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General Boards => Technical Support => Topic started by: Jason Worman on January 09, 2020, 01:18:38 AM

Title: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Jason Worman on January 09, 2020, 01:18:38 AM
Hi everybody,

I am sure this has been discussed at length but, we woke up this morning and opened up the cabinet under the sink to find shredded paper towels. Any thoughts or strategies to combat rodents? Will set traps but worried about using poison having them die where it is hard to get them out.

Thanks,
Jason Worman
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: David T. Richelderfer on January 09, 2020, 02:30:34 AM
We have had mice a couple of times and we have "snap traps" ready and waiting for the next intruders.  Cheese and chocolate on separate traps make good bait.  The critters seem to hide during the days on the floor back against the wall under the kitchen drawers.  I have had the best luck catching them under the kitchen sink against the back wall where I can reach more easily to place the trap and see it with the door open.  Most times within 30 minutes of placing a trap and sitting quietly watching TV, I hear it snap.  And we almost always catch them in pairs, e.g., two of them seem to travel together... just like us, eh?

Happy hunting!
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Jason Worman on January 09, 2020, 06:37:35 AM
David,

Thank you very much for the advice

Jason
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Fred Cook on January 09, 2020, 12:32:30 PM
Mice can squeeze through cracks or openings of a quarter inch thick and smaller. Suggest you inspect for entry points and seal them up. Peppermint oil works too. I use peppermint oil around my motor to keep out all rodents and it works well.
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Stan Simpson on January 09, 2020, 01:50:10 PM
We have sealed everything we can see and get to, but we also have Bounce sheets in all drawers. Seems to work. No mice for a long time.
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Jim Edwards on January 09, 2020, 06:12:26 PM
I had issues with mice in the past. I have been using the electronic mice repellants and they have seemed to work for me. I have placed a few around the coach and in the bays. They don't seem to bother the people or pets.
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Bill Sprague on January 09, 2020, 06:35:08 PM
Had a mouse in the Monterey storage bay the day I decided to clean it.  We scared the crap out of each other and I never saw him again.  It was the only Beaver mouse I ever saw. 

Last year we had a mouse family move into the mini Tiffin.   The only thing that works is the spring traps.  Poison probably does too, but they might die and rot inside the rig somewhere.   And, I don't like the idea of an eagle or hawk eating poisoned mice.

Once gone, there are lots internet stories about repellents.  One is naked bars of Irish Spring.  My mice ate Irish spring.  The problem is how people say the repellants work AFTER the mice were trapped, dead and gone.  Another is mint oil spread on everything.  That stinks!

A weird issue with our Tiffin on a Benz Sprinter is the wires under the hood.  Rumos suggest the insulation has "soy" in it.  Weird as that sounds, apparently mice like to eat wire insulation.

For $50 you can buy a Rid-A-Rat.  It is a small flashing strobe that (apparently) interrupts mouse sleep so they go elsewhere.  I have that and three traps under the hood.  I've not caught any in the traps since I got the Rid-a-Rat, so maybe it works. 
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Jason Worman on January 09, 2020, 08:09:07 PM
Thank you everyone. Ordered some snap traps off of Amazon will work to inspect and fill gaps on coach

Jason
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Joel Ashley on January 10, 2020, 01:42:27 AM
I’ve used half a filbert (hazelnut to some) in an old-fashioned snap-trap for over 40 years.  In a pinch an almond or walnut will suffice.

Bill, my brother had a rodent (squirrel?) ruin the wiring under the hood of his beautiful, loaded 2017 Dodge Ram.  After the dealer replaced his looms and cleaned out the nest made of hood insulation he bought one of those light flashing/sound devices, but undergoing a lot of harsh medical issues at the time he neglected to be sure it was on.  The critter rinsed and repeated.  They aren’t sure whether the animal did his work at their Troutdale home or their Ocean Park beach house, but squirrels frequent both.  Dodge and other brands do use soy-based wires that attract rodents.  As I recall there is a capsaicin-based product that some have painted their wires with with some success.

Joel
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Bill Sprague on January 10, 2020, 03:04:53 AM
Joel,

The flashing light gizmo seems to be working.  I've also moved the motorhome to a different parking place.  Who knows!

Bill
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Mike Jones on January 10, 2020, 03:21:00 PM
You might try some Irish Spring soap bars. We have had good luck with them. Just put a bar under a cabinet in a few places. And I smells good too!!!!
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Bill Sprague on January 11, 2020, 01:03:24 AM
In ours, the mice snacked on a bar of Irish Spring, made a nest in a fresh roll of toilet paper next to it, got up from naps and strolled around through some drawers. 

Their headquarters were in a drawer under my bed.  Imagine the joy when I woke up hearing a "SNAP".  Later in the morning was another nearby "SNAP".  I think the cute little things were trying to be parents. 

Fuzzy (the dog) was of no help.  He can zero in on a quarter piece of popcorn a mile out.  A mouse in a drawer next to his bed?  No big deal.   
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Jason Worman on January 11, 2020, 04:48:14 PM
Bill,
Your description of your dog describes our dog to a tee. Your story was a welcome relief this morning in the war of the critters. Thank you for sharing.

Jason
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Albert Balika on January 16, 2020, 06:50:28 PM
Jason, I have tried everything, including peanut butter on standard mouse trap (not yellow platform). I actually watched a mouse eat the peanut butter without setting it off. Sooo! I went to 1/2 of a planters peanut snugly jammed into the teeth of the trap and I am at a 100% kill rate. I put four traps in the kitchen/living area on the floor - two in the cockpit area, one near the refer and one by the stove. I also velcroed one to the top of the generator (this is where I believe they have the easiest access to the coach) and one in each bay. Change the peanut every month. I hope this helps. Albert
Title: Re: Mice in our coach!
Post by: Jason Worman on January 16, 2020, 10:30:58 PM
Albert

Thank you for the advice, so far we have had 4 "customers". I hate to kill anything but our coach is the most important thing. All of them have been in the engine compartment.

Jason