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Topic: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay? (Read 1800 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #25 –
Dani — Believe me, if we can entice him out, he's yours!  We'll let you know if you need to overnight the keys.  :-)

Pamela & Mike — Thanks for the likely ID on our visitor.  Presumably, not harmful?  Read your link, thanks, but it's what they didn't say that worries us.  We'll look under/in the manifold area tomorrow.  He was not at all bothered by using our awning hook to knock gently under his hiding place. 

Nice to think there is no route up into the coach from there!  Wish we WERE somewhere around east Texas.  We'd stop for sure!  Thanks for the offer.


The selected media item is not currently available.Richard & Susan Peck
____________________
1999 40' U320 "Bob Patrick"
(2000 4010 U320 WTFE Floor Plan, Single Slide)
Build #5567  |  MC #17522

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #26 –
Richard,

Mike said that the Back King snake is one of the most docile of King snakes.  At least with him on board you shouldn't have a rodent problem and the snake don't have a taste for wire insulation.  One other thing, tapping on the underside of the coach belly pan won't bother him as that area is aprox. 1 5/8" thick.

Pamela

On a side note  how Mike can recall this info faster than I can look it up on the computer still amazes me.
Pamela & Mike 97 U 320

"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters."

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #27 –
Here's a little update including preliminary results of my very unscientific rodent riddance testing. It looks like peppermint really does repel mice. I was catching mice in my cargo bay with a mousetrap right up to the point where I put peppermint extract on cotton balls and stuck them in the wiring chase, which is the only place I can find that the mice can get in. It's been several weeks and I have yet to catch a mouse in the cargo bay since I put the peppermint cotton balls in the chase. A few days ago I noticed a cotton ball on the ground beside my coach and presumed a clever mouse had thrown it out, so I put an Altoids peppermint candy in the wiring chase instead. I still haven't caught any mice inside the cargo bay with an Altoids in the chase. I really like the smell of Peppermint except it gives me a craving for York Peppermint Patties (get the sensation) which I don't have any of unfortunately but maybe I'll buy a huge package of them at the after Halloween candy sale?! :)

The much ballyhooed theory of leaving a light on inside the engine bay apparently doesn't work well to repel mice. I put a mousetrap on the frame rail beside the engine and it catches almost as many mice at night with the light on as it does during daylight. As a result I won't be running out to buy a hundred dollar coil of LED lights to put under my coach and annoy my neighbors. I unplugged my engine block heater and plugged a night light into the socket just to test the theory of leaving a light on in the engine bay.

The newfangled plastic "better mousetraps" apparently don't work well. I bought six of them, of two completely different designs, and so far they've caught exactly one mouse between the six of them. One of the newfangled mousetraps was actually destroyed by a clever mouse that threw it off the frame rail and broke it. The old fashioned wooden moustraps catch so many mice that I actually wore one of them out already. The thing was stained with the blood of many a mouse so it was probably time to replace it.

My advice at this point is to put a peppermint Altoids mint in either end of your wiring chase where it goes into the coach in front of the rear axle and behind the front axle. Put an old fashioned wooden mousetrap inside your cargo bay door and another one on the frame rail beside your engine and check them every day. I'm using peanut butter as bait on the traps. I haven't caught anything except mice in my mousetraps, which is good because we have beautiful Abert squirrels with cool looking ear tufts here in Bandelier national monument and I don't want to hurt them.
Scott Cook
1991 U300 36' 6V92TA
Old Town Penobscot 16
1984 Honda VF1100C (V65 Magna)

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #28 –
....well Scott, here they've moved from the bay into the coach itself, have caught 2 in glue traps (peanut butter!) in the past 24 hours, have the peppermint oil, just no time yet....oh & 12 bars of Irish Spring....we're practically below water here in VA....bailing out of here (literally) tomorrow so will get further west & deal with it accordingly....now, who was it that said they couldn't move from the bays to the coach itself?  >:D

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #29 –
We use "Fresh Cab" inside and in the storage bays. It has been very effective and we like its aroma. It's available at Menards and online and probably other places.
David and Carolyn Osborn
1995 U320C SE 40' Build 4726 Feb 1995
FMCA 147762
Motorcade 17186

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #30 –
Scott, thanks for the encouraging update.  Like Miz Dani, we haven't been able to place our peppermint oil on cotton balls yet (although we have purchased both) because we are dealing with east coast weather.  But glad to know, in your case, it stopped all intrusions.

