MICE!!!

[John_Doe]

All- just got my baby (2014 32' Forrester, class c) out of storage and found a tribe of mice has been living there for a while. I guess moth balls and traps aren't bullet proof...

Took it to a shop and sounds like they may have gotten to some wires and it's becoming an expensive deal. Any idea if insurance companies cover that kind of stuff?

Thanks!

[poppin_fresh]

My strategy this year involved parking my TT in the middle of a field at my local CG. I was told by a friend (who is an exterminator) that mice don't like to travel across wide open spaces because they are easily spotted and picked off by predators.

I have checked a couple of times and so far I have no signs or tracks near my TT. I also put out about 10 glue board traps throughout, just in case one manages to make it in. Fingers crossed. 🙂

[JohnG3]

Used 2 suggestions that worked very well for me, both are easy. First is the plug in device that has 3 levels, below the threshold of human hearing, above human hearing, and whole barn noise level. The other is the plastic 5 gallon bucket with a plastic plate attached to the top by a straight piece of metal coat hanger. Put the holes in the plastic plate so one edge of the plate rests on one edge of the rim. Put peanut butter on the top side of the plate away from the edge resting on the bucket. Attach something on the side resting on the bucket that just balances the plate in a flat plane. Fill the bucket about 1/2 full of water. Set the bucket outside the RV, run a piece of wood as a ramp. Check every couple days. Dump the water with the dead mice and refresh the teaspoon of peanut butter every couple of weeks.

This works well where the RV is stored without electricity available. Do a search for "worlds best mouse trap". Put one out last year and had 6 overnight.

[Johndanielscpa]

Here's a fun video on the topic:

http://longlonghoneymoon.com/2016/01/how-not-to-keep-mice-out-of-an-rv/

[Fizz]

I buy the small 1" cubes of poison, break them in half and shove them into empty coke cans.
A house cat eats what it catches live. Mine simply plays with it then bites the head off... yewww

[Campfire_Time]

Fizz wrote:
Lot of misconceptions about mouse poison.
Once eaten it makes them very thirsty so they go off in search of water.
I've been doing it for over 30 years and have yet to find one dead mouse in the cottage.
Too many people have opinions without practical experience

Not always the case. We used to get them in our house in the wall that our garage shares with our living room. I used poison in the garage for a while. Found them dead in the garage and twice on the top of the cinder block wall of the basement.

We stopped using poison because we have cats and didn't want them to get sick if they got hold of a mouse.

That's my experience.

[schlep1967]

Fizz wrote:
Lot of misconceptions about mouse poison.
Once eaten it makes them very thirsty so they go off in search of water.
I've been doing it for over 30 years and have yet to find one dead mouse in the cottage.
Too many people have opinions without practical experience

So when momma goes outside to die where do the babies end up dieing at? It happens. Be glad it hasn't happened to you.

I have also had an industrious mouse completely empty a box of poison overnight. This was in my garage. I was finding little blue stashes of poison on shelves in the garage for a year. Little critter put most of it in my bowling bag. If you have kids you don't want them finding a stash of poison without you knowing about it.

[Fizz]

Lot of misconceptions about mouse poison.
Once eaten it makes them very thirsty so they go off in search of water.
I've been doing it for over 30 years and have yet to find one dead mouse in the cottage.
Too many people have opinions without practical experience

[janstey58]

I had experienced mouse invasion in the past (10 years ago) in my former MH. Two things worked for me, no food smells inside, in other words take a food item out of MH while in storage. And then PURE Peppermint Oil (purchase at GNC) soaked into cottonballs all thru RV (closets, drawers, out in the open). These two steps immediately ceased any mouse invasions for 10 years. PLUS, the MH smells great all the time in storage, and when I pull it out in the spring.

[obgraham]

Putting the poison inside also encourages the mice to come in, dine, and die in a dark corner of your RV. One of the worst smells known.

[schlep1967]

Most important item is to make sure all food and food residue is removed from the camper before storage. Clean everything.
Set traps inside and check regularly. If you are going to use poison I would not put it inside the trailer. The problem with poison inside the trailer is it attracts mice! It smells good to them so they will eat it. Why would you put something that they like in your camper so they come in to get it? Attract them outside to the poison. Use a zip tie to attach the box of poison to the spring shackle so they get to it before they get inside.

[Fizz]

Don't be afraid to use poison.

The worst scenario in long term storage is for mama mouse to set up house for the winter. She will soon have a litter of a dozen+ then a month later that litter will have a litter, etc, etc.
Kill them quick before they get a toe hold.

35 yrs of winterizing the cottage has taught me that.
Mouse traps are great but when they get filled up they are useless.
I have come back after a week to see 12 full traps.

[georgelesley]

I used to completely circle the tires with traps, sticky and snap. Kept all cords off ground, thus tires were only possible way in. No mice. I now park on aluminum flashing coated with car wax. It makes the area too slick for them to crawl up a tire. A bit of bobcat urine sprinkled around is my second layer of defense. Find it at preadatorpee.com it also chased the moles in the yard and keeps mice away from the deck BBQ at home. No mice now for several years.

[midnightsadie]

I have boats and rv,s in my pole bldg. I use peppermint oil and fresh cab, no mice over 5yrs. I also set traps in the bldg and theres mice in the traps but not the boats,rv,s .guess I,m just lucky.

[jerseyjim]

I've tried most things...including cotton balls dipped in peppermint...the only thing that DOES work (for me) is the basic, cheap snap traps. Put a bit of peanut butter on it...and there ya'go. I use 10 of them. Some on the outside and the rest on the inside. Most mice seem to get caught in the generator area. Don't know why...but there it is.

Of course, when in winter storage, I "visit" the RV every week or two. Some years I get 5 mice...others, like this year, 1.