Mice getting in.

[Ted Kenner]

While boon docking, I have had mice getting in to my X210.
I suspect the piping over the tanks. These little critters are hard on toilet paper but are easy to trap.
Has anyone found this problem and a fix?

 

[LG]

Ha - yes they are persistent. You could try to plug every little hole, but those little critters can squeeze thru really small openings. So there really isn't a way to completely keep them out. Their downfall is that they are usually ravenously hungry.

I get those little triangular packages of D-Con Mouse Pruf at Home Depot and set them around in the storage areas. I find little places in each storage compartment to wedge them in so they don't fly around during transport. You can use a little duct tape to hold them down too. There's a pretty good sized opening in my trailer in the compartment under the shower and toilet where the black water drain goes out. Mice can easily crawl in there so I put one in there too - I basically set one anywhere I think they might show up and I put enough of them around so they're sure to find one right away when they come in.

The D-Con is odorless so it doesn't bother my wife and, the way it works the mice don't stick around after they've feasted on it either. My wife always worries that we're going to find dead rotting mouse carcasses in the house or trailer but a long time ago my grandfather explained to me how D-Con works. He said that once a mouse comes into your place, he always remembers how he got in so he can get back out. After he eats D-Con (which apparently is pretty tasty stuff to a mouse) he gets REALLY thirsty. Since there usually isn't any water readily available inside your trailer - or house - he runs outside looking for a drink and ends up giving up the ghost outside. Eating is a very high priority for mice so it's usually the first thing they do if they find something edible and this allows the D-Con to just sit there and do it's job never allowing a nest to become established. I've used it in my house for many years and I never have mice so it was a natural thought to set a few packs in some nooks and crannies in the trailer. You just want to make sure you don't put it anywhere where your little kids can get into it or your dog, cat, gerbil, might eat it accidentally. Occasionally I find a couple droppings near one of the packages and I know they've come and gone.

LG

 

[MarsbarsCT]

I also place boxes of Irish Spring soap all over the camper--I've never had another mouse problem since. That, and dryer sheets. I read about these tricks several times in various forums, and it does appear to work.

 

[Dakota 1120]

Right after purchasing my XT276, I 'mouse proofed' it. That is sealing every opening thru the floor with either 0000 steel wool and/or that foam insulation that comes in a can......available at Lowes, Menards, Home Depot, etc.

As added protection, in inconspcious locations like under the tub/shower, back of cabinets, etc., I've placed cotton balls with several drops of Balsam Fir Needle oil which is a natural mouse repellent.

Or you can use Fresh Cab available at Farm Supplies stores or here: http://www.amazon.com/FRESH-CAB-BOTANICAL-RODENT-REPELLENT/dp/B008RG35HE

Fresh Cab uses Balsam Fir Needle oil saturated ground up corn cobs. The 100% pure Balsam Fir Needle oil is available from Amazon ~ brand NOW foods.

Additionally: Now foods also has 100% pure Cedarwood oil. A few drops of it on a cotton ball scattered around works great to repel insects.

I use the Cedarwood oil on cotton balls thru the summer 'use' season and before storing for the winter, use the Balsam Fir Needle oil to keep mice out.
Also have acouple bags of Fresh Cab and 'renew' their effectiveness every fall by adding a half dozen drops of the Balsam Fir Needle oil to them.

NEVER had a mouse in my RV summer or after winter storage and no insect invasions during the summer use months.

 

[Ted Kenner]

Mice in trailer

I wonder about Irish Spring soap. Our English pointer once ate a whole bar of it on a camping trip.
No one was very happy, the dog or us.
I will look into the Fir oil.
I put a bunch of pepper in all the likely places but that was a bust.
I also put steel wool in all the holes I could reach.
They say a rat can get through a hole the size of a Nickel and a mouse,the size of a dime.
Thanks for the tips.
Ted.

 

[MarsbarsCT]

I leave the Irish Spring soap in the box, tucked away here and there...

 

[hotqld]

We have just experience mice in our travel trailer, droppings, chewed bits.
Now a **** of a smell, we think one has got down the holes beside the water heater or fridge and died in the underfloor insulation.
I don't want to take that off and go looking, eventually it must decay away??

We will be sealing with foam in can and tubes of sealer to try and keep the smell out...its terrible and for the future.

 

[LJAZ]

The smell will go away eventually, but it could take a pretty long time. Have you looked underneath to see if there's an obvious spot where the mouse got in? You might be able to find it if you can follow the path it took.

 

[Rip5]

+1 on the Bounce dryer sheets. We always used them when we stored our boats for the winter. No mice sightings in over 17 years. So the new TT is getting the dryer sheets when we store it for the winter.