Mice, Mice and more Mice

[rosede]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I need some advice on mice.

I have a 2012 272RK Outback. I've never really had issues with mice before. The only time in the past was two or three years ago when we had a tire blowout and it ripped a hole in the floor of the camper. During the time it was in for repair a mouse found its way in, made a nest and had some babies. We discovered them and eliminated them and all was good. Now, we're getting mice every week.

I've spent day's scouring every inch of this camper, both inside and out. I found a single hole under the slide where the plastic corrugate underbelly and frame come together. I could tell that they chewed a mouse sized hole and I plugged it with steal wool. Other than that, I didn't find any other hole where they might be getting in.

Inside I plugged up all holes that I could find. Under the sink, behind the electrical panel, water pump, anywhere that had tubes or electrical coming out of the floor. I found spaces where the rubber for slide kinda all met and plugged them up with steel wool. I don't see anywhere on the inside where the chewed holes to get into the living space of the camper.

Here I thought I finally had a mouse free camper, opened the door yesterday to check and damn if there wasn't a dead mouse in a trap.

The thing is.... I need to get out of town and get to my happy place and recharge my batteries. I can't do that if I can't have a mouse free camper. Any suggestions on where to look for more holes? Or how to keep these pests out?

Thanks

 

[Notanlines]

If you have mice this time of the year it is probably because there is a good food source. They are not seeking shelter in. August. Your storage area is where they are coming from. If this is a field then the supply is endless. You will need to insure the interior is absolutely food free and possibly find a chemical spray for a garden sprayer for the entire area around the RV storage grounds.

 

[rosede]

If you have mice this time of the year it is probably because there is a good food source. They are not seeking shelter in. August. Your storage area is where they are coming from. If this is a field then the supply is endless. You will need to insure the interior is absolutely food free and possibly find a chemical spray for a garden sprayer for the entire area around the RV storage grounds.

There is no food inside the camper. I cleaned out the entire camper a month or more ago so I could clean and find any holes to plug. That includes all clothing cookware and utensils.

Any ideas on where to look further for holes? There must be holes somewhere that I didn't see or don't see.

 

[Lee-KEY]

Catch them BEFORE they get in.

I have had GREAT luck with this trap. Over a 10 day elk hunt I caught 72!!!!!!

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=walk+the...the+,aps,168&ref=nb_sb_ss_pltr-sample-20_10_9

 

[jxnbbl]

I have had a mouse of two the first year of storage. After that we have used the "mouse deterrent packets" throughout the trailer and I use poison blocks in the outside storage compartments. We had some activity on those blocks two years ago....and less each time it goes into storage. You can kind of monitor the activity by just looking at these blocks (even if there are no "chewed up TP" or other activity inside)

 

[JRTJH]

There are a number of "big holes" in your frame rails. Crawl under the trailer, look for where the slide rams move through the trailer frame. Look forward/aft along the frame rails and you'll see at least 8 or 10 holes in the frame rails. They go "directly to the belly of your trailer".

Emptying your trailer of all "food stuff" is only effective above the floor. Mice, voles and even chipmunks and squirrels, by natural instinct, store food for the winter. They do this all summer long. If, by chance, mice have "set up a food storage stockpile" in the trailer belly, the others will smell that stockpile and will be attracted to it. Every mouse you trap just leave one less mouse to protect that food stockpile from other mice that want it.

So, cleaning the cabin very well might be an "exercise in futility" when it comes to what is really attracting the mice from outside the trailer.

Find a place to park your trailer on concrete or asphalt, buy or borrow a creeper and spend a couple hours under your trailer, on your back with a flashlight. You'll find way more entry places than you could ever imagine. Then, when you get all of those sealed and "mouse proofed", you've still got those "flexible seals around the slide" that are easy places for any mouse to squeeze through and into your trailer.

If I were you, I'd not only look to try to seal more "easy places to get into the trailer" but I'd also start looking for a different place to park the trailer when it's not in use. I'd guess that where you're currently parking is a "heavily populated area" which makes trying to keep them out even more difficult...

