Something in our ceiling. HELP!!

[Risberg]

We have a 2016 Sierra 5th wheel bunk house and we think we have a chipmunk in the ceiling. It was climbing up the bedroom/bathroom wall. We took apart the compartment underneath and a shelf in the wall and sealed several huge water and wire and waste pipe holes. That was sunday. Today he was back in the ceiling, no sound in the wall. We have spent hours sealing everything in the underbelly and 5th wheel hitch area, slide out areas. Where can this possibly be getting in? We have taken apart the AC, bathroom skylight, speakers, lights in the ceiling. Set traps for a week and caught nothing. We are desperate to find this! We have done all the research we can find! Setup traps outside the camper to.

[dbledan]

Originally Posted by Risberg

We have a 2016 Sierra 5th wheel bunk house and we think we have a chipmunk in the ceiling. It was climbing up the bedroom/bathroom wall. We took apart the compartment underneath and a shelf in the wall and sealed several huge water and wire and waste pipe holes. That was sunday. Today he was back in the ceiling, no sound in the wall. We have spent hours sealing everything in the underbelly and 5th wheel hitch area, slide out areas. Where can this possibly be getting in? We have taken apart the AC, bathroom skylight, speakers, lights in the ceiling. Set traps for a week and caught nothing. We are desperate to find this! We have done all the research we can find! Setup traps outside the camper to.

https://home.howstuffworks.com/how-t...-chipmunks.htm

If its a squirrel this won't work.

[Reverse_snowbird]

[QUOTE=Risberg;2324555We took apart the compartment underneath and a shelf in the wall and sealed several huge water and wire and waste pipe holes. That was sunday. Today he was back in the ceiling, no sound in the wall. We have spent hours sealing everything in the underbelly and 5th wheel hitch area, slide out areas. .[/QUOTE]
Emmmm.... you heard him climbing up the wall in the bathroom, then in the ceiling. Now you can't hear him climb the wall, but hear him in the ceiling.
Is it possible that you've sealed him inside the ceiling and he can't get out?
That would not be good because if he dies in there, you've got real problems.

[LittleBill]

Originally Posted by Reverse_snowbird

Emmmm.... you heard him climbing up the wall in the bathroom, then in the ceiling. Now you can't hear him climb the wall, but hear him in the ceiling.
Is it possible that you've sealed him inside the ceiling and he can't get out?
That would not be good because if he dies in there, you've got real problems.

Ditto-Ditto

[Risberg]

We had chased it back across the ceiling, down the wall and what we thought was out before we sealed up everything. We know where it seems to sit but there is a not a way to get to it without taking down the ceiling. I don’t think it’s a squirrel because we can’t find any damage and only one acorn. Wondering if it could get through the ac and into the ceiling that way? We don’t see any spot in the ac it looks like it could come through. And it is only in the ceiling nothing in the living area. I am ready to chop through the ceiling! We are setting up a trail cam under the camper today to see if it is coming in and out. How many days could it live up there if trapped? I read 2-3 and it has been 5 and still moving

[grangalo1812]

Originally Posted by Risberg

We had chased it back across the ceiling, down the wall and what we thought was out before we sealed up everything. We know where it seems to sit but there is a not a way to get to it without taking down the ceiling. I don’t think it’s a squirrel because we can’t find any damage and only one acorn. Wondering if it could get through the ac and into the ceiling that way? We don’t see any spot in the ac it looks like it could come through. And it is only in the ceiling nothing in the living area. I am ready to chop through the ceiling! We are setting up a trail cam under the camper today to see if it is coming in and out. How many days could it live up there if trapped? I read 2-3 and it has been 5 and still moving

Hi! We had the same problem and we knew it was coming out. Set up a cage underneath the trailer with something like a piece of bread with peanut butter. We caught it in a day! Good luck!!

[texgasman]

B/4 i would go to lots of work. Go on line and get "critter control". Squirrel are the same as rats. I had them in actic at home and ordered a hi-pitched sound devise and ran them out. I have left it on for several years. Vender guaranteed the devise. No more rats. Sorry i donot have name.

