EEK a MOUSE!!

[Dave W]

Well not really an EEK but more like an "Awdang"(or worse)



No clue how they got in since I thought I had covered/plugged any access holes underneath but it looks like another session on my back (which I need to do anyhow to clean or replace the two sewer valve seals which we were able to jam, most likely with a wad of TP)


Once those beasties got in, they moved to the living space via the open ended 2" belly heat duct. This duct has some of what appear to be claw holes. The registers were all pulled and, yep, mouse poo and pee and it was fresh as I had actually pulled those registers off and cleaned the transition a couple weeks ago.



I pulled the four 4"ducts off the furnace manifold and used my smaller shop vac to blow from inside any remaining poo out (and there was a fair amount). I also pulled the 2" belly heat duct off and blocked the adapter more or less permanently since we don't cold weather camp. Those adapters are usually easily unscrew from the furnace manifold but can be a bit difficult if you miss the cutout and are doing it by feel.



Oh and before you say it, that 2" hose does NOT count in the required 48 square inces of ducting for a 35K Btu furnace.


Always something to do when you own an RV - and if you do, you really need to be a DIYer.

[mlh]

I think if you are trying to mouse proof your camper you are fighting a loosing battle and underestimate your enemies potential.
Lynwood

[Rondo]

Get yourself some Fresh Cab from Wally World, Tractor Supply and other stores. Put the packets around in your basement and storage areas. I've been using it for over 8 years now and have only had one mouse in the unit and that was at a campground that had a field that was being harvested which drove the mice out into the campground. I got the little sucker with a snap trap and peanut butter that night. Fresh Cab is used by a lot of farmers and heavy equipment contractors to keep mice out of their equipment when not in use. It is an herbal combination and mice don't like the smell. It is harmless to pets and humans. I don't use poisons since the mice eat it then go into the walls or wherever and die. Good luck and as Lynwood states if trying to seal up your unit to keep them out it is a "Mission Impossible!"

[R.S.O'Donnell]

Oddly enough I'm working on this very thing right now but chipmunks (I'm boondocked in WY). Cat has been showing interest at the vents under the steps. Had also wondered why I was getting so much dust coming from under the wet bay panel. Found small animal tracks in the dirt that led to the center left jack. I now know where all the air coming through the step vents is coming from.

Since this leads directly to the back side of the wet bay I can safely say this is NOT a 4 Season camper. It will be shortly, but not yet.....


Back of wet bay and water pump.



Sun shining on center jack.



Utah red dust.

[WeBeFulltime]

Old style wooden mousetrap baited with peanut butter. Place on the floor somewhere in the basement overnight and BAM problem solved. Worked for me anyway but your mileage could vary.

[DQDick]

Before we went full time and moved three cats into the rig we used to run trap lines every now and then. The only thing more satisfying than hearing that snap in the middle of the night is hearing a second one.

[Dave W]

Originally Posted by mlh

I think if you are trying to mouse proof your camper you are fighting a loosing battle and underestimate your enemies potential.
Lynwood

Don't I know it but I don't give up easily

Originally Posted by Rondo

Get yourself some Fresh Cab "

Fresh Cab used to be good up to 2018 or 2019 when they had to change some ingrediant per one of the Gov't lettered agencies. Our last batch had poo and pee on a few of the packets. Others have reported the same thing


[/QUOTE]
Cippmunks did well over $1.5K DIY damage. including a new fridge in a long gon TT. Did I say I hate them since even now they are still causing $$ S&B property damageto the driveway, walkway along with eating one bite out of each of my wife's tomatoes

Originally Posted by WeBeFulltime

Old style wooden mousetrap baited with peanut butter. Place on the floor somewhere in the basement overnight and BAM problem solved. Worked for me anyway but your mileage could vary.

Victor snap traps and Zappers work very well on mice, chippies and even an occasional squirrel tho squirrels usually only get a good electrifying awakening. Unfortunately, my wife is extremely allergic to cats, so that's not a solution.


One question for all you learned folks - anyone ever make up a screen or filter of some sort and installed over the air inlet(s) to the furnace ducting manifold?

[DQDick]

At a rally a few years ago one of our friends loaned me an electric mouse repeller that he said kept them out of his Monty and he stored it on a farm. I tried it and liked it except that even on the pet friendly setting it bothered our cats so we didn't get one. If I didn't have the cats and had access to electricty where the rig was stored I'd have one now.

[mlh]

Dick I tried those in my camper. I put several in the camper one on top of my silverware. I never told my wife but I did clean the silverware very good.
Lynwood

[R.S.O'Donnell]

Ok, I was wrong. It was not a chipmunk. It was a rat.

First I had to seal up the "pest door". To give it some scale it was large enough for our full grown cat to go right through.

Built a foam board backed panel out of 1/8 plywood saturated with black spray paint. Foamed it in well to hold it on place and seal any air intrusion spots. Had to move the drains from the side of the wet bay to the back.

Before:

The white part on the left is the side of the wet bay. The silver thing on the right is the water pump. Picture is taken from the opening in the J channel right below the water heater.



After:


Drain lines moved from side to back.



Bushy-tailed woodrat



Edit:

Gotta give kudos to our cat Lizzy. She's the one that alerted us to it. No telling the nest or damage we might have had to deal with without her.

[Andre]

Tell you what I did after being invaded by chipmunks. Wait until dark , have your wife turn on every light in your camper and crawl under your camper you will see every place that needs to be sealed. You won't believe how many places you will find .worked great for us!

[RMcNeal]

Funny story, I hunt for 2 weeks every year in the Monongahela National Forest in Northern West Virginia. Several years ago, I had a couple of field mice in my TT 2 years in a row. Turns out, I was getting them in my backpack and packing them back to camp every night. I found extra clothes I had in my pack chewed and a snack bag destroyed inside my backpack. They must have been getting in my pack while I was on my stand. Crafty little buggers.

[mlh]

They are crafty. Every thing knows how to make a living but maybe one humans.
Lynwood