Finally happened to me...

[DutchmenSport]

Yep... a mouse! Or maybe .... mice (like more than 1). I hope only 1.

Discovered it's "traces" today. So, it's relatively recent.

My little weiner dog has been going kind of goofie when under the camper. She's been barking, and carrying on, trying to climb into the wheel wells. I wasn't so concerned because we have a crazy squirl and a couple chipmonks she's been trying to catch for a good couple years now. (we at home).

She will chase the squirl, it will jump under the truck and she'll stand there barking until I come along, shake the truck and the squirl will jump out and she'll chase it up a tree. So, I figured it was just the squirl again. Now, I don't think so.

At any rate, the activities of the pest seems to be contained in the cabinet with the pots and pan. Oh, it was so much fun today cleaning out that cabinet and bleach washing every pot and pan and lid, and strainer and everything in that cabinet.

Meanwhile, I set out glue strips everywhere now. If the critter is still in there, one of those strips will get it (I hope).

Meanwhile, we are scheduled to head out tomorrow for our 2 month Camp Host gig in North Carolina. I kind of home when the trailer bounces down the road some 500 miles one way, the dang critter will bounce out? I probably won't be so lucky. But I can keep my fingers crossed anyway.

If I don't have a mouse caught in one of the glue strips by tomorrow morning, I guess that mouse is in for a ride to North Carolina.

Others have had mouse problems, I know. I know eventually I'll get rid of it. But just asking, if you've had a mouse before, did traveling get rid of it, or did the pest hang on from campground to campground?

We no longer have a cat! Coyotes got the last 3 cats. I'm not having any more now.

[MandK]

I know you know the drill…plug all the holes in the bottom of the coach, which I did with mesh, steel wool and pest block foam. Except for the hydraulic slide rams. While in Florida this past winter there were so many squirrels and geckos that were running all over the place and actually getting up on the axles of Monty and up into the undercarriage of the pick up that I thought I better do something about the rams too. I used some fiber reinforced belting about 3/8” thick to cover the hole. Drilled a hole big enough that the rams would fit through with extra space to accommodate the lateral movement when the slide tips up and down while moving it in and out. Fastened it to the frame with self drilling screws, and corner braces. Then I went to the hardware store and got 4 (2 each side) 3/4”x 2 1/4” rubber washers and two 3/4”x 1 1/4” rubber grommets (one each side) cut them so I could get them over the ram and then gorilla glued 2 of the washers together to make them more ridged. They are a tight fit on the ram but I can slide them with my hand. Then used a zip tie to cinch the grommet tight to the ram. It won’t move without twisting it because it’s over the threaded part of the ram. When the slide is in, the grommet holds the washers tight against the belting, when the slide is out, I just push the washers up against the belting. The pictures can explain it from here. As far as I know, I’ve got the trailer underside all sealed up now, hopefully, fingers crossed.

[Foldbak]

Gezzz... better get a handle on that. My buddy's 170K toy hauler just got hit by rats. Totaled his rig! Attic, basement and walls. Wiring and plumbing destroyed!

[DutchmenSport]

Well, here's a follow-up report:

Wednesday the 28th, after I posted above, I set out glue strips in the 2 cabinets I saw evidence of mice activity. The first was in the cabinet adjacent the front living living room and kitchen and the second was under the kitchen sink.

By 11:30 pm, I had caught 4 mice in the glue strips. They were young one, which really had me concerned because that means the mother is somewhere too. Catching them in glue strips meant I hd to do the right thing and ended up having to kill them myself. In the past, I've attempted to turn mice loose, as we live in the county and have lots of corn field to set them free in, but attempting to unstick them hurts them more. They'll die an agonizing death. It's best to just kill them right up front. So I did.

We left Thursday morning and landed at Beach Fork Lake State Park, near Huntington WV. (By the way, this is a really nice state park and campground, but to get there, if you have to take highway 10, be prepared for one switchback turn and lots of sharp curves with drop off's at the edge of the asphalt edge and a narrow road, that is just passable 2 vehicles wide. I crept along about 15 - 20 mph at the fastest, mostly slower than that. It's very drivable dragging a 41 foot fifth wheel, but just have to be real careful about on-coming traffic).

Anyway, Caught one more at that State Park in another glue strip.

Before leaving home, I grabbed old style spring loaded mouse traps.

Friday afternoon, we landed at Mayberry Campground at Mount Airy, NC. We'll be here over night. I left my last 2 glue strips in the pots and pans cabinet and set up 2 spring loaded traps under the sink about 8:00 pm. By 10:00 pm, I checked out of curiosity, and had yet another mouse (larger, adult same as the last one in the spring trap).

So far, that's a total of 6 mice! Yikes!

I certainly hope there are no more. I'm glad I'm catching them. I'm not poisoning them, the last thing I was is dead mice trapped in the underbelly or walls of the camper. Glue strips or spring traps guarantees they are getting rid of.

So, tomorrow morning we'll be at Pilot Mountain State Park for 2 months. I'll keep setting traps, run over to the Lowe's in Mount Airy and get some more glue strips and keep them going for a few more days until I see no more activity and catch no more. Then I'll start sealing up those holes.

