Mouse in the trailer

[Hawkez]

I found evidence of a mouse in my trailer.  I was going to go through with a can of expanding foam but was wondering if rodents will chew through that and eventually make their way back in.  Thoughts?

[mopartechnician]

I heard bounty dryer sheets keep them out. I wouldnt doubt they would eat expanding foam

[hex0rz]

They will chew through wood! They are stubborn persistent little buggers...

 

Best thing to do is put some traps down against the perimeters of the walls and catch it. Clean their mess up and keep the trailer away from mouse prone areas. Spray around the trailer if you have to or keep some traps outside too.

 

How come I tell you this? ...because I have a mouse problem in the barn and shed!

 

Glue traps are your friend!

 

Consider a "barn cat" if you have not already.

Edited October 7, 2014 by hex0rz

[dave110]

They don't like to chew through steel wool. It has worked very well for me. Mix it in your foam.

[Mopar1973Man]

I've used expanding foam and hardware mesh on my RV and no longer having a mouse problem at all. No traps, no ultrasonics, no poison bait, nothing!

[rancherman]

what about the  tale of   parking the  trailer so the wheels are  on  a  sheet of  aluminum foil?    neighbor  swears by it..   He makes  4  pads  of  foil,     about  1x2 foot  in size... and  parks  the  trailer  on them.    I suppose one for the jack too.

 

         I dunno,   I've seen mice  jump  quite  a distance when motivated!

[joecool911]

Does he wear an aluminum foil hat too? Lol.

[Wild and Free]

I use steel wool and expanding foam to plug any holes depending on the size of the opening and what it is for and I found over the years dryer sheets are good for a month or two but loose their scent over time and then the mice use them for nesting material.

 

We have a product made in state here called "Fresh cab" and it is made of basic spices and plant based scents that works awesome, I have used it for years and pretty much all farmers and ranchers use this product and it works super, I use it in everything that gets parked for extended periods of time and have never had a mouse issue since using it. Smells like potpourri.

 

http://www.earthkind.com/products/fresh-cab-category

 

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=fresh+cab&tag=mh0b-20&index=aps&hvadid=4967270148&ref=pd_sl_71cbrrjlgf_e

[JAG1]

I spent just 10 hours at a campground and a chipmunk got in my engine and chewed a factory rubber cap on the proportioning valve. Had to pull out his makings of a winter home too.

 

Would moth balls work good for mice and squirrels/ chipmuncks? Think I heard something about that

[Wild and Free]

See my previous post, lots more effective and smells a whole lot better than Moth balls.

[Hawkez]

_{Thanks for the ideas.  I think I got rid of the mouse, no more sign for a few days but I never did catch one on the sticky trap either--hopefully he left and isn't dead somewhere in the trailer  .  I have used dryer sheets before and the seemed to work.  I will give the Fresh Cab a try.  My biggest concern is closing off some of the possible entrance areas for the critter.  The trailer is parked in a pasture, not too far from my barn so mice are always around.  Maybe I should cut the rations for the cat?}

[joecool911]

I used the steel wool followed up with expanded foam method on a rental house. Seems to have worked good. Shoved the steel wool into the hole and then foamed as normal to fill the rest of the void.

Look for Snap-E mouse traps. Black plastic and easy to set. I hate those old Victor traps. Someone finally invented a better mouse trap. Have goats and we have rats cleaning up the residual grain the goats don't eat on the ground. Has a cup in the middle of the paddle that triggers the trap. You can get a lot of peanut butter in there. No reloading between snaps.

Here is a link to a video on the snap-e trap.

Edited October 8, 2014 by joecool911

[flagmanruss]

I have battled mice in the vehilces...  we screen air intakes.  In the outbuildings & trailers.  I used steel wool around every opening through the floors & screwed down plywood patches.  Also spray foam.  In the end, I found blow out damage in a wheel well which I repaired.    http://forum.mopar1973man.com/index.php?/topic/2886-rodent-combat/

[Ilikeoldfords]

Definitely go for the steel wool. They dont like that stuff at all. As for problems with the under hood of cars and trucks, there is a trick a lot of people use here in MT I have learned. Everyone leaves there hood propped open about half way. Make sure your underhood light is unplugged!!!!! The critters will very rarely mess with your wiring, hoses, and anything else if the hood is open like that. I havent ever seen that trick done anywhere else but here.

[Mopar1973Man]

Rancher do the same up here leaving the hood propped out half way. Same issues here with mice eat anything under the hood. As for RV's I find that it best NOT to bait ot trap inside the RV but outside the RV. Last thing you want to do is make the mice work harder to find the bait in it a trap or poison box. If your patient enough you'll be able to find all the holes the mice are coming through and be able to fill them with hardware mesh and expanding foam.

[flagmanruss]

Let me review what I've learned about mice in our spaces... 

 

Poison only works if the mice have nothing else to eat...  a buddy was using poison in his shop outbuilding.  Tons of the good Decon stuff was disappearing.  We moved a heavy machine & found the base casting with several inches of stored Decon.  The mice were storing it in case they had no other food but were finding food outside & thus not eating any of it.  You must secure the castle...  close off the access...  before poison will work. 

 

Traps are messy but can work if you find the entry point...   but it you know the entry point, close it off first & only trap stranded critters on the inside.

I had mice getting into my truck...   I screened the air intakes,  The mice destroyed the under hood insulation until I removed it as "mouse habitat".  I quickly blocked mice from the interior when I learned there were drains for the cowel area behind the hood hinges which I blocked with SS pot scrubber (SS steel wool) which still allows water drainage. 

 

I went to a lot of trouble blocking the mice from the very used camper.  I'll ripped out under the tub to secure around the drains, under the sinks, every through floor penitration...  each step reduced the mice.  

We pack steel wool around the power cord entrance, every time. 

I was still getting mice from behind the furnace & under the stove (wife was very unhappy about nasty mouse mess in stove).  In searching for access to that area, I discovered a makeshift repair where there had been a tire blowout somewhere between Calif & New England...  which oblitterated the plastic wheel well liner.  I removed the plastic tarp, stuffed as much steel wool as possible & fabricated my own repair piece & to hold it in.  No mice since.    

 

Mice don't like mothballs but neither do humans...  works for dead storage.  Place the moth balls in paper cups so the dissolving mothballs can be collected when the unit is active again.  Smelly dryer sheets will work though not as well.  These only work in closed spaces.  Don't work under the hood where air is free to circulate.

Edited October 9, 2014 by flagmanruss

[rancherman]

enlist a  couple of cats.    put one inside, (ok, forget that one)    other on patrol on the outside          Keep the grass mowed down tight  under the  RV.  Better yet,   keep on  gravel or cement.

This time of year,  they be coming..lookin for a  nice  spot to winter!

 

I've  wondered about  some sort of   stainless mesh  baggie..     nylon  covered,   to    encase  various  cars, trucks,  (add  RVs  boats  etc)    drive the  vehicle over it,  gather up the  sides and    bundle it  like a Hershey kiss  on the top.

 

Ultimately,  I'd like to have a couple of  shipping containers  (conex box)  for the long term  safety of  a couple of  my  collection.