Miz Dani, so SORRY to hear the VA trip has proven wet.  Joaquin hasn't helped, though thankfully he has stayed offshore so far.  So now you are going to be a "weather refugee," as we are (currently docked in west central Georgia, waiting until we can go back to SC/NC).  Shout, if we can do anything to help?

PS: Miz Dani, if we can find the snake, we'll send him your way.  But by all indications, he crawled out the night after we took the photo of him peering out of the wet bay.  He may now regret that, if he remained in the floods of the western NC mountains.  Or he may still be down below, somewhere between the dump outlet and the water manifold block, cheering at his good fortune and toasting those of us upstairs with a glass of whatever snakes drink!  ;-)

The selected media item is not currently available.Richard & Susan Peck
____________________
1999 40' U320 "Bob Patrick"
(2000 4010 U320 WTFE Floor Plan, Single Slide)
Build #5567  |  MC #17522

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #31 –

This stuff seems to work for us. Mouse Magic.

Amazon.com: Bonide Mouse Magic Pest Repellent , Pack of 12: Pet Supplies

Oooo a snake.  Found a garter snake in the barn one day, not in the coach.

We are fighting mice who have decided that the top of the slidng door tracks on the barn is their new favorite place.  There is a cover over the track somthere is a space up there for the mouse party and the mess they leave.  Sprayed peppermint oil up in there today after pressure washing that space yesterday. Smells much different.

As an Amazon Associate Foretravel Owners' Forum earns from qualifying purchases.
Roger Engdahl and Susan Green
2001 U320 3610 #5879 (Home2) - 2014 Jeep Cherokee or 2018 F150
Hastings, MN

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #32 –
Quote from: Miz Dani –
now, who was it that said they couldn't move from the bays to the coach itself?  >:D
Miz D,

In a U-270 the easiest place they can get in to the interior of your coach via the heating ducts.  You need to put screen covers over the ducts that come out over your water pump. We had that happen to us when we had a U-240.

Pamela
Pamela & Mike 97 U 320

"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters."

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #33 –
Pamela & Mike, others . . .

And, just in case, any suggestions re: a U320? Heating ducts?  No evidence of mice, but would like to take preventative steps.  Ditto if the snake decided to tag along, rather than staying in the flood zone.

With thanks!
The selected media item is not currently available.Richard & Susan Peck
____________________
1999 40' U320 "Bob Patrick"
(2000 4010 U320 WTFE Floor Plan, Single Slide)
Build #5567  |  MC #17522

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #34 –
Quote from: LookingWest –
And, just in case, any suggestions re: a U320? Heating ducts? 
Richard,
Your coach basement heat is obtained by most likely 2 heat exchangers.  One in the area of the water pump/water manifold and one in the area hid behind the wall in your service bay.  The hoses that feed these go through the cable tray to your Aqua Hot so you have no ducting for little critters to migrate through into you cabin living area. You do have a couple of penetrations through the floor like where your toilet and grey water goes through but they should be sealed with sealer.

Hope this is the info you are asking for in a U-320.

Pamela & Mike
Pamela & Mike 97 U 320

"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters."

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #35 –
Pamela & Mike,

Perfect — that was the answer we were hoping for.  Every visible penetration of the floor seems to have been so well-sealed that acouple have stalactite-like formations descending from the sealant.  We're trusting, then, that those we can't see are as well-sealed.

So, thanks, Mike for the probable identification of the snake, as well as for information on the U320 construction!


Richard & Susan
The selected media item is not currently available.Richard & Susan Peck
____________________
1999 40' U320 "Bob Patrick"
(2000 4010 U320 WTFE Floor Plan, Single Slide)
Build #5567  |  MC #17522

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #36 –
Good Luck !
Dave W. (AKA Toyman )
'03, 270, 36', Build 6095, Pulling whatever I hook it to.