Wow, when those mice invade, they REALLY invade! I would have never imagined my camper would get taken over like this. No wonder lately my little doggie goes nuts around the camper, inside and out. She's quite the little hunter. She's killed her share of birds, also mice, moles, chipmunks, squirls, rabbits, possums, and got high as a kite when she attempted to kill her first toad!

[Jay Merritt]

We had a mouse get stuck WAAAY under the residential fridge. It got its head and shoulders through a tight space, but the hips got stuck. It died in place. We had to remove it in pieces.

[DutchmenSport]

We made it to Pilot Mountain State Park today and arrived right on time. No new mice. But my little doggie discovered one of the spring loaded mouse traps under the sink (I left the door open). She licked the cheese off the trap and never sprung the trap. Now, that's one talented tongue!

[mhs4771]

I don't waste cheese, I bait spring traps with Peanut Butter.

[Lee-CI]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

I don't waste cheese, I bait spring traps with Peanut Butter.

Same here! Cheese seems to dry and cake up too fast

[RMcNeal]

Peanut butter and slim jims works really well on rat traps too.
Just in case you want to try in the future, you can use some vegetable oil to release the mouse's foot from the glue traps without causing too much harm.
My wife loves frogs and lizards, of which we have plenty, so she has figured out that she can get them loose with oil on the feet.

[Janine]

My go on the spring traps is peanut butter with a salty peanut pushed into the pb and tied down dental floss. No the little booger has to really work on getting it, but before that happens he's a goner.

[Byron B]

We have solved our problem with mice in our rig that stays outside Ruidoso NM on our ten acres there. We tried traps, sticky ones that may or may not hold the little critters and one way traps baited with peanut butter; Peter Pan Crunchy!
We got the best results when we started buying Irish Spring soap, cutting the bars in 3 or 4 pieces and putting them where we have found critter traces. NO more mice! We replace the soap both inside the rig and in outside in the storage areas each year.
Now if I could find a way to keep all of the darn turkeys from eating the DEER corn at the feeder I will be content!

[Hecker’s G&C]

Originally Posted by DutchmenSport

Yep... a mouse! Or maybe .... mice (like more than 1). I hope only 1.

Discovered it's "traces" today. So, it's relatively recent.

My little weiner dog has been going kind of goofie when under the camper. She's been barking, and carrying on, trying to climb into the wheel wells. I wasn't so concerned because we have a crazy squirl and a couple chipmonks she's been trying to catch for a good couple years now. (we at home).

She will chase the squirl, it will jump under the truck and she'll stand there barking until I come along, shake the truck and the squirl will jump out and she'll chase it up a tree. So, I figured it was just the squirl again. Now, I don't think so.

At any rate, the activities of the pest seems to be contained in the cabinet with the pots and pan. Oh, it was so much fun today cleaning out that cabinet and bleach washing every pot and pan and lid, and strainer and everything in that cabinet.

Meanwhile, I set out glue strips everywhere now. If the critter is still in there, one of those strips will get it (I hope).

Meanwhile, we are scheduled to head out tomorrow for our 2 month Camp Host gig in North Carolina. I kind of home when the trailer bounces down the road some 500 miles one way, the dang critter will bounce out? I probably won't be so lucky. But I can keep my fingers crossed anyway.

If I don't have a mouse caught in one of the glue strips by tomorrow morning, I guess that mouse is in for a ride to North Carolina.

Others have had mouse problems, I know. I know eventually I'll get rid of it. But just asking, if you've had a mouse before, did traveling get rid of it, or did the pest hang on from campground to campground?

We no longer have a cat! Coyotes got the last 3 cats. I'm not having any more now.

They hate peppermint essential oil. Put it everywhere it smells amazing

[50sboy]

OK...so I know its a little strange - but ended all my mouse problems...They run from the scent of Irish Spring soap. I had a car under a cover and they hit...i put o3 bars of the soap in and on the car...haven't seen them again. So used it on some other mouse problem scenarios - worked there too!. Just sayin...

[RVNS4US]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

I don't waste cheese, I bait spring traps with Peanut Butter.

Yep, I've got a special jar of it.

[DutchmenSport]

Two days ago, July 17, we realized we had another mouse. We are still at Pilot Mountain State Park, and until yesterday had no evidence of mice. A quick trip to "Lowe's" to get some mouse glue strips and the next morning (July 18) we had 4 mice stuck to them! Yes, 4.

OK, so how are they getting in? By shear luck of the draw, I think I figured out where.

I have the garden hose attached to the water spigot and the hose is fed through that "mouse hole" in the bottom of my convenience center. Inside that compartment floor there must have been a million mouse turds. I flushed them all out through that hole, so everything is cleaned out.

I think that is how they got in. They climbed up the garden hose and gained access through that access hole to the outside. I left the entire door open all night (not realizing it was open) and those critters could easily cross over the to main storage area under the over hang section (king pin area), and into the rest of the trailer.

So, I disconnected the garden hose and inserted those round caps into the bottom side of the hole again and made sure that compartment door is shut.

The good news is, no mice this morning. I guess it now means washing all those pots and pans again and sanatizing that cabinet they love to get into AGAIN!

Meanwhile, I guess I need to revert back to my old ways, even though we are on this site for another 6 weeks, hook and unhook the water water and keep that hole closed.

Darn mice!

Old photo: Ignore the arrows:

[RMcNeal]

I use a cheap car wash sponge to block th hole around the hose. It easily forms to the space and only costs a dollar or two.