When we took our 5th wheel out of indoor storage this spring I found some mouse droppings. Not many but some. I baited a few mouse traps with peanut butter and pretty quickly caught 2 little grey mice re-baiting the traps after each catch. 2 weeks go by and nothing. No dropping and no mice caught in the traps. Today I check and I have a mouse in the trap. Now I am in a quandary. Was this third mouse always in my camper and just now found the traps OR is the peanut butter bated traps enticing the mice to come into our camper from outside because now they smell the peanut butter? I feel sort damned if I do and damned if I don't. Thoughts???????

Your RV is just a perfect habitat for mice. Dry, with lots of little nooks and crannies for mice to live and breed. Your RV has a lot of enticing smells other than peanut butter.Keep resetting the traps, seal up all of the gaps and holes on the underbelly. I sealed all of the through holes where plumbing and gas lines come into the main living unit. Also sealed all of the holes between compartments where the wiring and plumbing run horizontally.Mouse control is an ongoing task.

Mouse pee and poop odors attract other mice.You're on the treadmill now-they will be hard to keep out because they can smell MUCH better than you .Good Luck, Mike

It's kinda like those electric bug zapper light thingies... I had one but the bugs kept coming. Then I turned mine off and gave one to each of my neighbors. I don't have any more bugs...

Its a battle. They are everywhere. You need to beat them back. Whack em and stack em. Dryer sheets in the RV and basement. Peanut butter in the traps and start moving the kill line out. THIS IS WAR!!!! You slack off, they move in, you kill and kill, the line moves out. Who will win? Now kick butt soldier. :)

rjxj wrote:Its a battle. They are everywhere. You need to beat them back. Whack em and stack em. Dryer sheets in the RV and basement. Peanut butter in the traps and start moving the kill line out. THIS IS WAR!!!! You slack off, they move in, you kill and kill, the line moves out. Who will win? Now kick butt soldier. :)LoL.... Made me laugh.... Thanks :)

Am I causing my mouse problem? | Good Sam Community

Gonzo42
Explorer
May 21, 2014
One thing you could do, and yes, a lot of work: make a weak water/bleach solution and clean every surface in your rig, in particular anywhere food touches. That means inside all the cabinets and drawers, the stove and microwave, reefer, etc.

Not only will this remove all the food odors that attract rodentia, but keeps out insects and basically sterilizes the place.

They can find a way in using the smallest hole. Find every tiny hole and seal it up.
garysol
Explorer
May 21, 2014
Today I got a couple cans of foam sealant and sealed every possible entrance I could find. I think I did find where they have been entering from. Underneath the camper directly below where the stove is there is a wire loom that enters through a plastic sheeting that had a bunch of insulation pulled through. i sealed that area especially good from below as well from as from above. The under stove area is also where we have caught all of the mice and its the only area that had shown any droppings at all. Fingers crossed.
M_GO_BLUE1
Explorer
May 21, 2014
At night turn on all the lights in the RV then go outside and crawl underneath the RV and see if any lights are shining though...if so block those holes up
garysol
Explorer
May 21, 2014
M GO BLUE wrote:
At night turn on all the lights in the RV then go outside and crawl underneath the RV and see if any lights are shining though...if so block those holes up

Great idea!!!!!!
motorhomi
Explorer
May 21, 2014
Mothballs have worked for us for 15 years. I fill 6 small plastic glasses with mothballs (usually 1 box will do) I place a glass in the cupboard under the sink in the bathroom, under the kitchen sink, under the bed storage area and behind the couchs. I also set a few around on the floor. Yes it smells like grandmas attic but the mice hate it. Before we begin our season I throw them away, open the windows and in a day the smell is gone. Only problem is being able to find old fashioned mothballs. Smaller hardware stores usually carry them.
Vulcaneer
Explorer
May 21, 2014
Keep trapping. You'll get them all, eventually. Then you can worry about chipmunks, squirrels. That only means the traps get bigger. Oh...and you'll need to change to "chunky".
garysol
Explorer
May 21, 2014
Vulcaneer wrote:
Keep trapping. You'll get them all, eventually. Then you can worry about chipmunks, squirrels. That only means the traps get bigger. Oh...and you'll need to change to "chunky".

As it is my daughter empties the traps. I wont go near the damn mice. Chipmunks......forgetaboutit!!!!!
westend
Explorer
May 22, 2014
Hey, hey, hey ..... don't be hating on my chipmunks. For the last three years we've had a couple around the house that are getting pretty tame. The ringleader, Chippy, will climb up on a shop bench, beg for food, and can be hand-fed.

I realized they're almost a perfect pet. They don't require vet bills, they eat nearly nothing, they do their business outside, and for half the year, they go and sleep underground. They're also cute as heck!
Gonzo42
Explorer
May 22, 2014
One thing i forgot to mention when doing the bleach cleaning. Don't forget all the insides of cabinets where food can drop inside (usually to the floor).

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