TL;DR
- Rat-X bait around and in trailer - thins the population.
- LIGHTS: one 4W LED light per area to minimize the area they'll nest or traverse. This was key in turning the tide in our favor.
- Mint spray (mixed results)
- Sticky traps - not humane, and they will stink, but crazy effective
- Bucket trap - can catch multiples and helps keep the stink down.
- Seal the gaps - Can be challenging to find.
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Here's our experience:
We have two 5th wheels parked on 39 acres in NE AZ high desert.
Field mice, pack rats and rabbits (jack and cotton tail) are pervasive on our property. We also have a couple of massive ravens and a... Badger! Occasionally, we see a coyote, bobcat, owl or condor.
The first line of defense is four bait trays filled with Rat-X located around the property. Rat-X allegedly suppresses the thirst response of mice/rats causing dehydration, fatigue (they retreat to their den to sleep) and death. It claims to harm no other wildlife even if consumed directly. This product was reviewed by Mousetrap Mondays on Youtube, and it appears to work as advertised.
The second line of defense - LIGHTS. Rodents will not nest where there is constant light, and they are reluctant to traverse well-lit areas. Our trailers are powered by an off-grid power system, and they consume about 100W continuously between 9 LED bulbs, the 12V converters and the power system itself (the inverter burns about 30W alone).
The addition of lights was transformative. The Keystone was preceded by a Class A motorhome, and rodents nested on the engine like crazy. Since the addition of a light in the engine compartment, they never nested again.
We tried concentrated mint spray. That appeared to be somewhat effective, but it didn't last nearly as long as the product claimed. We did enjoy the smell, though.
We have a 99 Newmar American Star that has successfully been sealed from intrusion - at least a year since any evidence of mice have been noted. This was EXTREMELY well sealed from intrusion from the factory. The single point of ingress was the grommet for the slide motor wiring. They chewed through it and the wires, and got in the frame and everywhere else. Wires fixed and holes plugged. Since then, not a single rodent or turd has been seen.
As a precaution, we use sticky traps at potential points of ingress (slide seals) and in areas where rodents would like to traverse. We also include bins of Rat-X bait under the cabinets where mice might access and hide.
Our 07 Keystone Montana Big Sky is a new addition to the property since 2/2021, and it is the current primary target for the rodents. Keystone allows red carpet like access to rodents at each of the 4 slides' piston rod frame holes. In our case access to the living space is then granted by the pipe cut-outs in the floor under the kitchen island. The rodents have nibbled those holes larger.
In addition to the bait and sticky traps, we have added a "bucket trap" to the arsenal as well.
We are offsite for 2-5 weeks at a time, and we tend to snare 1-3 rodents between visits.
This last weekend, we encountered "Goliath". He is the largest pack rat I've ever seen. His body took up the entire length of the sticky trap.
So, our problem isn't fixed, but we are in a holding action. They come in, then they die.
I'd like to get away from having 10+ sticky traps to set and check every visit (and they're certainly not regarded as humane), so I need to tackle getting the frame openings sealed.
Lastly, I just need to repeat how effective LIGHT is. Until I got the power system accessible for off-site use, we were losing the fight. We had major intrusions between visits with turds and pee puddles everywhere. Yes, we'd catch some in traps, but illuminating all areas with light made a HUGE difference. This was most evident in the Class A as there were many points of ingress. Lights and sticky traps in the under floor compartments restricted their ingress dramatically.