Got mice :(

[dalengail]

Hello, everyone! I own a Pinnacle and have always had 5th wheels. I was merely lurking when I came upon thus topic. But, some issues are the same no matter what you own and, this is one of them.

I have always had really good luck using mothballs. A few here and there in the basement storage area and, inside under cabinets. It doesn't keep all of them out but, has always worked at keeping them to a minimum. I think in the last 3 years, I can only recall one. And, I caught him in a trap baited with peanut butter in the basement.

Have also noticed that, mothballs seem to cut down on spiders and webs in all the corners.

Reminds me. Need to get more for the basement here at the S & B!

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by dalengail

snip...
I have always had really good luck using mothballs.
...snip

X2
I had a class B and had a packrat problem until I began using Moth Blocks from W*Mart.

These blocks are mothball 'stuff' in a plastic container with a hanger. I hung one in the engine compartment and one under the vehicle at the rear. From the outside I could smell them, but inside there was much less odor. The odor inside dissipated quickly when we opened up the vehicle.

[Mustang65]

The University of Florida published this document regarding MOTHBALLS

Worth the read.... if you use them,

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pi254


Don

[croixlarob]

I have mice issues. I have my camper at a seasonal site. Tried all the comments above. Found a large hole beneath the stove and very large holes in the walls and one dead mouse stuck to a trap. Plugged the holes on the walls with sheet metal used two sided tape and used that metal tape to seal duct work on the out side. I also used foam on the floor. There is also a large hole beneath the tub. Make sure you don't leave a speck of food in the camper and wash down all cabinets to rid of any scent of food. The other items above help mask any food odor but if you have food smell in the camper they will follow their nose including facies left behind to follow their trail. I closed in October and visited the camper the first week in December I did not see any evidence yet. (I have about twenty sticky traps). Now I could come back in April only to say Arghh!

[tperk100]

In my extensive experience with 5 RV's I have proven to myself that electrical ultrasonic repellents, peppermint oil, botanical repellents, and many other touted remedies DO NOT WORK.

It's a LOT of trouble to completely seal an RV such that mice cannot enter, but this can work. What I have done is seal any obvious holes like around the power cord for example with steel wool or rodent resistant Great Stuff.

The most effective of all remedies for me has been to properly place glue traps. They catch the mice quickly, and contrary to what some have said, if a mouse or two is not removed before it begins to decay, it does not smell up the RV.

Happy Hunting!

[LiftedAWDAstro]

The only product I have found that works 100% is called Mouse-Free.

[tperk100]

If I am not mistaken, DIY Mouse-Free is very expensive, requires a compressor, requires lots of painful (for a 66 yr old) crawling under your RV, and requires annual treatment. At a dealer I am guessing an annual minimum of $200, and this is for a less than 24 ft RV.

I do not have any experience with it, so cannot vouch for or against it, but because of the above I will not even try it.

Go Glue Traps!!

[LiftedAWDAstro]

Actually, the mouse-free is fairly inexpensive. We bought our camper in August 2012, stored it that winter under the carport I built to house 2 campers. That spring we had mice in our now 6 month old camper! They chewed through a seat cushion because we store everything in totes. That cushion cost us over $80 to have a new one shipped in. Plus all the aggravation of completely disinfecting the entire inside we had already done the fall before.

No need to recover every year. I did mine in fall 2013 and again fall 2015. So my initial $200 for 2 gallons and an applicator will last 4 years. In 2017, I will have to buy another gallon and that will be good for 4 years. It only took about 1/2 gallon to re-apply this past fall.

I do agree it is a pain crawling under the camper with an air hose. I used a Ty-vek suit this last time and it was quite easy and not as messy. Find a teenager to help you for $50. Or come on up my way and I'll do it for ya! It is so much easier than dealing with mice!

[Soltice]

I've been told mice don't like dryer sheets and as you mention the steel wool trick
I've bought the Live box mouse traps from HD and baited them with peanut butter and Warfarin ( poison) the traps hold up to 20 mice and the Warfarin dehydrates the mice so there is little or no smell
Had a house problem and trapped 23 of them last year without any smell

[Billyray56]

Just purchased and placed fresh cab inside camper after reading good reviews online. Also purchased peppermint oil too but has not used it yet. Used dryer sheets in my other truck campers in past and never seen any evidence of mice. Located in north Dallas, TX and not as cold. We will see.