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10-20-2008, 11:34 AM
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#1
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Seasoned Camper
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: The Villages
Posts: 61
M.O.C. #8568
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How to prevent rodents during storage?
What ideas have worked to prevent rodents from entering your RV during long down times? Thanks for the help
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10-20-2008, 12:10 PM
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#2
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Manhattan
Posts: 1,144
M.O.C. #1846
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Do a search of the forum for things like dryer sheets, moth balls, the current trend appears to be some type of material sprinkled with peppermint oil. Lot of different things being used with various results.
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10-20-2008, 12:10 PM
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#3
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Montana Master
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Englewood
Posts: 3,095
M.O.C. #164
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First plug entry holes Etc.I have found after many years moth balls and dryer sheets do not work. The eletronic plug in's do.
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10-20-2008, 12:19 PM
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#4
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Montana Master
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: _
Posts: 5,238
M.O.C. #6337
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When we had our mouse investation at the stick built, and let me tell you, it was about as bad as I ever want to see as long as I live
They ate peppermint candies! they were addicted, they were fat, and most likely diabetic.
I don't believe that peppermint anything will keep them away.
Moth balls were supposed to work on bees and such, did not work. Gum down mole hills was supposed to discourage them, did not work either. We have not had real good luck with any of those "natural" remedies.
Plug the holes, put down traps. (we use several different kinds of traps, in case they have been to "Traps 101, What the Humans Thinks Will Catch Us" class, hopefully, they have not attended "Traps 201")
Do not park on grass (tho that is not a guarantee either).
Good luck!!
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10-20-2008, 12:32 PM
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#5
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Montana Master
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Texas City
Posts: 5,736
M.O.C. #7673
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Cat!
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10-20-2008, 12:39 PM
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#6
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Established Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Wyalusing N E
Posts: 31
M.O.C. #5548
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Traps are the onlything I found that worked. I foamed all the holes I could fing, behind oven, behind electrical pannel, under bath sink, behind bedroom TV, behind water heater etc. I also twist tie a heavy cardboard over the air return grill under the steps.
As a side note the containers of moth balls that I tried soon had mouse turds on top of the moth balls
Good Luck
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10-20-2008, 01:06 PM
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#7
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Lone Tree
Posts: 5,615
M.O.C. #6109
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I hate to even talk about it, because sure enough as soon as I say what works I'll find out there is a rat party scheduled in our monty tonight!
On our 2003, we plugged holes with steel wool, foam, and stinky stuff and laid out Decon, but not until after we had the problem. Those mice snickered at me every time we put it in storage, and would empty the Decon boxes and put little nic-nacs in the box like the missing screws from light fixtures, paperclips, rubber bands, hair bands, or anything else they could lift. They never ate the Decon, rather they just laid little piles of it in the corners, and behind the pillows in the bed. When we dropped the screws out of the front belly to check the welds, Decon poured out of the front like sand out of an hour glass.
On this 2007, I armed myself with steel wool, foam, and a shotgun, but after looking at all of the massive holes underneath and in the mid floor, I figured this Monty must look like a 40-ft piece of swiss cheese to those mice! I surrendered and installed two sonic rodent thing-a-ma-jigs, one in the basement and one on the kitchen counter.
To date, no rodents................. Now I have to go find a piece of wood to knock on!
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10-20-2008, 01:59 PM
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#8
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Grand Blanc
Posts: 2,508
M.O.C. #5965
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Bounce drier sheets have worked very well for us for years. Then save the sheets to take bugs off the nose when washing your rig.
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10-20-2008, 02:14 PM
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#9
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Montana Master
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Tonawanda
Posts: 551
M.O.C. #3662
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Bounce sheets did NOT work for us.
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10-20-2008, 04:45 PM
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#10
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Kettle Falls
Posts: 400
M.O.C. #6321
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Brad,
What type of "sonic rodent thing-a-ma-jigs" did you get?
