On the second morning after our return to the Texas Rio Grande Valley, we were woken up at 1:15 AM to the sound of a critter exploring behind or above the bed's headboard. After seeing nothing in the cabinets above the bed, I went outside to lift the engine hatch and look around. Found nothing. Got tools out and removed the panel in the cupboard above the bed where the backup camera access panel is. Used a light and mirror to look left and right in the open spaces behind the cupboard. In the driver side corner. I saw what looked like a large rat! Placed two sticky traps in the space and closed it up. Tried to sleep. HA!
In the morning I called Richard the neighborhood's amateur trapper. He determined that it was a baby possum. He was unable to grab it with his stick/claw. After a while of harassing the critter without being able to grab it, Richard paused. Neither of us knew what to do next. Fortunately, the possum decided to back down and out of the motorhome. My wife Joan saw him climbing down the inside of the engine compartment wall, but never saw him hit the ground and run away. Hopefully he is long gone. We've had quiet nights since then. I have verified the operation of the camera and the interior 12-volt lights. The entrance point appears to be in the engine compartment in the space between the exterior wall and the air intake tube. Our site backs up to a utility right-a-way and then to farmer Dan's cow pastor. Richard routinely traps possums, skunks, snakes, rats, and even an occasional feral cat. So, I seal up around our sewer, electrical, water, and CATV connections. My question is: how do you seal a much larger gap between the air intake pipe and the exterior wall? My first and only thought so far is to stuff fiberglass screening in that gap (while we are stationary).
Bob
Some time back, there was a thread about one of our members suffering a similar "intrusion". They came up with a template for cutting wood panels that fit up into the open spaces above the engine, and sealed off that access point to critters. I'm trying to find the thread, but so far no luck...
Standby. Perhaps someone else will find it while I'm looking.
Bob,
Ours was a full grown racoon that got us up.
Several of us have added a critter blocker. This is a piece that fills the void around the air intake pipe on one side and over the tail light on the passengers side. I will post a pic. later today of the pattern of the 2 pieces that we have added. Now we have had to modify these templates to fit several different coaches as not all coaches rear caps are in the exact same location.
We are the ones Chuck is talking about and I can't find the thread either.
Mike
:dance: Found the thread:
Busy squirrel (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=21635.0)
Chuck,
Mike knew that we had posted pics. long ago but I couldn't find them. Thanks
I still don't know how Mike can remember about a post from 4 or 5 years ago.
Pamela
Pam,
He's probably like me. Stuff I did 4 or 5 years ago I can recall pretty good...what I did last week is where I have a problem. Just ask Jeannie.
Good luck! We had a Racoon cut a 18" x 6" hole through our 3/4" plywood cladding on the roof. Took him 2 nights. Smokey got yelled at for barking all night to tell us.. Sorry Smokey. Fortunately his measurements were wrong and he only got in the soffit. Those critters can get in any where.
Keith