Large Rodents in 2008 Cougar TT

[126whitetail]

Hello everyone... thanks in advance for reading. Any input is appreciated.

We purchased a new 2008 cougar travel trailer from a dealer about 7 years ago.

We would always remove food from it after every use, however within the first two months we started to get mice in it.
We tried to plug everything we could think of with steel wool, but they kept coming in. To date we have caught easily over 70 mice.

During our most recent trip in Sept. 2014, I noticed a mouse appear on the rear bumper(picture below) then jump up into the TT somehow. Once we got back home we decided to see what we could find, so we removed a wood panel below the stove(see floor plan on reply below), this it what we found... it appears that a large rodent is/was living in there. We are now thinking that the TT is defective in some way? Something seems wrong if a large rodent(much less a mouse) is able to enter?

[126whitetail]

floor plan picture

[Scttw]

Interesting post with the pictures and all ......

You can search and read all the various threads as you may have done. Those hose and line CUTOUTS are always cut about 12 billion times TOO BIG.

That is likely how they are getting in. Steel wool and spray foam are your friends.

2 things - gonna keep this short as it's posted elsewhere.

Chase them out with Mothballs - CabinFresh - bounce sheets - whatever your pleasure - (I prefer moth balls to drive them OUT). BUY a TON - USE THEM GENEROUSLY.

Then pretend you are a mouse and search every crevice outside underneath. You say you have done this but it's not complete obviously ..... do it again and again. The hose and electrical lines act as ladders for mice/rats - I bet that is where they are getting in - or storage access doors. The head of a pencil will allows small mice inside.

I also suggest the green bags of poison to determine WHERE they are coming in ..... they will eat through the plastic bags which will produce evidence of them being there.

If I was there I would find the access in 10 minutes - but I have gotten good at it.

Good luck - I feel for you.

Scott

[wbatto]

I feel your pain
Over the years we have had trouble with mice as we live in the county. I have found the best thing to do is seal every cut out for pipes and such with spray foam insulation. I put poison under our unit so they will have something to eat before they decide to take up residence inside and that way it keeps them from storing the poison inside your camper. I make sure nothing else can get to the poison like pets, birds, ECT. I also check it for mice every couple of weeks in the winter. I also have found that if you clean everything up really good at the end of the season it seems to help. We also place dryer sheets in our camper over the winter and place moth balls under it. Sometimes no matter what you do you still get one; the main thing is to get rid of them before they get started. One time they got in by chewing around a wire in the bottom of the sink vanity. These methods above have worked for me over the years and we rarely ever have a problem.

I hope this will help you out good luck.

[sourdough]

Just a side note

It says you live in NM but not where. Be aware that mice (deer) in NM have been know to carry Hantavirus. One or two not so much a big worry but cleaning up after large colonies can be dangerous. Make sure you spray down any infested areas with a good disinfectant before you try to sweep/brush up any of their droppings. The virus in contracted when you inhale it from their droppings so you can also wear a little dust mask (a good safety measure). Good luck in your efforts and be safe.

[golfpro]

if you have caught 70 already, it could be they are already in there and are breeding faster than you can catch them

[126whitetail]

Thank you for all of your help, as far as the mice go each time we catch one in a trap they head to the slide out area(if the trap doesn't kill them right away) so I am assuming that is where some are getting in, but we can't see any places that they can enter via the slide? The other place we have seen mouse droppings in the the OVEN, could that be another entry point?

On a side note I am not sure if it would be safe to use the heating system, since it looks like the rats would have been throughout the "under floor" and the vents run under the floor?

[126whitetail]

One last comment: we have talked to a few other Cougar owners who have never had a mouse problem, that's why I seem to think something may be defective somewhere from the factory? I wouldn't think that something as large as a chipmunk or pack rat would be able to get in the trailer at all.

[Festus2]

I don't think the Keystone model has anything to do with your rodent problem nor is there any "manufacturer's defect" that would contribute to it. You've no doubt had a thorough look at the underbelly and the interior and have found all sorts of openings. Cutouts for wiring, plumbing, propane lines and ductwork are everywhere - most of which are over-sized and need to be "plugged". The Cougar line is no worse or better than any other model - they all have openings of various sizes.

I think you would be wasting your time trying to contact Keystone with your rodent issues and pursuing a "factory defect" cause. You would, IMO, be better off trying to resolve this problem yourself and follow up on some of the suggestions here on the forum to see if any of them help to reduce or eliminate the problem.

I don't know if you have considered contacting a pest control operator to come out and have a look at your situation but it might be an option if the problem you have seems to be out of control and poses a health hazard to you and your family.