Mice!

[MilCop4523]

Originally Posted by GOTTOYS

Just talked to the man that owns our Winter storage lot. He has a professional exterminator out every month. Mice come looking for something to eat. He feeds them food with poison in it. They eat it and die. The amount of poison they eat isn't enough to kill anything that might eat them. Check with any professional exterminator. They will all tell you the same thing. They don't use dryer sheets, peppermint, moth balls, rubberized under coating......none of this. If you think this crap works it's only because you have no mice to start with...

I have no issues with poisoning mice... the problem I have is that if they have made a nest in your RV, antique car or truck, shed or where ever and they eat the poison... they have to go somewhere to die. generally in a wall, under a sink or around your electrical inverter or drawers (couch or under the mattress).

I would rather keep them at bay than have them come in for a special treat.

[FRRVR]

Originally Posted by retiredcamper47

We have tried everything - dryer sheets, mothballs, starving cats (just kidding) and nothing worked. We bought a product called "Fresh Cab" rodent repellent at Tractor Supply. Since then, we have not found any evidence of mice in our tt. It smells quite pleasant and comes in small bags that you place around your tt. Apparently the mice do not like the smell. I even use it in my garage and basement. Now I have probably jinxed myself.

Bob

I use it also, but I do not know if it works as I am using it as a preventative. There is also the hubbub about mint. There are some cheap alternatives which I might try.

[Still Kickin]

So, peppermint oil does or doesn't work. Dryer sheets, etc. Seems every year this issue gets discussed. Lets assume that mouse infestation is a function of where your RV rests. Safe to assume, if its a rural field nearby, more mice. If you're in suburbia, probably less. The object here gentlemen (ladies I'll assume we got this task assigned) is to eradicate, not try to repel in my humble opinion. I say that because, since a female will "drop a brood" about every 21 days or so, you need to kill these buggers quick, and in short order. Of course you remove all attractants, button up as many holes with steel wool, foam etc. to deter easy entry. But our job here gentlemen is to kill them, before they chew us into an annoying insurance claim, or lengthy repair in Spring.
Make a 5 gal bucket trap. Put RV anti-freeze in the bottom and let them take a cold swim (northern climate owners) before they DROWN! Then, when you have eliminated the "area" population, you can kick back with a cup of coffee and reflect on your conquest.

[DaveSchwartz]

Around here you have to have a licence to buy the poison baits because of the secondary-kill problem. All the 'repellents' seem to be unreliable depending on the determination of the mouse (we have some pretty determined mice here in the country).

I use a trap just inside the RV door and check it every few days (obviously you have to have convenient access for this to work). My favorite kind of trap is the beige plastic clamshell with the bait on a trigger platform (I think the brand is Wilson and they come in a two-pack). This is the most effective inexpensive trap I have used over the years - usually get around half a dozen a year, mostly in the garage and none in the RV so far.

[Jeff_and_Abby]

Ummm ... just 'cause we haven't seen it mentioned in a number of "Mice" threads ...

Four-Legged Mouse Trap ???

Our neighbors keep a couple of them around, and we derive a "free" benefit.

[itat]

Originally Posted by Jeff_and_Abby

Ummm ... just 'cause we haven't seen it mentioned in a number of "Mice" threads ...

Four-Legged Mouse Trap ???

Our neighbors keep a couple of them around, and we derive a "free" benefit.

Some cats are great mousers. A former neighbor's cat used to leave us presents on the front step all the time - birds, mice, squirrels and bats - all half eaten. Others haven't got a clue what to do with them.

[itat]

Originally Posted by MilCop4523

I have no issues with poisoning mice... the problem I have is that if they have made a nest in your RV, antique car or truck, shed or where ever and they eat the poison... they have to go somewhere to die. generally in a wall, under a sink or around your electrical inverter or drawers (couch or under the mattress).

I would rather keep them at bay than have them come in for a special treat.

We had one die in a Kleenex box in a cupboard this past Spring. Fortunately it wasn't hard to locate and remove.

Originally Posted by Still Kickin

Make a 5 gal bucket trap. Put RV anti-freeze in the bottom and let them take a cold swim (northern climate owners) before they DROWN! Then, when you have eliminated the "area" population, you can kick back with a cup of coffee and reflect on your conquest.

The 5 gal bucket trap may be effective but its inhumane. No different than people that put unwanted cats in a bag and toss it in the river. But I understand that if you have an infestation that may be the least of your concerns.

I'm in the camp that says the first option is to keep them out, but once they're in you need to use quick kill traps if the deterrents don't drive them out.