Sort of like hunting, fishing or even grocery shopping. Where you do any activity will largely determine the outcome no matter how good you are at the activity. Hunt deer in a WalMart parking lot, you won't find many. Grocery shop at a Ford dealership you'll go hungry. Park your trailer where there's thousands of mice and they'll find a way into your trailer. Park it where there's fewer mice, there will be fewer finding their way in.

 

[rosede]

There are a number of "big holes" in your frame rails. Crawl under the trailer, look for where the slide rams move through the trailer frame. Look forward/aft along the frame rails and you'll see at least 8 or 10 holes in the frame rails. They go "directly to the belly of your trailer".

Find a place to park your trailer on concrete or asphalt, buy or borrow a creeper and spend a couple hours under your trailer, on your back with a flashlight. You'll find way more entry places than you could ever imagine. Then, when you get all of those sealed and "mouse proofed", you've still got those "flexible seals around the slide" that are easy places for any mouse to squeeze through and into your trailer.

If I were you, I'd not only look to try to seal more "easy places to get into the trailer" but I'd also start looking for a different place to park the trailer when it's not in use. I'd guess that where you're currently parking is a "heavily populated area" which makes trying to keep them out even more difficult...

I spent two day's on my back searching for those "holes". I found only one, but I'll go back and look again. I did find a spot, where a 2" diameter tube that's attached to my slide goes into the underbelly. At first I was trying to figure out how to seal it up, but then I realized that when the slide went in, it was sealed, and I keep my slide in when not being used.

The camper is in a location where chances of heavy mouse population. At the moment, I do not have a cement pad or alternative location to put the camper, so I have to do my best to keep them out.

I bought several of the "Grampa Gus" mouse deterrence packets and placed around the inside of the camper. I also bought rodent repellent and sprinkled around the wheels and tongue jack.

Thanks to all who commented. I'll keep searching a plugging holes.

 

[LHaven]

If you have power available at your parking location, one of the most effective deterrents is to run a string of LED rope around the perimeter of the underside of your trailer, including inside and outside the tire locations. Rodents hate the exposure.

 

[GMH]

Check where the battery cables go into the frame. Check all the storeage compartments for openings into the interior or the belly of the trailer.

 

[JRTJH]

Check where the battery cables go into the frame. Check all the storeage compartments for openings into the interior or the belly of the trailer.

Also check the drain openings under the galley and vanity sinks as well as the floor drain for the tub and/or shower. They typically are "holes cut 3" or larger" for a 1.25" PVC pipe.

 

[wiredgeorge]

We have no covering on the bottom of our old 2002 Cougar so I filled all holes I could find (including the shower drain which had a 4" hole) with the expanding foam. I also filled the holes BETWEEN the inside of cabinets in the kitchen. No way for all the places where mice can get in so...

We were camping a few years a ago, sitting in our recliners watching the TV. Had throws over myself and my wife had one. A little mouse ran up from my feet over the throw and jumped up above the slide I guess (the lip of the slide) and ran towards the back (kitchen) where there are gaps between the cabinets and ceiling (about 2").

My missus screamed and screamed and demanded I do something; guess she doesn't like mice? Anyway, I poked around with a broom handle and have NO IDEA where the little guy went.

When we returned home, bought mouse bait, ultrasonic gizmos to scare away mice, bottles of peppermint spray, Irish spring, (did all the hole filling), made sure all stuff in the pantry was in containers. Haven't seen the mouse since so I guess something must have worked. That noise my missus made probably gave it a heart attack....

 

[rlh1957]

Mice & rats can get in through cracks and openings you can’t see or find.
It seems some materials used in manf RV’s are more attractive to rodents than others. Some areas seem to have more of a rodent problem. Units unoccupied, in storage or parked in tall brush and grass are attractants

We use Tom Cat to rid mice or rats. Keeping food stuffs cleaned up and packaged foods in sealed containers. Opened containers should be wiped clean and put in other sealed containers.

We keep Top Cat blocks in cabinets, behind appliances and in unseen areas along the floor where mice run. You can see if something has
been eating on the block.
Mice eat, go away to drink and die.
Never had one die inside.

 

[FRudloff]

The company that makes the spray foam "Great Stuff" makes a version of it that repels mice. Us this to fill al the gaps under the trailer as well as the holes in the floor from this inside like where the pipes go through the floor under the sink, etc.

