Rodents

[clayart]

We live in the suburbs and every year we have mice that come into our Jayco 5th wheels. We now have our 5th unit, a 2012 30.5RLS and sure enough, over the winter here in the North, we have droppings in our cabinets and around the edges of the floor. We would love to know suspected spots that these "pets" come in so we can fill them (the holes, not the mice) with foam or steel wool. I hate taking everything out of the cabinets each Spring!

[canuckowner]

You might also try hanging moth balls from the wheels, jacks, or anywhere else on the EXTERIOR that they could climb up from. Most vermin dont care for the smell of that stuff (but dont put it inside the unit, cause most people dont care for that smell either-- and once the smell gets in it never seems to leave).

When I winterized my trailer and put it away for the winter I spent about $50 on a half dozen snap traps, two multi-catchers and a half dozen boxes of poison. Baited and placed all those devices throughout the trailer in case anything ever made it past the cat and dog that have access to the building where it is stored. I checked it in March and there was no signs of pest activity. Even so, I am quite sure next year I will double my investment in pest control products anyway. I figure for the amount we spend on our new RVs we shouldnt be afraid to spend a hundred or so dollars to ensure that pests dont destroy it. If you are in cold climates I wouldnt recommend glue traps, as I doubt the glue would be as effective in really cold temps. (plus that is a cruel way to kill a mouse compared to the other ways listed above... but then again, you might want to make an example for any other would-be tresspassers! ;-))

Lastly, the steel wool is an excellent idea if you are able to find the entry points. I am sure there are others on here with similar models that have found and filled such openings and hopefully they will chime in.

[clutch]

Steel wool works well, so does foam in a spray can. A box of DeCon works well for those that get in.

[Albertaguy]

You need to do a full examination of your unit and that means using a flashlight and checking every square inch of your unit from the exterior and that includes all your storage areas. You will probably find where holes have been drilled to pull extra wiring, plus gaps in the underbelly. Once you locate these areas fill them with spray foam as well as use steel wool in areas where the foam is not practical. I would then go to a hardware store or any place that sells rodent poison especially the stuff that is contained in cellophane bags and drop them on the floor and some in cabinets and storage areas of your unit. If you see that the bags have been chewed open you will then know that there still is an opening that needs to be closed. The poison will kill the rodents and they will dry up and you won't get the smell.

I had a mouse in my 5th wheel two years ago and this is what I did and so far I have been rodent free. I know this is a pain in the butt but if you take your time I think you will be pleased, so far I am.

[rodro123]

I had that problem on an older TT some years back, what I did to see where they were getting in was to put talcum powder all over the bottom of the TT over winter in spring you could see the paw prints so I steel wooled and sprayed expaning foam and that cured it.

[Ladywendolyn]

In Canada where I live the rv dealers have their whole parking lot covered in several inches of limestone. The rodents hate it, and they stay out of the trailers. We are having a limestone pad done for our trailer to sit on. We also use a plug in devise that gives of high frequency waves that destroy the rodents nervous system. This also works very well and as it happens my husband worked at the Canadian and USA border crossings, and both governments used these devices in their storage sheds etc. with great success .

[Ladywendolyn]

Here is a link to the electronic rodent repellent.

http://www.victorpest.com/advice/all...-of-repellents

[Seann45]

If you have power available then a few ultrasonic pest repellents are the best investment you can make...

[Grumpy]

Look for a product called "FRESH CAB". It is used by grain farmers to keep critters out of combines and other equipment. A little pricey but it works and comes with a money back guarantee. Check, Tractor Supply, Menards, Ace Hardware or online.

[CruizinKim]

I've been using "Fresh Cab" also. Now, granted we've only had our TT since November, I haven't had any unwanted visitors. However, this was when our TT was parked near to the house, dogs, and cats. The hubster has since built a barn (concrete floor) in our "back 40" to house the TT. I'm hoping they continue to stay out! The barn cats will still have access to that area, but not the dogs.

[jdcamper]

We have had problems in the past during winter storage and this year I put bounce dryer sheets ALL over the TT inside and outside storage ares in the fridge closets everywhere. I used a box and it worked great no rodents and it smells april fresh.

[Seann45]

Last year my camping buddy put bounce sheets all over his 5er.. the mice here used it as toilet paper...

[rwilley]

Originally Posted by Seann45

Last year my camping buddy put bounce sheets all over his 5er.. the mice here used it as toilet paper...

lol

[Larry G.]

Used Bounce in a TT I had years ago on a permanent and had 0 problems with critters.

Agree the smell is fresh.

[bowlboundgman]

Is there a spot that they are more prone to get in? I am planning on looking at the entire underside and plugging everything with spray foam

[Wyotraveler]

Mice were getting into my TT. We live very rural. Never tried Fresh Cab but if you look on Amazon it works for some and not for others. I crawled under my TT and looked for every little hole I could find. I noticed that mice really like the foam. They had eaten quite a bit of the Jayco foam that was applied at the factory. Like candy to mice. I used black caulking in every hole I could find. During that time I used sticky traps. I kept patching holes until I wasn't catching mice anymore in the sticky traps. It is easier to patch holes from the bottom of the TT or 5Ver. Some of those bottom holes go into little compartments that are sealed off from above but where mice can do a lot of damage to wires etc.

[Seann45]

Fill the holes with steel wool then spay foam..

[Albertaguy]

Originally Posted by bowlboundgman

Is there a spot that they are more prone to get in? I am planning on looking at the entire underside and plugging everything with spray foam

Mine were coming in through my front storage area on my 5th wheel. I found several holes where wiring was coming through plus a couple of spare holes and I filled these with spray foam plus some steel wool where applicable. I then put some poison in the area and so far no more problems. The use of these electronic gadgets may be good but you must have electric or battery but in most cases this is not practical when you go into long term winter storage.

[Panhead]

Originally Posted by Seann45

Last year my camping buddy put bounce sheets all over his 5er.. the mice here used it as toilet paper...

Bounce dryer sheets do not repel mice, it is an urban myth, check out this link.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/arti...225477,00.html


Steve

[Wyotraveler]

I don't use foam anymore because they eat the foam and the steal wool gets pulled out. They have a more difficult time eating through caulking. The mice especially like the Jayco black foam that came with the TT. They seem to eat less of the heavier big gap foam from Home Depot.