Winterize - Keepin critters out ---

[kemer]

Got our 2002 Montana 5er last May and now need to winterize it. Most likely going to take it to a dealer to have it done. One question DW has is how can we keep critters(mice,etc) from taking up residence. We've heard everything from moth balls, to peppermint, to dryer sheets. It's stored outside in a lot that is at least paved. Also wondering if it'd be a good idea to put tarps on the roof and secure them with bungee straps....THANKS....

[drduke6957]

We live in Northeaster Pa. and had mice problems in our shed. My wife used peperment on cotton balls last year and we have not had a mice problem

[Vulcaneer]

This is a better sealer than foam or copper wool.

Mix only what you can use in ten minutes. Then do it again for next palace to seal. They won't chew thru this. Fills the gaps completely.

[kc81c]

I've had good luck using great stuff pest block expandable foam. Not everyone carries it but I've never had a mouse chew through it. Also I put in a few packets of a product called Cab Fresh you get from farm supply stores. It does stink but it seems like the RV airs out a lot faster once the packets are gone then other products do.

[laknox]

kemer wrote:
Got our 2002 Montana 5er last May and now need to winterize it. Most likely going to take it to a dealer to have it done. One question DW has is how can we keep critters(mice,etc) from taking up residence. We've heard everything from moth balls, to peppermint, to dryer sheets. It's stored outside in a lot that is at least paved. Also wondering if it'd be a good idea to put tarps on the roof and secure them with bungee straps....THANKS....

You can also drop off a couple hungry, sterilized feral cats to patrol the area, but that can create it's own problems. 😉

Lyle

[83trekker]

i use peppermint oil and seems to work really well.

One of the main ways they get in is through the waste tanks climbing up the tubing going through the floor as most rvs are justa rough hole cut in the floor and are never sealed up.

[The_Dung_Beetle]

Thanks for all the tips....

I chuckled about placing DeCon 4-5 trailers away...lol

We returned from a long trip two summers ago to discovered something LARGE had died in an interior bathroom wall of our home. I thought maybe it was a Shetland pony, but hub saw no humor in my wise cracks. It was probably a Norway rat (they are plentiful in the PNW). I used to feed a lot of birds which apparently drew them in worse. We opened the front door and were near knocked to our knees from the stench.

Lesson LEARNED. Now...we use rat and mouse traps. At least we can remove the things once caught. I'm stressing about the TT a little. It would be the perfect place for them to attempt to take over. The battle is on...

I'll follow the advice here..
.

[Airstreamer67]

In the last month I caught six mice in my trailer, two adults (probably females) and four immature ones. I think the two females each had twins in their trailer nests.

I got four of them with traditional snap traps and cheese. Two of these were smaller immature ones and were killed together eating on a trap. The first time I ever got a two-fer!

The other two (very immature ones) were found in the oven dead from starvation after I had gotten the adults. The mom had made a nest out of a bunch of white insulation she got from somewhere in the trailer, probably a wall.

Over the years I've tried Decon until one BIG rat died in the wall and made me suffer the smell for a year or so. I found the skeleton years later when doing some refurbishing work on the wall. No more of that!

The traps allow you to find the bodies. Decon allows you to (eventually) suffer the smell and poison the pets.

[2oldman]

Keep mice away 2007
Prevent mice 2011
Kill/prevent mice 2011

[rtazz17]

I just use traps scattered throughout and check every few days.Yrs ago I used dryer sheets and they made a nest out of it.lol..I can tell you if they do get in they can make a huge mess of your camper within a day or two if you dont have traps.Ask me how I know.If my wife had seen the mess she wouldve made me burn the camper.
Like mentioned just try to foam spray all openings and even then they still get in.Only need a dime size hole to get in.Around here it varies yr to yr.Some yrs I kill 20 some yrs none.Ours is backed up to thick woods as well.

[Splashers3]

WE have placed traps in the basement and under the stair well, which is where our dirt devil is. They like that little compartment. We are trying the pure peppermint oil with cotton balls this year....it is really strong, the camper smells real nice.

We'll see how well it works.

I have also tried sealing openings with the spray expandable foam. I also leave our rear stabilizers up - I think they were using it has ramps.

We found a nest under our sleeper couch one year, nestled in all the blankets...this was during the spring - after we started loading for the upcoming season....so, they can nest at any time, not just the fall. They were not there all winter, as we checked weekly....

WE store right next to the woods, so it isn't a shock.

[laknox]

D-Con bait boxes...about 4-5 trailers away from you, all around. 🙂

Lyle

[Vulcaneer]

Traps in kitchen. On floor....In storage compartments...left, right, and front. Check every few days. If you have good bait they find the trap, before they do anything else. And that will be the last thing they do.


Active season is when nights start to get cold, while days are warm. When days are cold and nights are cold they are full timing in their nests. If you have caught them all by then, no more will come in. From start to finish it's about 8 weeks around here.

[Wiscampsin]

IMHO the first defense is to seal up any hole, crack, opening they can get in with copper wool (available at WalMart by the kitchen sponges) and spray foam. I never used steel wool on any of our last 4 campers because it rusts and can breakdown over time.

[ontheroad101]

We use to put traps in the basements and in the rig. Never caught a mouse or had any damage. I guess it depends where you store your rig and how well they are sealed. Storing it on pavement I would hope should cut down on the mouse traffic.