[Lifestylers]

Dont call PETA they will say make it a bed and place cookies and milk out for it.

[DougW]

Check around the holding tank vents on the roof, some have a space between the pipe and the roof of the RV, inside of the vent cover.

[Scrapper]

I'm not sure about chipmunks but if it's a pine squirrel it will destroy your camper. They're not much bigger than a chipmunk. Had a friend that had their 5th wheel totaled on the inside by a piney that spent the winter.

[kennyairport]

I say open a space in the ceiling and set a food trap below the inside opening, that way you get it out of the ceiling and won't have to smell decaying animal.
Please let us know of the outcome and species of critter.

[jimmoore13]

I can't help you get the critter out, but this stuff might keep him out in the future.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This stuff works, is nontoxic (e.g. for kids and pets), and, if you like the smell of cedar and pine, it smells good. I've used it for years and kept the rodents away. This reflects my current order, and it's more than a year's supply. You can buy fewer.

By all means, continue the barrier work. Two points on that.
Rodents' teeth have a hardness just shy of steel on the hardness scale.
Foams and aluminum won't stop them. A determined critter will chew thru it as fast as you put it in.
Hardware cloth works wonders. 1/8" or 1/4" is best. This is an illustration. You can get a small amount for a lot less at a hardware store. https://smile.amazon.com/Hardware-Ga...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

Stainless steel kitchen scrubbers or stainless steel steel wool can embed in foam, but that's a poor second choice compared to hardware cloth snugly fitted around penetrations in your structure (pipes, wires, etc.) Apply the hardware cloth, THEN foam.

P.S. I trained pest control professionals.

🐿️ 🐿️ 🐿️

[Risberg]

So we got to the camper yesterday and there was a chewed up acorn on our stops which led us to a spot under the steps where we could see it had chewed off the marker light and crawled in which must lead up the wall and to the ceiling. We made sure it wasn’t inside and sealed what area with hardware cloth. We also trapped two chipmunks and a red squirrel outside in the last 24 hours. Had not heard anything in the camper and just now we are hearing a different noise up there. Much quieter and less often more like a tree branch rubbing sound. We checked a trail cam we had setup, no pictures of anything under the camper. We are checking vent pipes and ac on the roof again now. I will keep everyone posted. We also bought an electronic thing that you plug in and sends something through your wiring. Feeling defeated!!

[dave1650]

Originally Posted by Risberg

So we got to the camper yesterday and there was a chewed up acorn on our stops which led us to a spot under the steps where we could see it had chewed off the marker light and crawled in which must lead up the wall and to the ceiling. We made sure it wasn’t inside and sealed what area with hardware cloth. We also trapped two chipmunks and a red squirrel outside in the last 24 hours. Had not heard anything in the camper and just now we are hearing a different noise up there. Much quieter and less often more like a tree branch rubbing sound. We checked a trail cam we had setup, no pictures of anything under the camper. We are checking vent pipes and ac on the roof again now. I will keep everyone posted. We also bought an electronic thing that you plug in and sends something through your wiring. Feeling defeated!!

Hopefully it did not have a nest with young in your roof and now you are hearing them. That could be bad. Good luck how every you solve it.

[LittleBill]

Originally Posted by dave1650

Hopefully it did not have a nest with young in your roof and now you are hearing them. That could be bad. Good luck how every you solve it.

My thoughts ^^^ If that happens to be true

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by Risberg

Had not heard anything in the camper and just now we are hearing a different noise up there. Much quieter and less often more like a tree branch rubbing sound. We checked a trail cam we had setup, no pictures of anything under the camper.

You may be hearing sounds from a nest up there. The fact that they are chewing through plastic and leaving chewed acorns on the ground could mean that they are desperate to get to their young.
If it were me, I'd remove the barriers from the entry points and see what happens. If the critter has had trouble getting to the nest, they will probably remove the young.
Of course, if you've trapped the parents, then you've got a problem. Your only solution might be to localize the sound and cut a hole in the ceiling.
No good solutions here. The critter might have defeated you already.

