Rats!

[caberto]

We have recently moved to a new house with lots of trees and brush and love it. Being that we've been spending a lot of our weekends working around the house, we haven't been camping much for the last few months.

We are planning on going out for the long weekend coming up, so went inside to look things over and clean things out... there was no power to the slides, but the lights worked. Went to the battery compartment, and found a nest, lots of rat droppings, and a rat. Chased the rat out with a water hose, and started putting moth balls in the compartment. Our malamute has since been chasing rats in the bushes. At night, we've been putting rat traps and have gotten three so far, but there is damage to some of the wiring in the battery compartment... yesterday, our malamute while out playing, started hanging around the pin of the fiver, getting up on his hind legs to have a look inside... as I got closer, I could hear something like a baby bird chirping, but there was no bird nest in the pin. As I looked closer, I could tell it was coming from the inside of the fiver portion next to the pin, and also noticed some more wiring chewed through.

I was prepared to clean up and repair the battery compartment wiring myself, but is this other wiring (coming from the umbilical cord and through a small control box of some sort attached to the pin) something I can fix myself? Is the compartment over the pin easy to get to? I would need to remove some of the paneling to get the other stupid nest and any rats out of there.

I have armed the 5er with moth balls around all contact points to the ground, inside the battery compartment, am continuing to use mouse traps, and will put the expanding foam stuff to cover the openings. Is there anything else we can do to keep this from happening again?

So far, it does not appear they have gotten to the inside of the trailer itself.

My concern also is that if they chewed through the brake wiring, and I can't fix it myself, I will not be able to pull it safely to an RV dealer to fix.

Thanks!

[cherrykiss3]

You can also get "one bite" from Ace Hardware store. Be sure to keep it away from the dog as 1 bite is all it takes to get rid of rats and mice.

I had a whole family of rats that gnawed their way into my garage and set up housekeeping. I put out One Bite and they and their babies were all dead within a day or 2. I have not had a problem since. I keep it up away from the dog so she can't get into it. I have not found any more dead critters but every once in awhile I can see where something took a bite out of the stick.

Cherry

[RVER]

DECON RAT POISON!!!!! Moth balls does nothing.

[caberto]

Thanks for the replies and recommendations all.

The brakes still worked - thank goodness - and I was able to pull it safely today to the dealer. They are getting started on it. As far as I can tell, the slides, all outside lights, and landing gear don't work. They will need to take apart the bottom of the front cap to clean it out and replace the chewed wires there near the king pin. Hopefully that and the battery compartment wires is all the damage... we don't know yet until they check it out further after the wiring has been replaced, but from what we can tell, the inside looks intact, and the inside lights work. Not sure about appliances, etc.

We have gotten 5 rats with bait traps and one baby rat that fell out of the nose of the 5er while pounding on it, and continue to put traps out at night.

We've been using peppermint oil in cotton balls and moth balls around the 5er and our vehicles, and when we get our unit back, we'll put wire mesh with expanding foam to cover up all entry points.

3 dog, that's a great idea. I will talk to them. Thanks.

[3_dog_nights]

Chcek with your local farm supply, there is a product they use to keep mice/rats out of the equiptment cabs etc. Supposed to work wonders!

[Its4mykids]

Had a mouse/rat/squirrel/etc. problem for several years. Tried everything - traps, charcoal, filled EVERY hole I could find, softener sheets, etc. The ONLY thing that worked was picking up a couple free cats, feeding them everyday, and providing water/shelter for them. Eight years now and not a single problem. I will admit that we do miss the birds at the feeders in our yard, but that is a small sacrifice for the damage the rodents did to our trailer. The cats (I call them mousers) have never been in the house. They are 100% outside. And yes, the cats have been neutered at "Neuter Scooter" for $35 each.

[webhannet]

If you have ERS, they might tow the trailer for you.

[caberto]

Thanks everyone... have an appointment next Wed at the local RV dealer to have them check it out and fix the wiring, and hopefully nothing else. If we have no trailer brakes, I will take it nice and slow. We have a close RV dealer only a few miles away, accessible through back roads, thank goodness.

Ed9824v wrote:
been fighting this problem for years in the high desert so. calif.

Ed, we're in Acton, so we're right next to you... I will definitely try and seal up all openings, and continue to put traps and mothballs and anything else that will help around our vehicles that are outside. I guess it's just something I will have to keep up with, as part of living here.

Our rat trap was empty this morning and the bait undisturbed, so I'm hoping that's a good sign. I'll see if our malamute can still sniff out anymore of them.

[frankwp]

We don't have rats 🙂

[Ed9824v]

been fighting this problem for years in the high desert so. calif. I have sealed all opening and like to put steel wool in larger opening and keep at it till I solve all point of entry. this has been a problem for ever in vehicle and trailer at my house.

[Jack_Diane_Free]

Forget the moth balls. Get some warfarin. Just keep the dog out of it.

[sem1]

If it's rats you will need one ----of a cat

[45Ricochet]

I would tow it slowly to the dealer a short distance if needed. Just realize your stopping distance will increase greatly. And I believe your dog needs a new friend around the house, a cat :W

[silvercorvette]

caberto wrote:

My concern also is that if they chewed through the brake wiring, and I can't fix it myself, I will not be able to pull it safely to an RV dealer to fix.

Thanks!

You don't need brakes. You will just put more wear and stress on your truck brakes and your stoping distances will be longer. All you need to do is drive slowly, anticipate your stops and let the vehicle roll to a stop before applying your brakes. Even if some jerk cuts in front of you you still should be able to avoid hitting them if you are driving slowly.

When my tire exploded last summer it took out the wire on my starboard side brakes. I drove home 700 miles without realizing I had no brake the starboard side of my camper