preventing rat damage - is it possible?

mlts22 wrote:
Here is my experience:

Peppermint oil and dryer sheets -- just makes the rodents smell better, and does nothing.
Poison -- works, but can kill other animals (owls, cats, dogs, etc.) Use with caution.
Ultrasonic devices (Riddex Sonic) -- they work somewhat. Definitely worth trying.
Sticky pads -- they work, but trap a lot of unintended stuff (pets).
Snap traps -- if you get the wide-trigger snap traps (Jawz brand), you can place these where the mice run along walls, and they will do their job, no bait needed.
Cats -- so far, the best way.
A light in the engine compartment -- for chipmunks and other items, may be useful.
Stainless steel wool (regular steel wool will rust into useless powder + expanding foam) -- effective for plugging gaps.
Fresh Cab, Rat Away, and other stuff -- never tried it.

Cats was my solution, they do a fine job imo

Tiger4x4RV wrote:
As of yesterday evening, they are still only in the engine compartment and not in the coach or cab. No nest. Some droppings (possibly both rat and rabbit), which I cleaned up. I moved the RV to a different spot a hundred yards from the old spot. I put 3 kinds of stinky stuff (predator urine granules, peppermint extract, and pepper spray) and a rat bait station under/in/around the RV. Will check again today.

I plan to take photos each day so I can track the progress of damage or possibly hopefully the stop of damage.

Id try spraying everything under the hood with Rust check or whatever undercoating stuff is available in your area..as it would make things very greasy and I doubt any animal would enjoy crawling thru there..

As of yesterday evening, they are still only in the engine compartment and not in the coach or cab. No nest. Some droppings (possibly both rat and rabbit), which I cleaned up. I moved the RV to a different spot a hundred yards from the old spot. I put 3 kinds of stinky stuff (predator urine granules, peppermint extract, and pepper spray) and a rat bait station under/in/around the RV. Will check again today.

I plan to take photos each day so I can track the progress of damage or possibly hopefully the stop of damage.

I wanted to add also. The first sign of mouse or rat intrusion is time to strike hard!

If trapping its imperative to inspect daily. Once they rot it stinks and the trap is gross I like the plastic snap traps like "better mouse trap brand" spring loaded and you don't touch the kill zone. Peanut butter is preferred bait.

Poison i would use around the outside not inside. they die in a aweful place that you can't get too.

clean the area and begin inspection of every little nook and cranny.

Their excrements attract their buddies and if you don't take action immediately their will be 10 generations of them before next season and they trash things quickly.

mlts22 wrote:
Here is my experience:

Peppermint oil and dryer sheets -- just makes the rodents smell better, and does nothing.
Poison -- works, but can kill other animals (owls, cats, dogs, etc.) Use with caution.
Ultrasonic devices (Riddex Sonic) -- they work somewhat. Definitely worth trying.
Sticky pads -- they work, but trap a lot of unintended stuff (pets).
Snap traps -- if you get the wide-trigger snap traps (Jawz brand), you can place these where the mice run along walls, and they will do their job, no bait needed.
Cats -- so far, the best way.
A light in the engine compartment -- for chipmunks and other items, may be useful.
Stainless steel wool (regular steel wool will rust into useless powder + expanding foam) -- effective for plugging gaps.
Fresh Cab, Rat Away, and other stuff -- never tried it.

I agree with this I'd add fresh cab to the top of doing absolutely nothing but making things smell good.

Mothballs are toxic and haven't been mentioned yet but they do nothing also.

Borax or dry laundry detergent. again nothing but smelling good.
peppermint extract didn't work either.

Sealing cracks is very effective in keeping populations down. some are impossible to do.

like the easiest way for mice to get in is through the airbox where your HVAC opens and closes thats a mouse highway. try to keep it in recirculated air mode if possible. if your heater fan won't work you'll know why there is a nest. happened to me twice!

I had a massive infestation in a car that I had to strip top to bottom to clean the nests. most disguting smell I have ever dealt with and was near impossible to get rid of.

there is a recipe that did work. vinegar, baking soda, drop of soap and water. Can add hydrogen peroxide to the mix but be careful or it can bleach carpeted areas. this is for neturalizing the smell and cleanup only.

don't waste money on enzymes and other products trust me it took me 6 months to clean the disaster that happened in this newer car. Literally cleaning the PEE, poop and trails was the only thing that worked along with removing nests and scrubbing the pee trails. uggh getting sick thinking about it.

I tried everything from frebreeze to all the above mentioned solutions and decided prevention is far better then the aftermath.

Once they are in they will have babies and take on a life of their own destroying everything in their path.

I had them eat a O2 sensor its braided steel and shielded with thick metal no problem for the mice ate right through it and gave me driveablity problems and check engine light on. NEVER underestimate these rodents.

I've been at war with mice for 20 years.

It has come to light just lately that the very best bait to use in a trap is peanut butter combined with bacon. Mice will eat cheese but only as a last resort.

A lot of these pest repellent strategies are good, especially the ones that lead to immediate demise.
The cause of this is probably the nature of the materials, wires jacketed with soy based plastic and insulation that appeals to rodents. If you can coat the materials with a substance that deters the chewers, you'll probably have no more problems. I always like coyote or fox urine but there may be odor from the engine compartment.

Here is my experience:

Peppermint oil and dryer sheets -- just makes the rodents smell better, and does nothing.
Poison -- works, but can kill other animals (owls, cats, dogs, etc.) Use with caution.
Ultrasonic devices (Riddex Sonic) -- they work somewhat. Definitely worth trying.
Sticky pads -- they work, but trap a lot of unintended stuff (pets).
Snap traps -- if you get the wide-trigger snap traps (Jawz brand), you can place these where the mice run along walls, and they will do their job, no bait needed.
Cats -- so far, the best way.
A light in the engine compartment -- for chipmunks and other items, may be useful.
Stainless steel wool (regular steel wool will rust into useless powder + expanding foam) -- effective for plugging gaps.
Fresh Cab, Rat Away, and other stuff -- never tried it.

You could invest in a ball-bearing mouse trap.

I saw an add in the 2016 Farmers Almanac for "Rat away". I had a vehicle that needed the spark plug wires replaced three times from rabbits. You just mix and spray it on. Ever since I've used it I have had no issues.