Where I store my TT (for free) at my cousin's farm, I have to be concerned about her dog that runs lose on the property. I don't want to do anything to harm the dog.

[Twice]

I swear by Rat Zappers with a Rat Tale. I keep one in our TT, 5er, Chicken House and Garage. They have paid for themselves many times over by preventing damage. Last month we boon docked for 5 days, the next night when I was getting something out of the basement I saw the Rat Tale blinking, sure enough there was a little dead field mouse in there! Also, about a week after we got home and put the 5er in it's parking place on our property I saw those blinking lights again, this time I found a big dead tree rat! I hope we didn't travel with him! Here's a link. Good Luck!


https://www.amazon.com/Rat-Zapper-RZ...t+zapper&psc=1

[Still Kickin]

Originally Posted by itat

We had one die in a Kleenex box in a cupboard this past Spring. Fortunately it wasn't hard to locate and remove.




The 5 gal bucket trap may be effective but its inhumane. No different than people that put unwanted cats in a bag and toss it in the river. But I understand that if you have an infestation that may be the least of your concerns.

I'm in the camp that says the first option is to keep them out, but once they're in you need to use quick kill traps if the deterrents don't drive them out.

Where I store my TT (for free) at my cousin's farm, I have to be concerned about her dog that runs lose on the property. I don't want to do anything to harm the dog.

What on earth are you saying. What dog would be injured by the five gallon bucket trap. You, respectfully have no idea what I am talking about. As for providing them a nice swim before a gentle hypothermia bout, i'd take that any day, rather than blunt force trauma to the bodies mid section, causing internal bleeding and respiratory asphyxiation. Although, after typing that, it doesn't sound too bad. Yeah, I like how you think.

[itat]

The dog wouldn't be affected by water in the bucket but he'd probably get into the RV antifreeze. If you bait it with peanut butter he'd definitely be attracted to it. He might even be inclined to knock over the bucket just for fun.

My concern about the dog is really more about using poison than the bucket though.

[Still Kickin]

Originally Posted by itat

The dog wouldn't be affected by water in the bucket but he'd probably get into the RV antifreeze. If you bait it with peanut butter he'd definitely be attracted to it. He might even be inclined to knock over the bucket just for fun.

My concern about the dog is really more about using poison than the bucket though.

I thought you were confused. Let me state; you're mis-informed on your reference to "poison". Please read up on RV anti-freeze so you do not get confused. As far as I know, peanut butter is also safe. Hope you undersand better, and recognize that giving em a nice hypothermic swim to get those little critters in the right frame of mind for eternal sleep.

[itat]

Either you misread my posts or I did a poor job explaining my point.

The poison everyone is talking about in this thread is mouse poison. Not RV antifreeze. Not peanut butter.

Rv antifreeze is not good for dogs to ingest but most such products won't be toxic to them.

All I'm saying about the dog in my case is that whatever I use, I need to be careful with the dog around. He could get into something that's going to make him sick or he'll destroy my trap out of curiosity or playfulness.

[Cardaddy73]

Has anyone heard talk about led lighting on the ground or mounted to deter them using ther nocturnal clock? I caught one comment cannot remember we're that this one campground a lot of mice were around and the campers laid rope liters in a ring around the unit? Makes since but cannot find anything else on it

[crunchman12001]

Originally Posted by Cardaddy73

Has anyone heard talk about led lighting on the ground or mounted to deter them using ther nocturnal clock? I caught one comment cannot remember we're that this one campground a lot of mice were around and the campers laid rope liters in a ring around the unit? Makes since but cannot find anything else on it

My dad does this in Arizonia to keep the pack rats away from the cars. It is claimed to be the only thing that works, might work with mice?

[Still Kickin]

Originally Posted by itat

Either you misread my posts or I did a poor job explaining my point.

The poison everyone is talking about in this thread is mouse poison. Not RV antifreeze. Not peanut butter.

Rv antifreeze is not good for dogs to ingest but most such products won't be toxic to them.

All I'm saying about the dog in my case is that whatever I use, I need to be careful with the dog around. He could get into something that's going to make him sick or he'll destroy my trap out of curiosity or playfulness.

