Mice in Camper

[caryl williams]

How can we find out how mice get in camper and how do we remedy the mice problem.

[drsmart]

If you leave any food in the camper, make sure it's in an air tight container including nuts, cereal, bird sead, pet food. The little buggers can sense food at twenty paces. It's very difficult to locate every possible entry point. Some you may not be able to block such as holes in the frame for the slide out rails and hydraulic drives. Over the years if we've had any get in, we elimainate every one with hair trigger traps. If there's a family you have to keep going until there all gone. Usually we don't get any more for a long time until the next bach pick up the sent of food and maybe hop into a cellar door when it's open and your not there. If I know they are around at the site we stop at, I try to keep all the compartment doors closed if I'm not right there accessing them.

[bobby A]

I bought a electronic thing you plug in to 110 volts at a hardware store, apparently it omits a sound that critters don't like, but humans can't hear it. I also heard of Peppermint oil working, I bought some at a health food store and put a little on a cotton ball and placed it in the basement. Not sure if the above works or I'm just lucky, but I have no mice now !!

[camper4]

It is not an easy job but you can limit their access. Look under cabinets and around drains for floor penetrations. Look in the front closet carefully and the washer dryer space. Use a medium fine steel wool to plug the holes and cover the steel wool with tape so the mice can't push it out.
Be very careful with steel wool around all electrical circuits. Even with 12 volts you can get a flash/fire if you are not careful.
I also use the electronic units. I must have a dozen of them.
Set traps with peanut butter. If you get a mouse, there are more to get. There's never just one. They are tricky, smart, and persistent. I hate them...
For my money, there is no perfect solution but the above things have limited their access to our Montana.
Best of luck to you!

[hikerdoc]

For the last few years, my wife and I have used dryer sheets placed in various places around the camper and that has worked very well, especially during the cold storage months. Apparently the odor keeps them out and its pleasant to open the camper in the spring and have it smell fresh.

[Tom_Holsinger]

I mentioned a Trailer Life recommendation for placing saucers with Irish Spring hand soap around a while back. Someone here said that has the same result as nuking the RV - makes it unfit for people too. Try it with care.

[drsmart]

Is it possible that using sented items such as the Irish spring soap and the dryer sheets mask any sent of food in the trailer. The two things they're looking for is food and shelter.

[kdeiss]

I can tell you that dryer sheets and the electronic plug in's do not work

[Bob Pasternak]

When we found evidence of mice in our 3000RK, we took the drawers out and put boxes of D-Con on the floor under them. Seemed to work ok.

[Longwell]

First, although Decon works, the mice may die anywhere, including between walls and other places you can't find, then they stink and draw insects to them. Thus, I would not recommend it except in a barn or separate shed/garage.
Second, to find out where they are getting in, simply sprinkle some baby powder around likely places of entrance. They will leave footprints, the powder smells good in the meantime and it is easy to vacuum once you've found the entrance point.
Mouse traps work the best for elimination. I suggest using small pieces of Slim Jim as bait in the traps. This is what we used when I worked at Terminix. It can be jammed onto the pointed trigger of the trap so they can't lick it off, it has mucho preservatives so it doesn't get moldy like peanut butter and you can eat what you don't use for the traps!!
Hope this helps.
Larry

[racerjoe]

We used dryer sheets for many years with good luck. the last couple years we started to get mice, so we switched to suggestions from this forum. We have been using a product called fresh cab and also use pure peppermint on cotton balls. had no mice last year.

[PowellsMonty]

The electric thing at lowes have worked great for the last couple of years. No mice. I heard last week they only last a year, is that correct? Mine are two and still no mice. We had them before we went to the electric mice driver off'ers.