Mouse infestation

[spindrift]

Many, many ideas on how to prevent mouse entry.  Unfortunately, they've taken over and even TomKat poison can't get rid of them.

Any ideas?

[Darryl&Rita]

Seal the entries.

[spindrift]

I've got to get them out first.

[hemsteadc]

Spring traps with peanut butter

[Barbaraok]

Humane traps with peanut butter.   Take them way away from RV and release.  

[2gypsies]

You first need to seal the entries then set traps to catch the ones that are inside.  We found spring traps with peanut butter works best.  Don't put down pellets.  They'll just carry them away and die somewhere and the smell is terrible.

[dlundby]

What has worked best for us is using bait stations outside of the rv in combination with mint spayed inside the rv. The mint should be spread once a month.

[steiny93]

5 gallon bucket trap(s) outside the RV with bait (catch them before then get into the rv), you'll also want to trap whatever you currently have inside, peanut butter is a great bait

[spindrift]

I appreciate the replies.  You'd be surprised how many TopKat blocks I've put out that always get eaten; both inside the RV and outside around the wheel wells.  It looks like I won't be able to endorse the product.

[Ray,IN]

5 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

You first need to seal the entries then set traps to catch the ones that are inside.  We found spring traps with peanut butter works best.  Don't put down pellets.  They'll just carry them away and die somewhere and the smell is terrible.

That has not been my experience using mouse bait over the last 40 years. Most mouse bait contains warfarin, when they eat it they begin to bleed internally which makes them very thirsty, then they go out looking for water.

spindrift; the first thing that must be done is totally remove ALL foodstuffs from the RV. Mice build nests where food is nearby. One female mouse can have up to 8 litters a year, so every day you  delay is a missed opportunity to eliminate them.

 

Edited September 7, 2021 by Ray,IN

[2gypsies]

We had a long storage tube to carry flyrods.  When we went to retrieve them there were mouse pellets in it with a dead mouse.

We only had one time with a mouse issue..... parked in Stanley, Idaho next to a meadow.  Everyone there had the problem.  We set spring traps with peanut butter - about 10 of them inside and in the basement.  They were snapping all night long for a couple nights.  We then left and set them one more time.  None afterwards.  This was in one September and I think the mice were looking for their winter home to escape the winter.  Never found the entry but never had a problem after that for years.

Edited September 7, 2021 by 2gypsies

[Ray,IN]

5 hours ago, 2gypsies said:

You first need to seal the entries then set traps to catch the ones that are inside.  We found spring traps with peanut butter works best.  Don't put down pellets.  They'll just carry them away and die somewhere and the smell is terrible.

duplicate removed

Edited September 7, 2021 by Ray,IN

[RV_]

I always mixed some uncooked Quaker Oats to the peanut butter for bait.

I sealed our houses and RVs with steel wool stuffed holes sealed by urethane foam top and bottom. I squirt some down the hole, then steel wool, then urethane. But this suggests mixing it unto caulk. Less messy and water cleanup. They will push steel wool out of the way if it isn't done with calk or foam.

https://rodentguide.com/steel-wool-for-mice-control/

I have this exact walk the plank trap. Remember to dig a hole away from your spot and pour the carcasses and water in the hole and cover when the water has drained down with dirt.

 

[spindrift]

Folks, don't forget, these are Texas mice. 

[Star Dreamer]

On 9/7/2021 at 9:53 PM, spindrift said:

Folks, don't forget, these are Texas mice. 

Then in that case most of us would consider them Rats since "everything is bigger in Texas".

[bruce t]

Once you get rid of the mice you need to wash down the rv. Including underneath. Mice leave sent trails. The next mouse that comes along will just follow the sent trails and it all starts again.

[spindrift]

8 hours ago, Star Dreamer said:

Then in that case most of us would consider them Rats since "everything is bigger in Texas".

Much cuter than rats...

3 hours ago, bruce t said:

Once you get rid of the mice you need to wash down the rv. Including underneath. Mice leave sent trails. The next mouse that comes along will just follow the sent trails and it all starts again.

I wasn't aware of that point. 

[Kirk W]

16 minutes ago, spindrift said:

I wasn't aware of that point. 

Scent Trails and Your Mouse Problem

[bruce t]

Thanks for the link Kirk. We were in Washington state and picked up a few mice. For about a year will still had mice. (They never got inside the motorhome. Just the ceiling and basement). We visited the motorhome manufacturers factory for another issue. They removed the rear cap and found a colony of nests and mice. They removed everything and sealed the rear cap when they reinstalled it. Then they took the motorhome outside and gave the underside a high pressure wash. No more mouses. They told us about the scent trails. 

 

[hemsteadc]

On 9/7/2021 at 1:54 PM, spindrift said:

 You'd be surprised how many TopKat blocks I've put out that always get eaten; both inside the RV and outside around the wheel wells.  

Spring traps are effective, but not infallible.  I've found where the critters have eaten the PB but not sprung the trap!

Edited September 10, 2021 by hemsteadc

[Barbaraok]

14 minutes ago, hemsteadc said:

Spring traps are effective, but not infallible.  I've found where the critters have eaten the PB but not sprung the trap!

Which is why we use a humane trap, to get to the peanut butter, they have to go completely inside.   It does work, but of course, the poor mouse is still alive so you do have to walk it to a potentially habitat for it.   We had one, thought it had gone, then it reappeared when we moved to another county.   So we trapped it and turned it loose in long grasses, trees away from the RV park - whether it established a new home or become someone else's dinner is an unknown.   Put the trap back in that night to see if there was anyone with him/her, but no more 'droppings' underneath the cabinet nor anything in the trap the next morning.   Then we moved again.   Seldom happens, so just have to know what to look for.  

[2gypsies]

A mouse can have 5-10 litters per year.  Don't know why you'd release them!  

https://www.batzner.com/resources/blog-posts/the-rapid-reproduction-rate-of-mice/

Edited September 10, 2021 by 2gypsies

[spindrift]

Texas mice have 10-15 litters per year...

[Barbaraok]

39 minutes ago, 2gypsies said:

A mouse can have 5-10 litters per year.  Don't know why you'd release them!  

https://www.batzner.com/resources/blog-posts/the-rapid-reproduction-rate-of-mice/

In the wild they are part of the food chain.  Maybe a nice breakfast for a bobcat.  I try not to kill living things if I can help it.  

[rickeieio]

Tom, (aka spindrift),

turn on a radio inside the coach.  Mice have great hearing to hear predators, like cats and snakes slithering.  They hate noise that masks that sound.  The mice will leave.  Unless you play country western.. These are Texas mice.

Credit to Randy Agee, RandyA on the HDT side for this tip.

Edited September 10, 2021 by rickeieio