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10-20-2008, 05:27 PM
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#11
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Lone Tree
Posts: 5,615
M.O.C. #6109
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Jim,
Had to dig out my inventory photos. Looks like they were PestChaser from a ranch supply store. $30 each and they run on AC. I've seen seen some that plug in direct and hang out of the outlet, but these have a 6-ft cord.
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10-20-2008, 05:29 PM
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#12
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Montana Master
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: silver creek
Posts: 1,507
M.O.C. #7770
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We have used Downy scented dryer sheets for years with good results. We live in a country setting and the trailer is parked in the open. In the last ten years we have only found traces once. We park it to far back to plug it in for the sonic thig-a-ma-jigs,need it out of the way so I don't hit it with the snow plow,and we try not to give them any reason to stay there. no food at all,all towels,blankets etc: are put into plastic bins and space saver bags. So far ,so good...
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10-20-2008, 05:35 PM
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#13
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Lone Tree
Posts: 5,615
M.O.C. #6109
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You reminded me Racerjoe - one other thing I do, or no longer do, is carry that dang BBQ grill in the basement anymore. It smells bad to me, even in a zippered travel bag, so it certainly must attract them meeces. The BBQ grille stays in the bed of the truck or on the ground.
Mice occupancy must be like Terrorist Attacks - you never really know what works as a deterrent for a fact, you only know what didn't work as a deterrent after the fact.
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10-21-2008, 05:27 AM
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#14
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Montana Master
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Asheville
Posts: 502
M.O.C. #1967
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I surrendered and installed two sonic rodent thing-a-ma-jigs, one in the basement and one on the kitchen counter.
We bought them also at Lowes and placed one in the basement and one under the kitchen sink. Works so far.
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10-21-2008, 05:31 AM
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#15
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Montana Master
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Tonawanda
Posts: 551
M.O.C. #3662
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Are there any of those gizmo's that run on battery's
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10-21-2008, 07:03 AM
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#16
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: WARE
Posts: 393
M.O.C. #3928
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Bounce DON'T WORK for us...we use good sticky boards with a dab of p-butter on them catches em well sometimes 2 at a time.
We slept in our monty one time this summer and had our cats spend the nite it in with us; with cat litter pan and all............been months since I've seen any sign of mice.
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10-21-2008, 09:33 AM
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#17
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Montana Master
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Haldimand County
Posts: 2,413
M.O.C. #122
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We have an electronic thing in the kitchen area. Only good if you can plug in). I did the best I could to close the entry holes around the spring hangers etc. with thin sheet aluminum. We leave the green waxy bait cubes around as well. (Keep them away from pets! ...don't ask, that's another story). We park on clear gravel, with no tall weeds or grass anywhere near. All of this seems to be working for the last few years, but we are always on the look out for rodent invaders.
Trouble is, everything seems to work, ... until the day it doesn't!
When you stop and think about there are a limited number of ways they can get in, either up the wheels to the spring hangers, or up the support legs. My 98 year old father (retired farmer) insists that if you paint diesel fuel on or around these access points, that will keep them out.
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10-27-2008, 01:43 PM
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#18
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Harvey
Posts: 329
M.O.C. #8863
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We use this product... http://www.freshcab.com/ It is a North Dakota made product used mainly by farmers in grain trucks and combines where mice really like to congregate. We have used in the past few years with great success. I have heard stories from other RVers who tried the bounce sheets and found the mice use it for nesting.
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10-31-2008, 06:07 PM
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#19
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Powell
Posts: 250
M.O.C. #7880
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The past few years I have used the sticky traps. I put out about 8 of them from the basement to the bedroom. I like the dryer sheet idea and think I will try some of them this year.
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11-01-2008, 02:26 PM
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#20
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Montana Fan
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Rigby
Posts: 199
M.O.C. #8903
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We stuffed the exterior openings with steel wool and place Cedar blocks in all the interior drawers, cabinets, and storage compartments. Not so much as a piece of poop to be found. We are looking at the electronic devices though, no sense leaving anything to chance.
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