rodent ate wires in toad!! what to use

[FLYING BUTCH]

I guess I have heard of this but was amazed it happen to our toad!! Covered storage area in nice location. What can I put in engine compartment to keep them away? I heard of downy dryer sheets or peppermint oil but not sure if either of these will do the job. Little worried about engine compartment of coach now. appreciate any ideas that have worked for fellow RVers.

[num1dgh]

What a bad dream! I have no idea but I'm looking forward to what people advise!

[Midniteoyl]

You can try those things, but.. They will simply use the dryer sheets for nesting, and the oil will dry out or they will get used to it. Best way is to simply show up, open the hood and start the engine about once a week or 2. Non-use is the biggest reason they 'move in'.

[ctcamper]

Friend of mine had his new car in the shop for a wire harness replacement due to mice

I found some signs that they had been in my conversion van during the time I was away last year. I was fortunate they didn't chew any wires. They shredded the paper towel roll, opened the foil sealed granola bar and cleaned that out, leaving a shredded foil mess in the process. But no nest in the van, probably too cold in there during the winter.

I leave a tray of mouse poison on the van's floor now when I leave. I figure if they have something to eat they might not chew on the wires and if they do eat they go bye bye soon...

[336muffin]

I have heard the covering on a lot of wires is Soy based and is actually food to rodents. I know that the surveyors tape and flags are Soy, we marked a lot of trails at the Marlboro Ranch in Montana and a month later it was gone! The deer and other wildlife ate it like candy. We use a mouse trap in our basement of our MH in the wintertime.

[Route 666]

Originally Posted by FLYING BUTCH

I guess I have heard of this but was amazed it happen to our toad!! Covered storage area in nice location. What can I put in engine compartment to keep them away? I heard of downy dryer sheets or peppermint oil but not sure if either of these will do the job. Little worried about engine compartment of coach now. appreciate any ideas that have worked for fellow RVers.

Bobcat urine has worked for me for quite some time.

Bobcat Urine

Chemical in Predator Pee Scares the Pee Out of Rodents : 80beats

» Sniffing Bobcat Urine Office for Science & Society

[TdogKing]

This is a problem at our Membership Campground too. We buy Squirrel poison and use that. I've always wondered about spraying diluted Habanero pepper sauce . I know it would wash off eventually but it would be easy to re apply and not too costly. I thought of using a small garden sprayer that you pump up with a wand.

[slick60]

I would suggest a couple of cats on a short leash under the hood!!

[luvlabs]

Put a few bars of Irish Spring soap under the hood. That seems to keep most critters away.

[sdennislee]

Search the forum for mice, you will find hours worth of reading on this issue. Peppermint oil is effective but does need to be replenished. Mice are allergic to it.

[CampDaven]

Traps with peanut butter.

When I stored the rig I set traps and checked them once per week. Worked!
Tried Decon, and they died, but when off to hidden places before expiring. Had to follow the smell in the Spring.

[sdennislee]

Traps are an effective tool. One thing to know about traps, they need to be close to the entry point as mice can do a lot of damage before they finally make it to a trap. Look for mouse droppings to understand their pattern of travel and place traps along their path.

Better to keep them out of the MH/RV than to try and deal with them once inside.

I use peppermint oil outside and traps inside incase one of the little buggers has a gas mask and makes it past the peppermint oil.

The PO of my MH let the mice in. Took me a while to find and repair all the damaged wires.

[micd]

There has been a similar problem, reported at our airport because of soy based wiring covers. The bunnies love that soy! Apparently using a food source as wiring covering started about 2002.
Under-the-Hood-Winked Denver Airport Parking Rabbits Eat Car Wiring | Wacktrap

[JCM]

I have used moth balls for years with sucess but don't use too many - snell. I just found that it was hard to catch enough moths.