Mice Trouble

[Nominefili]

Case made for snap traps

Originally Posted by okie143

You are right on the money about tying them down. I put out some little sticky traps and some big ones for rats. Well a mouse got in the big one, pulled it under my living room slide out and got stuck there. Now when I put the slide out I get a nasty sticky trail across my tie floor. And yes it is almost impossible to get that nasty sticky stuff up.

I have used dawn, alcohol, paint thinner, and even a stiff wire brush. I can get the first one cleaned up, with a lot of effort, but when I let the slide out again, I get another streaking mess.

But at least it catches mice.

I was at a local RV repair shop and a couple called to see what the damage was to their trailer, as mice had gotten in and ate the insulation off the wires. The RV tech said he hadn't finish tearing stuff out to get to the wiring and he was already 5 hours into it. That is $95.00 an hour for 5 hours and he hasn't even gotten to the wire yet!! Ugh.

[gmann55]

Originally Posted by Nominefili

Case made for snap traps

The peppermint oil also works for elephants! I have never had one!

[rarebear.nm]

But it does nothing to stop pink elephants.....

[gmann55]

I don't know about that! I Never had 1!

[rarebear.nm]

Depends where you go and what you do....

[Nominefili]

Originally Posted by gmann55

The peppermint oil also works for elephants! I have never had one!

Some oils can be effective. Balsam Fir oil is extra repugnant to rodents. Works excellent and smells awesome.

[Winemaker2]

Originally Posted by Nominefili

But as far as a "trap" goes, yes, snap traps are the best option. Glue traps let them stay alive for long periods after being caught. They make lots of unpleasant sounds during this that I'm sure you'd prefer to avoid. Snap trap is instant death. For long term residents, buy, on Amazon, two Protecta Evo rodent stations and a four pound bucket of Fastrac rodenticide. Both best in their respective classes. Place them outside this coach near the wheels, underneath. This will kill and control rodents outside before they can become an inside problem. Again. I do this for a living lol. Thousands of dead rodents so far haha

So from your vast experience... Any idea if the unpleasant sounds emitted after being caught in the glue traps might be warning cries... Stay away Danger... If so that might act as a deterrent to others?

But OTOH... If it's a cry for help it may bring more in?

Would love to know which!!!

[happycamperz]

I am a certified supervisor for a large pest control company is missouri. I deal with mice on a daily basis so I’ll give my opinions and experiences if you don’t mind:

Oils/repellants/etc do not work nearly as much as you’d like to think they do. Just because you used those and don’t have mice doesn’t mean that’s why you don’t have mice. I’ve seen mice live right next to the ultrasonic things or run around near the oils and not care at all.

Sticky traps only have about 40% success rate. They will easily catch the younger mice, but the older ones are usually a bit smarter than that. Often I have found whiskers stuck in them from a smarter one that decided to go around instead of across. Also they leave the mouse alive for a period of time.

Rodenticides do work, but I see a major issue with using them in or around a camper.... where does the mouse die after it eats the rodenticide? In your wall? In your ceiling? In that hollow space near your water pump that you just can’t get to? If you can’t remove the mouse after it dies, you will have a very unpleasant time waiting for the smell to go away, then you have to live with the idea that there are dead mice ‘somewhere’. I would never use them in my unit.

And finally, snap traps. This is my go to almost all the time. Peanut butter is my preferred bait and has proven very effective. When putting them out in a camper, I recommend using quite a few, in case one or two gets falsely tripped. Also I recommend putting a paper plate or something underneath the trap so if the critter ‘leaks’ after ‘visiting’ then it doesn’t stain your surfaces.

Now all this information is for mice. Rats are a bit of a different story.

I hope this helps someone who is dealing with mice in their rv. Exclusion is also a good thing to do, and what I mean is trying to seal any possible entry point. This is a daunting task, seeing as mice can enter a 1/4 in gap. But a tube of caulk and some patience goes a long way. Crawl around underneath and around the bottom and just try to think like a mouse.

[Nominefili]

Originally Posted by Winemaker2

So from your vast experience... Any idea if the unpleasant sounds emitted after being caught in the glue traps might be warning cries... Stay away Danger... If so that might act as a deterrent to others?

