite.

Yes, I have a blob of the stuff at the end of the trap. Maybe my local mice like something else.



I also use this:


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007E83LUM...fix=mouse+trap


I've not caught any mice in them yet but they do catch a bunch of bugs. Kinda kills two birds with one stone...
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Old 12-11-2022, 03:38 PM   #12
musicman
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Rick I use the sticky pads under each sink including under the bath tub.. This past Fall I caught 6 mice in the out door kitchen as they come up from the under belly. Sticky Pads work great as the mice come out during the night.. If going away for a week end I put 5 gallon bucket with water in it and plastic water barrel with peanut butter smeared on it. one 3 ft wooden yard stick..mice run up yard stick spin on water bottle and fall into water and drown....they love that peanut butter
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Old 12-12-2022, 06:44 AM   #13
Lee
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Have these worked for you? My mice are ignoring them.
I also have the bucket trap as you describe also with limited results.

Then I bought a "Walk the Plank" trap that goes on top of the bucket. It's sensitivity is adjustable. I have had much more success. On my 10 day Elk camp trip I got 72!!!!!!!
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Old 12-12-2022, 10:22 AM   #14
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I don't like using poison for two reasons. First, the mice are part of the natural food chain. By poisoning the mice you can be poisoning water eats that mouse, like an eagle, a fox, or snake, etc. Second reason is most of the posions make the mouse "drink themselves" to death. If water isn't readily accessible they will chew through the plastic pipes to get water.

I have had good results by using good old fashion spring snap mouse traps. Place them perpendicular to a wall or cabinet face as they walk/run along walls guided by their whiskers. I bait them with peanut granola bars and don't have the mess of peanut butter and it lasts longer.

I use a peppermint spray as well. I started using the spray when the squirrels were and field mice kept eating the wires on my outside surveillance cameras at home. I spray the wires about every 3 months and haven't had to replace a wire in over 3 years now. I've used the Freshcab but they are expensive and don't last that long. I have "re-charged" them using the same peppermint spray with good results.

This is my experience, YMMV.
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Old 12-12-2022, 06:53 PM   #15
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Do you use peppermint extract or essential oil?
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Old 12-12-2022, 09:01 PM   #16
flybouy
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Do you use peppermint extract or essential oil?
Oils, but the spray is TomKat brand animal repellent.
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Old 12-13-2022, 09:01 AM   #17
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I've sprayed that "TomKat" rodent repellant all under my bathtub. Smells like cedar for a little while but not unpleasant. Then I have four snap traps with peanut butter that I set out each evening before going in for the night. (I bring them in during the day as I caught a small bird in one at one point and I certainly didn't want any more of that!) I also have one trap set at one common entry point, that I've also done my best to plug up, just in case one happens to slip through the gauntlet. And finally, I sprinkle Comet cleanser all around my tires, landing gear etc. I'm quite sure they don't like bleach on their little feet! MuAhahah!
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Old 12-13-2022, 12:46 PM   #18
Rick!
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My camper is boondocked on remote property 100 miles away. Unfortunately I already deployed tomcat bait traps last Friday and will return tomorrow to see what the results are. Crossing fingers that pipes are not being damaged. I used peppermint oil and dryer sheets the week before that with 0 success
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Old 12-23-2022, 01:21 PM   #19
JulieC
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We were camping a couple of years ago and kept hearing noises in the underbelly. We finally cut a “hatch door” to look inside and discovered 4 kittens. Mom was nowhere to be found. The park ranger helped us get ahold of a shelter and they were hopefully adopted!
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Old 06-07-2023, 07:43 AM   #20
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I use peppermint and cinnamon oil under sinks and near any other floor openings (water pump, under vacuum box and under shower, etc.). I buy them from Amazon. Simply douse several cotton balls with these oils and refresh them every few weeks. Make sure to use tupperware-type containers, since some oils can dissolve through thin plastic such as jello-shot cups. I also use battery and plug in ultrasonic emitters, some of which randomly flash like a disco tech. Lastly I place several bounce dryer sheets throughout the camper. Overkill I know, but effective none-the-less.
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