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Old 04-25-2014, 09:04 AM   #1
FarNorth
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Plugging Entrances!

Looking for a little help determining where mice are getting in! We had a horrible infestation last year (so bad I was in tears cleaning till 3 am as we were leaving camping the next day) They managed to get into under the sink/cupboard area, the back/bathroom sink, hot water heater under the oven and the under storage. It had only been a week since we used it last! After a good cleaning and bleaching, I took steel wool into all the access points in the under storage. All was fine this fall/winter and today I check and we had one mouse (in a snap trap) in the cupboard below the sink. Where on earth could they be coming in at? What am I missing?!

Thanks in advance!
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Old 04-25-2014, 10:43 AM   #2
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Mice do not need that big of a hole to get in.

We planted a bunch of Irish Spring soap bars all over the place, had a look a couple of weeks ago and nary a rodent in sight! And we had a real rough winter snow-wize, lots of mice trails when the snow melted in the backyard.

Our 2013 Cougar has the bottom spray foamed though, the dealer says that they cannot burrow through there and I say hogwash, I would much rather have the trailer smell like a guys show room vice that smell of rodent in our unit.......
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Old 04-25-2014, 12:12 PM   #3
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I had a mouse a few years ago get in, I pulled every panel, looked in every corner. Used steel wool with the Great Stuff spray to hold it in place. There were holes under my electrical converter, water pump, water lines, under shower, outside electrical cord too name a few. There were small gaps between the floor and walls that I just used the spray on. Keep looking!
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Old 04-25-2014, 02:11 PM   #4
FarNorth
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I'm going to check the propane storage to see what I can find. My husband told me for whatever reason, not to put steel wool in the propane holes, but if I find evidence of mice, it's getting plugged!! I'll go through again and plug ANY holes. I have a feeling we have to take the underskirt along the bottom off and see what kind of holes we have there. The power cord reel/hole has steel wool in it also. It's not even camping season yet and these mice are already stressing me out!

I think once we have it plugged in beside the garage I'm going to get some of those ultrasonic deterrents, I don't know what range they do, but if I can get it plugged in near the camper for now, maybe that'll help?
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Old 04-25-2014, 03:35 PM   #5
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Perhaps your husband was concerned about the steel wool rusting. You can buy bronze wool, instead of steel wool, which won't rust but will probably break your bank account. You can always stuff in the steel wool then spray it with foam which may cut down on the rusting problem.
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Old 04-27-2014, 04:51 AM   #6
Joe Stanley
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A service tech told us years ago to put dryer sheets everywhere in our rig. We put them in all spaces we can think of inside and outside the rig. We have had no problems with mice.
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Old 04-27-2014, 06:34 AM   #7
hankaye
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Howdy All;

If they want in they'll chew their way in, unless there is
some sort of metallic obstacle in their way.

hank
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Old 04-27-2014, 03:22 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FarNorth View Post
Looking for a little help determining where mice are getting in! We had a horrible infestation last year (so bad I was in tears cleaning till 3 am as we were leaving camping the next day) They managed to get into under the sink/cupboard area, the back/bathroom sink, hot water heater under the oven and the under storage. It had only been a week since we used it last! After a good cleaning and bleaching, I took steel wool into all the access points in the under storage. All was fine this fall/winter and today I check and we had one mouse (in a snap trap) in the cupboard below the sink. Where on earth could they be coming in at? What am I missing?!

Thanks in advance!
Do you keep you trailer plugged in during storage? If so that is an easy route into the trailer.
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Old 04-27-2014, 03:36 PM   #9
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We do the steel wool also grind up moth balls and sprinkle them around all the areas that the trailer contacts the ground i.e. tires and landing gear then we set up mouse traps around the interior I find if you can get past freeze up with no infestation you are home free the dryer sheets didn't seem to work for Canadian mice
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Old 04-28-2014, 05:43 PM   #10
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I had an invasion about 6 years ago, they chewed on anything that was rubber, it was costly, I had a motorhome at the time. I found that leaving a light on in the engine compartment and spreading dryer sheets everywhere really worked in my case, as I had no rodents sense then. I now don't live in the desert where this happened, but I still use the dryer sheets and so far it has worked.
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Old 04-30-2014, 11:57 AM   #11
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FWIW, here is my 2 cents worth on mice control.

The mice must be prevented from entering the camper or home or whatever IMO. Then set traps to remove the ones remaining inside. Problem solved, no more mice.

I've read every thread on this forum and some threads on other forums about mice problems in RVs. I've read all the ones about using dryer sheets, Irish Spring, expensive Mouse Guard stuff, poison, traps, moth balls, and ultrasonic devices, (but I've found there is no scientific evidence that these electronic gizmos are effective in the USA) etc.

Personally I would not ever use poison, for the fact that the mice could get into some inaccessable place after eating it and die, leaving a rotting, stinking corpse that would be impossible to remove. To me, the poison itself has a bad odor too.

I've had excellent success with mice control over the past 38 years or so at different places and with campers, by closing up all the places mice can enter and then setting traps to catch the ones remaining inside. Campers are very challenging with all the openings in walls and floors and storage compartments, etc. They can get through very small openings that you wouldn't think they could fit through, and they can climb up into places that you wouldn't think they could also. I've seen mice jump several inches from a flat floor surface also when they run away to escape through an opening.

I've used all kinds of materials to close up mouse entrances. I just use whatever fits the situation. Great Stuff expanding foam, foil tape, steel wool (it won't rust if it used indoors and stays dry, it doesn't rust sitting on the shelf in my basement, or sitting on the shelf in the store), Gorilla tape, tin can lids, screen, wood, wads of aluminum foil, pieces of metal or plastic cut and shaped to fit, etc. Sometimes it can be difficult to find all entrances, especially on an RV. It requires diligence to go over the camper and find all of them and figure out how to block them off.

I worked at my uncle's gas station in the country when I was a kid, and mice would get in occasionaly and they always went for the Snickers and Baby Ruth's or sometime the little bags of peanuts. At 12 yrs old I figured out what they liked and used that for bait with regular old mouse traps. The type like Victor makes with the wooden base and copper coated spring and lever.

I usually use Snickers, the sticky caramel part with some pieces of peanut, mashed down on the trap so it's hard for the mouse to pull it off. Works everytime for me without fail. I think the mice must like peanuts, or they can smell them and go for the traps. Some folks I know have had success with peanut butter also. A friend of mine recently told me that he super glues a peanut to the trap. The mouse can't remove it and the peanut will last a long time he says.

One other thing I've learned the hard way, especially if you live in the country or near vacant lots or fields, is don't do mowing or trimming or yard work with the garage door, shed door, or camper doors/windows or compartment doors left open where the mice can run in. The power equipment will sure scare them.
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