But OTOH... If it's a cry for help it may bring more in?

Would love to know which!!!

I can definitely say trapping a rodent on a glue trap does not deter the activity of others. Hence the ability to catch multiple ones on same glue trap or different catches on separate glue trap.

[Nominefili]

This would be true for any trapping method. It's always possible to catch multiple rodents in close proximity placements. And rodenticide certainly has a place as a viable control method, but I agree, using it inside an RV should be avoided. Rodents certainly could crawl into your RV after eating a lethal dose, but the majority of the time my experience shows most baited outside will die outside. If there's an active issue, due to the potential for rodent borne pathogens in such an small enclosed area, all measures should be considered for fast eradication.

[Nominefili]

IMO, glue traps aren't the best choice for this, but if you have nothing else, put them out. Then buy something else lol.

[anthem16]

Originally Posted by happycamperz

I am a certified supervisor for a large pest control company is missouri. I deal with mice on a daily basis so I’ll give my opinions and experiences if you don’t mind:

Oils/repellants/etc do not work nearly as much as you’d like to think they do. Just because you used those and don’t have mice doesn’t mean that’s why you don’t have mice. I’ve seen mice live right next to the ultrasonic things or run around near the oils and not care at all.

Sticky traps only have about 40% success rate. They will easily catch the younger mice, but the older ones are usually a bit smarter than that. Often I have found whiskers stuck in them from a smarter one that decided to go around instead of across. Also they leave the mouse alive for a period of time.

Rodenticides do work, but I see a major issue with using them in or around a camper.... where does the mouse die after it eats the rodenticide? In your wall? In your ceiling? In that hollow space near your water pump that you just can’t get to? If you can’t remove the mouse after it dies, you will have a very unpleasant time waiting for the smell to go away, then you have to live with the idea that there are dead mice ‘somewhere’. I would never use them in my unit.

And finally, snap traps. This is my go to almost all the time. Peanut butter is my preferred bait and has proven very effective. When putting them out in a camper, I recommend using quite a few, in case one or two gets falsely tripped. Also I recommend putting a paper plate or something underneath the trap so if the critter ‘leaks’ after ‘visiting’ then it doesn’t stain your surfaces.

Now all this information is for mice. Rats are a bit of a different story.

I hope this helps someone who is dealing with mice in their rv. Exclusion is also a good thing to do, and what I mean is trying to seal any possible entry point. This is a daunting task, seeing as mice can enter a 1/4 in gap. But a tube of caulk and some patience goes a long way. Crawl around underneath and around the bottom and just try to think like a mouse.

Good stuff,thanks

[diesel odor]

Originally Posted by anthem16

Good stuff,thanks

Used glue traps with good success
You have to get them band discard the mice before they can reproduce. Also have to check often because of the odor. Yeah they die a slow agonizing death. I live near open space and my neighbor sprays for rodents. Since I have taken out my BBQ rillAND all food I have a lot less mice. Glue traps also get spiders and flies. With the the snap traps unfortunately you might get tiny specks of blood spatter over your walls, ceiling and furniture. Just saying. Anyone watch forensic files?

Originally Posted by mrt_1111

Mouse tarp tied to a string.

Originally Posted by okie143

You are right on the money about tying them down. I put out some little sticky traps and some big ones for rats. Well a mouse got in the big one, pulled it under my living room slide out and got stuck there. Now when I put the slide out I get a nasty sticky trail across my tie floor. And yes it is almost impossible to get that nasty sticky stuff up.

I have used dawn, alcohol, paint thinner, and even a stiff wire brush. I can get the first one cleaned up, with a lot of effort, but when I let the slide out again, I get another streaking mess.

But at least it catches mice.

I was at a local RV repair shop and a couple called to see what the damage was to their trailer, as mice had gotten in and ate the insulation off the wires. The RV tech said he hadn't finish tearing stuff out to get to the wiring and he was already 5 hours into it. That is $95.00 an hour for 5 hours and he hasn't even gotten to the wire yet!! Ugh.