Hi there :) We have a 2005 Frontier Explorer (28') that we just purchased in the summer of last year. We own mountain property a few hours outside of Denver. Anyway- to the issue. It *was* a beautiful trailer. We went up to check on the property and trailers and found a jaw dropping (in my opinion!) scene- a packrat (or several?) had somehow made it's way in (I still don't know how- it's SO sealed up!) and literally damaged everything. Electrical, trim around most cabinets/counters, blinds, plumbing hoses, and pooped/peed on EVERY solid surface imaginable (did you know their pee is pretty much the consistency of tree sap? holy cow.). I'm attaching pictures for your viewing displeasure- what on earth do we do? Is it even worth cleaning up (we cleaned for a few hours, but dang- it's so bad) and repairing all the wood/electrical/plumbing? Where would we even start? I'm heartbroken- it was such a nice trailer!Thank you!!

See what your insurance will cover. Looks totaled from here.

It's not insured... yeah, I know. I'll smack my own hand.

Unfortunate.It doesn't take much of a hole for them varmints to squeeze through.Doubt if you would ever recoup the cost to repair if you ever sold it. Might be better to sell it to an RV salvage company for the parts they can use.

That is so sad. I can only imagine the smell and all the urine over everything. I honestly don't know how it can be fixed but I wish you the best of luck.Scott

Just start at the door. Take your time - I bet you can get it done. I had a parked Ford Expedition next to my woods here and they practically ate up the wiring everywhere in two years time... May have been squirrels...I donated it to a worthy cause haha...Roy Ken

Packrat damage- even worth fixing? | Good Sam Community

2oldman
Explorer II
Mar 23, 2015
See what your insurance will cover. Looks totaled from here.
jmkjmk
Explorer
Mar 23, 2015
It's not insured... yeah, I know. I'll smack my own hand.
the_bear_II
Explorer
Mar 23, 2015
Unfortunate.

It doesn't take much of a hole for them varmints to squeeze through.

Doubt if you would ever recoup the cost to repair if you ever sold it. Might be better to sell it to an RV salvage company for the parts they can use.
ScottG
Nomad
Mar 23, 2015
That is so sad.
I can only imagine the smell and all the urine over everything.
I honestly don't know how it can be fixed but I wish you the best of luck.

Scott
RoyB
Explorer II
Mar 23, 2015
Just start at the door. Take your time - I bet you can get it done.

I had a parked Ford Expedition next to my woods here and they practically ate up the wiring everywhere in two years time... May have been squirrels...

I donated it to a worthy cause haha...

Roy Ken
oldmattb
Explorer
Mar 23, 2015
My thought is that there are feces and urine in every hidden place as well. I can't see any way to make it sterile again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hantavirus
pira114
Explorer II
Mar 23, 2015
I bet you can clean that up and fix it for much cheaper than dumping it for a new one.

If it were me, I'd clean like crazy, then start looking at wiring and plumbing damage. Get it running first.

Then you can worry about cosmetic stuff.

I bet while you're going through it, you'll discover how they got in.
orfsotr
Explorer
Mar 23, 2015
Had a similar experience with a house. I would recommend starting by sweeping/vacuuming everything you possible can - wearing a dust mask and rubber gloves - then spraying every possabile surface with a good disinfectant/cleaner. Depending on how that goes, then make your decision to keep or junk.
mabynack
Explorer II
Mar 23, 2015
I had squirrels chew up some of the wiring on my RV. They never got inside, but they made a mess of the brake and light wiring. It cost me about $1400 to get it fixed.
jmkjmk
Explorer
Mar 23, 2015
Thanks you guys.. I'm so sad! It's unbelievable what they damaged- the blinds, all the wood trim around EVERYthing, inside all the drawers and cabinets. The only thing they didn't touch was the mattress, couch and seating upholstery, which would have been a MUCH easier fix! We did think about hantavirus, @oldmattb- that's scary stuff, and that's when we stopped sweeping until we could get some masks and serious disenfactant. It's a lot to think about. $6k down the drain it's looking like. And yes, it is in every single nook and cranny, some very unreachable. It is so overwhelming :(

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Packrat damage- even worth fixing?

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