Yep, I was talking about RV anti-freeze. Your job, if you decide to accept it, is to eradicate the current mouse population in the area of your RV. I would suggest the trap be placed in an area where mice can access it, and where your dog cannot play with it. You see, these mice will just about go anywhere for peanut butter, and I agree lapping up some "safe" anti-freeze would not be the best thing for fido. But, what you will find is that after you kill the current population, the chances of the next colony finding your RV is greatly reduced up to the point where you are back in the RV season, moving it around like the bean under the three cups game. This is man against nature, it's a war we cannot win, but with a little ingenuity, its darn right fun, when you see that bucket fill up!

[MilCop4523]

Why invite (a whatever it is in mice) an infestation to supper killing a few off with traps. I've set traps in my garage and found that the survivors will walk over their buddys dead neck snapped bodies and eat the remaining food out of the trap.

since using FRESH CAB in my garage and trailer - no mice. 4 packages in the fall/ wintertime and in the spring 2 packages in my trailer.

this year here has been especially bad for mice overrunning trailers. neighbor has caught 13 so far.
my trailers - 0 signs of any mice at all.

[Still Kickin]

Originally Posted by MilCop4523

Why invite (a whatever it is in mice) an infestation to supper killing a few off with traps. I've set traps in my garage and found that the survivors will walk over their buddys dead neck snapped bodies and eat the remaining food out of the trap.

since using FRESH CAB in my garage and trailer - no mice. 4 packages in the fall/ wintertime and in the spring 2 packages in my trailer.

this year here has been especially bad for mice overrunning trailers. neighbor has caught 13 so far.
my trailers - 0 signs of any mice at all.

Well, first you need to read up on my trap suggestion in an earlier post in this thread my friend, the better mouse trap 5 gal bucket type. As to your comment "why invite" I reply "there here", kill em.

[itat]

Originally Posted by Still Kickin

Yep, I was talking about RV anti-freeze. Your job, if you decide to accept it, is to eradicate the current mouse population in the area of your RV. I would suggest the trap be placed in an area where mice can access it, and where your dog cannot play with it. You see, these mice will just about go anywhere for peanut butter, and I agree lapping up some "safe" anti-freeze would not be the best thing for fido. But, what you will find is that after you kill the current population, the chances of the next colony finding your RV is greatly reduced up to the point where you are back in the RV season, moving it around like the bean under the three cups game. This is man against nature, it's a war we cannot win, but with a little ingenuity, its darn right fun, when you see that bucket fill up!

Respectfully, my job is not to eradicate the local mouse population. My only job is to prevent them from getting into my TT where they could cause damage or just poop all over the place, and make babies (found some of them this summer, too). If there are a hundred of them around, I don't care as long as they stay out of my trailer!

The Fresh Cab and Essential Oil of Peppermint seem to be working pretty well but we'll see what happens when the farmer's crop starts growing again in the Spring which is what I think attracted them in the first place. In this pic from last summer, you can just just see the wheat crop that the farmer planted this past year. He planted it about 20 yards closer to my trailer this year. Before this year, I didn't have a problem and it was far enough back that I could do a U turn with the trailer. NO its so close I have to do a 3 point turn. The farmer rents the field from my cousin who owns the property so I can't very well ask her to tell the farmer to move his crops back when I'm getting a free storage spot.

[LinandLen]

We just purchased our used 2016 2861DS Class C, and when we picked the RV up after we had some body work done and slide adjustments, the service manager said he found a mouse trap (had no idea it was there) and mice droppings under the sofa where you would never find it. This is where the mechanism for the galley slide out is. We've only had the RV a short time, and having a mice problem was the furthest thing from our minds.

I was hoping this was a problem from the past that was solved, but when we got the RV home from the shop I looked in some kitchen drawers that I had just cleaned and there was one mouse dropping (just one). We purchased some Fresh Cab® last night and placed the packets in all the kitchen drawers, upper cabinets, behind the sofa, one in the bathroom, and one under our bed. Today I checked and there are no signs of any rodents. I'm glad I learned about this product from this thread. Thank you so much.

Hopefully they're gone! Fresh Cab® is expensive and I was wondering since the active ingredient in Fresh Cab is balsam fir essential oil if you could also diffuse the oil with the same results. Of course I guess that wouldn't work when the RV is in storage. I wonder if you could just freshen the packets with the oil when the scent starts to diminish. Otherwise we're looking at spending $60 a month for 12 packets.

I'm convinced the critters enter from openings in the slide outs. We've owned two RVs since 1992 one RV stored in a very cold climate, and we never had a rodent problem, but neither one of those RVs had slide outs.

[Gumpster808]

We had fresh cab in storage compartments, under sink, etc for last few months and the scent is still there.

Don't remember what the cost for a box of them was but got at tractor supply and I don't think they cost that much.