I had mice problems until I found this stuff a couple of years ago. I haven't had a mouse since

 

[Randy23LT]

Mice & rats can get in through cracks and openings you can’t see or find.
It seems some materials used in manf RV’s are more attractive to rodents than others. Some areas seem to have more of a rodent problem. Units unoccupied, in storage or parked in tall brush and grass are attractants

We use Tom Cat to rid mice or rats. Keeping food stuffs cleaned up and packaged foods in sealed containers. Opened containers should be wiped clean and put in other sealed containers.

We keep Top Cat blocks in cabinets, behind appliances and in unseen areas along the floor where mice run. You can see if something has
been eating on the block.
Mice eat, go away to drink and die.
Never had one die inside.

Put the bait outside the RV also so they don’t need to come inside to get to it. I keep several under my TT all the time. Even when camping.

 

[Alibaddy]

Mouse deterrent

I have had a pest control licence since 1973. Mice never travel more than 20 feet from their nest, unless they need food or water, or possibly shelter. So, even in an area where the mouse population may be higher, if they can satisfy those three requirements, they won't bother your trailer.
That being said, a simple anf safer deterrent is to place moth balls (on aluminum saucers or pie plates, or similar) in every locker and cupboard when you leave the trailer unattended.When the trailer is in use, put them in a sealed container.

 

[Notanlines]

$500 to build a little wall around your RV? And a perfectly level area would pretty much be required? Any chance you might have a vested interest in this gimmick? Asking for a friend….

 

[LHaven]

a simple anf safer deterrent is to place moth balls (on aluminum saucers or pie plates, or similar) in every locker and cupboard when you leave the trailer unattended.When the trailer is in use, put them in a sealed container.

Ha ha! Reminds me of a tale about my very first trailer -- a used Skamper pop-up from somewhen in the '60s. We didn't camp in it -- we bought it because it was a total steal due to all the fabric being trashed. Our hobby rocketry club was looking for a trailer where we could keep all our launch equipment, so we didn't have to load and unload all of it into somebody's car for every launch day -- just hitch it up and go. Ripped out the fabric, fixed the surge brakes, did minor mechanical repairs, got the fridge and stove working just for grins (then ended up financing the club with drink and hot dog sales at launches instead of dues).

But after the first winter, we discovered a mouse problem. Large nests, lots of babies. They were ripping insulation out of the stove to make nests (bad for safety), and leaving filth everywhere (bad for health). We had to reinsulate and sanitize, and then... we did the mothball thing.

The first problem we had is that mothballs stink, the stink persists, and not everyone can stand it.

The second problem was that one of the mice's preferred hideouts was inside the stove, so we installed a mothball pan in the burner space, between the top cosmetic panel and the thick surface on which the burners are actually mounted. Well, during our first launch of the year, the guy in charge of the hot dog service forgot to remove them.

I don't know if you've ever lit mothballs on fire, but you ought to just once, just for the life experience. It produces marvelously rich, war-zone quality black smoke, smoke that dials the fire department all by itself.

Since then, I've satisfied myself with rodent treatments that repel the rodents more than the owners.

 

[Max23]

how about peppermint smell. anyone had luck with that? what did you use if so? I hear it works well, but you have to have a strong smell. Is this true?

 

[LHaven]

My understanding is that it all depends on the particular strain of mice in your area. Some of them recoil from the smell of peppermint, some of them eat it up like candy.

 

[JRTJH]

I poured some peppermint oil in an old "aluminum pot pie pan" and something (probably a mouse) tipped it over and the oil spilled onto the carpet and stained it, not to mention created an almost permanent peppermint scent... So, I folded two paper towels and laid them in the pie pan and poured the peppermint oil onto them thinking it wouldn't spill and run over the carpet... It didn't spill, but the paper towels disappeared. In the spring I found them in a corner of the space where the water pump is mounted. They'd shredded the paper towels (peppermint smell and all) and used them to help build their nest... So, maybe "some mice" won't stick around with that smell, but others will not only coexist with it, they'll welcome it into their "bedroom"....