[Risberg]

Well we found the final entry point and it was the vent of the third holding tank. We had to drop the entire under belly of the back of the camper to seal it with hardware cloth. There was acorns and seeds. We got the red squirrel!!! I know could have been terrible!!! Out and sealed it up. Then we built a one way trap, pulled out a light near where the sound was and got out the 4 babies!!!! This was two days later. We put a peanut inside, gorilla taped it to the ceiling and they were so hungry one was coming out before my husband could get the trap up. We have tried sticking a vacuum hose in a sucking out as much of the nesting we can and need to put some new insulation up their and touch up a little damage spot on the ceiling but all three vent pipes are sealed off now. Learn from our month long nightmare and seal around your vent pipes. Thank you all so much for your ideas and suggestions!!!! I might have burnt the camper down without your help!

[Mike223]

Originally Posted by Risberg

So we got to the camper yesterday and there was a chewed up acorn on our stops which led us to a spot under the steps where we could see it had chewed off the marker light and crawled in which must lead up the wall and to the ceiling. We made sure it wasn’t inside and sealed what area with hardware cloth. We also trapped two chipmunks and a red squirrel outside in the last 24 hours. Had not heard anything in the camper and just now we are hearing a different noise up there. Much quieter and less often more like a tree branch rubbing sound. We checked a trail cam we had setup, no pictures of anything under the camper. We are checking vent pipes and ac on the roof again now. I will keep everyone posted. We also bought an electronic thing that you plug in and sends something through your wiring. Feeling defeated!!

Went camping this past week just to get away from home. Just to make sure it worked, we turned on our ceiling (not ducted) a/c and insulation and something black ground up came flying out the vents. Looked up in it and it was almost full of the stuff?? Clean it out a bit but need to take the cover off and get up on the ceiling and take the cover off the a/c and see if any damage. By the way, the a/c did work with no problem so guessing whatever it was didn't eat the wires.
Mike

[DougW]

Originally Posted by Risberg

Well we found the final entry point and it was the vent of the third holding tank. We had to drop the entire under belly of the back of the camper to seal it with hardware cloth. There was acorns and seeds. We got the red squirrel!!! I know could have been terrible!!! Out and sealed it up. Then we built a one way trap, pulled out a light near where the sound was and got out the 4 babies!!!! This was two days later. We put a peanut inside, gorilla taped it to the ceiling and they were so hungry one was coming out before my husband could get the trap up. We have tried sticking a vacuum hose in a sucking out as much of the nesting we can and need to put some new insulation up their and touch up a little damage spot on the ceiling but all three vent pipes are sealed off now. Learn from our month long nightmare and seal around your vent pipes. Thank you all so much for your ideas and suggestions!!!! I might have burnt the camper down without your help!

Wow, that was indeed a ordeal. Glad you got them out of there with as little damage as you did.

[LittleBill]

[QUOTE=Risberg;2329749]Well we found the final entry point and it was the vent of the third holding tank. We had to drop the entire under belly of the back of the camper to seal it with hardware cloth. There was acorns and seeds. We got the red squirrel!!! I know could have been terrible!!! Out and sealed it up. Then we built a one way trap, pulled out a light near where the sound was and got out the 4 babies!!!! This was two days later. We put a peanut inside, gorilla taped it to the ceiling and they were so hungry one was coming out before my husband could get the trap up. We have tried sticking a vacuum hose in a sucking out as much of the nesting we can and need to put some new insulation up their and touch up a little damage spot on the ceiling but all three vent pipes are sealed off now. Learn from our month long nightmare and seal around your vent pipes. Thank you all so much for your ideas and suggestions!!!! I might have burnt the camper down without your help![/QUOTE

Glad you finally got them all out. Thought originally that there might be babies in there. I have heard when people get squirrels or racoons get into their attics and there are young ones also, that exterminators recommend using coyote/fox urine around the hole before sealing it up so that the moms will move them voluntarily out. I have never had that situation so I am not sure how well it works, but may want to keep it in mind next time something like this happens. Don't know if that would work in RV's but if works around houses, I can't see why not.

At least now you can rest knowing that you got them out. Safe travels.