Mice and other uninvited guests

[Bassdogs]

Just picked up a 2014 White Hawk [w/ glacier package]. Another current thread mentioned fear of mice getting in under the under belly cover. Had a Keystone TT before and had issues with mice. I tried to seal access points where pipes and wires make entry I also stuffed poison packages under benches and in compartments where the dogs absolutely couldn't get into. All of this helped but still had the occasional visitor. I'm thinking of opening the underbelly cover at various points enough to slip in the packets. They look like those sweetner packages and keep the stuff from scattering. I know I had mice in the past, because several of the packages were partially eaten. Dead mouse I suspect and suffered no real damage or poop mess since taking these steps. Since my underbelly is fully enclosed, it will undoubtably be a haven for these vermin. They can get in thru even the smallest openings so I want to get the ones who make it inside.

Anybody have proven techniques for keeping mice outside?

[Murphie]

I had mice last year and was able to get them with the old fashion trap. At the Country stores you can buy a electronic device that plugs into an ordinary outlet. The directions say it works off the neutral wiring, 20 bucks. It also states you need to combine it with a secondary system like traps. Apparently they work well from what I've read.

[RoyBraddy]

I always hate to use the poisons as the dead varmints end up behind the walls and you have tear up everything getting to them. This is the beauty of using the old fashion mousetrap. I use the cotton balls soaked with "PURE" peppermint oil on the inside alot. At least I can get to all the holes from the inside of the cabinets. When camping in areas around the small sand ants like found at LakeWood at Myrtle Beach I use good ole SEVEN DUST applied around the wheels and stabilizers and the shore power cable etc...

Of course one needs to stop up all the small holes they can find. Having the underbelly membrane in place sure makes all of this difficult to do.

Roy Ken

[CountryKim]

We use bay leaves in the food areas like the oven fridge and microwave when we winterize. All the other areas I put Bounce dryer sheets. Our trailer still smells spring fresh since opening in April. We haven't had a mouse in the trailer (knock wood) but many in the house lol. We live out in the country and mice are a part of life for us. In our shed we use one of those plug in sound wave mice deterent things, so far so good. I am a wee bit worried about our next trailer having an underbelly as you can't see what is going on under there but we will take extra precautions to protect it and see what happens. We don't use poisons either as we worry where the mice will actually die and not being able to find them.

[exjay1]

I wouldnt cut into the under belly if I didnt have to. Just seal up all opening good and use traps like others stated.

[33 RLDS]

The underbelly has screwed in patches to access the slide motors. You can gain access from those spots. On ours, the patches were poorly screwed and offered zero sealing for critters. I had to add screws..

[Proud Grandpa]

I use the material that they put rice in at weddings, put moth balls in them and hang them from axles and other areas under the trailer to try to keep them away, then I put cinnamin bark in all drawers, compartments, etc. Read that mice hate the smell of cinnamin and peppermind, so it will ward them off.
Good Luck.

[cb1000rider]

Originally Posted by Murphie

At the Country stores you can buy a electronic device that plugs into an ordinary outlet. The directions say it works off the neutral wiring, 20 bucks. It also states you need to combine it with a secondary system like traps. Apparently they work well from what I've read.

We had 3 or 4 of these in a Holiday Rambler motorhome... Still had at least one uninvited guest.

[Oldgreystallion]

Dryer softener sheets definitely do the job, critters just don't like them. I distributed an entire box throughout my popup for winter storage and found no signs of unwanted guests when I opened it up this spring. I don't believe brand is important

It is kinda like an easter egg hunt, still finding dryer sheets after 4 weeks.

[Moving Target]

We have mice here in AZ that love Bounce sheets, can steal peanut butter from traps and love all the mouse smelly deterrents as pillow
mints. I have used the poison pellets only to have them die and poop in my insulation. grrrrr

Only thing I can use that is usually effective is a raisin in a mouse trap. Have I mentioned how much I hate these things?

