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Old 09-05-2019, 08:07 AM   #21
JRTJH
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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.
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Old 09-05-2019, 08:17 AM   #22
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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
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Old 09-05-2019, 08:36 AM   #23
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Mouse gripe

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
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Old 09-05-2019, 08:40 AM   #24
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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.....
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Old 09-05-2019, 09:01 AM   #25
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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.
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Old 09-05-2019, 09:13 AM   #26
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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.
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Old 09-05-2019, 09:18 AM   #27
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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.
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Old 09-05-2019, 11:58 AM   #28
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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.
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Old 09-05-2019, 12:33 PM   #29
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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.
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Old 09-05-2019, 02:17 PM   #30
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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.
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Old 09-05-2019, 03:04 PM   #31
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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.
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Old 09-05-2019, 04:39 PM   #32
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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.
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Old 09-06-2019, 08:06 AM   #33
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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!
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Old 09-07-2019, 06:38 AM   #34
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Wrap a piece of foam insulation like the kind used around a water hose to close up the hole.
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Old 09-07-2019, 08:34 PM   #35
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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.
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