[rayvan]

I have to agree that bounce sheets didn't work for me. Neither did peppermint. Although I use the peppermint and this stuff recommended to me called cab sense to make me feel better. With this camper I just clean the camper as best as I can, take everything out, and leave all doors open. They don't seem to like the light as much. No visitors so far. I do have to say that I think once you have a problem, they seem to keep coming back.

[ka1mwp]

Ha! Mice, terrible little things. Two years ago I got under the camper with crappy clothes on and had a can of the foam sealer and sealed everything I thought I could get that nozzle hose into. It seemed to work fairly well. I saw ONE and more signs of one but that was it, it helps a lot to cover ANY holes up. Also if you get this stuff on your hands you have to "mechanically" remove it. NOTHING will take it off other than scraping. Anyway, since I saw those few, I decided last year to do another thing, it worked but with consequences. I cut the bottoms off of some red solo cups about 2" high and put pool shock, the powdered kind in them about an inch deep. I put 5 of these things around the cabinets and tub, toilet. IT worked REAL well. they didn't like that caustic atmosphere! but the bad part..it made the atmosphere caustic! metal was starting to corrode inside, like my silverware wasn't anymore! I never thought it would make that bad of a stink!! I removed them partway thru the winter and I still have some smell in there but no mice. Perhaps use LESS or use this in another way? I tried dryer sheets, poison, steel wool, pine smelly things, you name it, been fighting these guys 15 years , good luck!

[Moving Target]

haha, KA, you have the same mice we have here!! They love the Cab Sense smell cache's, dine on peppermint, bed down on dryer sheets and eat the poison then die for spite in the insulation to stink up the place!! My best solution is the traditional mouse trap using raisins for bait.
We ALWAYS take everything out of the fridge, and the cabinets and never leave food in there.

[Bassdogs]

Well its good to hear that I'm not alone. We also live in the country with mice seemingly everwhere. A couple months ago we noticed a cat [????] around the yard and whalaa then a batch of kittens. Kittens are now out and about and last week saw one of them on the front porch [of the house] eating a mouse. No mice lately in the house. Don't know if that will help out back with the camper but I did get a bit of delight watching that mouse become dinner.

Will be sealing all the entry points that I can get to but will follow the suggestions not to open up the underbelly cover. I may open one or more of the maint. access patches and stick in a few packets of the mouse bait. From what I read, the mice leave the trailer before they die and even tend to take a bit of the bait back to their nest to feed the young ones who later also die. Anyway the battle will continue each season as there are always more out there. Am not a cat person, but am willing to put up with them if they join the fight with the mice.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

This fall I am going to try a product called mouse-free. I am going to buy a 2 gallon kit and do both my camper and my daughters. Both campers were parked next to each other all winter and we got the mice and she didn't!

[Moving Target]

Lifted, I heard that "Mouse-Free" really works but is VERY expensive!! May be worth it because dead mouse smell in insulation in the underbelly does NOT go away by itself!!! Ask me how I know!!


Kathie

[FiredguyAZ]

We use fabreeze dryer sheets on the furnace vents and generous amounts in the basement. Campers in the same park use mothballs around wheels and stabilizer jacks. Not sure what works but sealing up all wiring and plumbing locations with spray foam insulation seems like a good first step.

[jasonfrank]

We had six move into our trailer in the last couple days temperature went down to your freezing So I guess they decided to move in. We tried the traditional traps they worked good catching the little guys, I put peppermint on some cotton balls not sure if it works but the trailer sure smells nice.
Jason

[Rickb03]

Hello, I'm new to this forum but not new to camping. I have the mice issue every so often, I tried the dryer sheets, filling up all the holes I can find and I still get them in the snap traps. I have a Jayco with the covered underbelly with slide outs. I was wondering if the gaps around the slide out arms and the frame could be an entry point to the underbelly.
A week ago before we left our seasonal site I took some tin foil and wrapped those arms at the entry point on the frame to seal the gaps up. I don't know much about campers or the design of the slide outs but just wondering if mice can enter the underbelly from this area? I've crawled around the underside so many times and I'm 100% sure that I sealed up every hole, and I still get them.

Thanks