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."
Dr Seuss

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #37 –
There are always cats in the basement.
Roger Engdahl and Susan Green
2001 U320 3610 #5879 (Home2) - 2014 Jeep Cherokee or 2018 F150
Hastings, MN

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #38 –
Here's a little update on a "better mouse trap" that actually works, amazingly well in fact. If you put a little water in a bucket, mice will jump up into the bucket and drown in a few minutes. They can't jump back out of the bucket as they're swimming in the water. A few obvious improvements you can make to this bucket trap include the addition of bait, such as peanut butter or Nutella. You can make a couple of little holes on opposite sides of the top of the bucket and string some mechanic's wire (or coat hanger wire) through the little holes across the top of the bucket. Make a little hole in the center of the bottom of a plastic soda bottle and slide the wire through the little hole in the bottom of the bottle and out through the mouth of the bottle so the bottle spins freely on the wire like a big roller bearing. spread some peanut butter or Nutella around the center of the bottle so the mice have to crawl out onto the wire and try to stand on the spinning bottle to reach the bait. They'll fall into the water and drown. If you're like me and you can't remember where you put the roll of mechanic's wire you pride yourself on having, you can use a pair of needle nose pliers to bend the wire handle of the bucket down flat across the top of the bucket and spread peanut butter on the spinning plastic handle. You can also add a "buffalo jump" by leaning a stick against the top of the bucket so mice will climb up the ramp. You never know when a mouse might be too lazy to jump into the bucket. In freezing cold weather add a little antifreeze to the water so it won't freeze. Don't use antifreeze unless you really need it because you might poison wildlife if animals drink it. Put just enough water in the bucket so a mouse can't touch bottom and jump out of the bucket. Don't put enough water in the bucket to drown a squirrel or other wildlife. You only want to kill mice. So far the world record here at Bandelier national monument is 17 mice killed in one bucket trap in a single night. Please let me know if you've found a way to beat that record. :)

The only other mouse trap that actually works is the traditional wooden trap with a spring. I caught so many mice with those that I wore one of them out and I lost several traps too. The plastic "better mouse traps" that you see in the store don't work. I bought a couple of different types and each type caught exactly one mouse after several weeks, or months. During that same period of time I caught so many mice with the wooden traps that I lost count. It's far better to catch the mice outside the coach (or toad) with a bucket trap than to catch them inside with a wooden trap, just saying. Since I set up my bucket trap I haven't caught any mice with the other traps. I only catch mice at night, never in the daytime. I already tried leaving a light on in the engine compartment at night and the light definitely doesn't repel mice. Each morning I fish the dead mice out of the bucket trap with a couple of sticks, chopstick style, without touching them at all. I also don't have to worry about the wooden trap whacking me on the finger as I'm trying to set it... ouch!

So there you have it. Every survival skill I've learned about camping in the middle of the worst rodent infestation a semi-sensible person can tolerate... Hopefully you'll never need to know any of this. :)
Scott Cook
1991 U300 36' 6V92TA
Old Town Penobscot 16
1984 Honda VF1100C (V65 Magna)

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #39 –
The 3 places we stay long term have stray cats.  I've befriended and pet them so they sleep outside of my coach (don't even have to feed them!).  No rodents!  Now if only I could teach them to eat ants.

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #40 –
...well OK here's how I finally got the 2 that were buggin' me a couple months ago....1st one was stupid enough to show his face on the edge of the trash can, I took one look, kicked the can, in he went, stuck a plastic bin on top & anchored it down with a 12 pack of diet root beer...only problem was he beat the heck out of the trash can/bag & by the time I found a willing victim (thanks Larry!) to help me get him out of the coach, (a 2 person job) he'd practically torn the snot out of the can....them little buggers sure can fight! The 2nd one wasn't very smart either, he got into a glue trap (lookin' for his lost buddy) the very next night, baited w/peanut butter....no more since then, but ready & armed with peppermint oil & cotton balls. Whoever said they can't get into the coach from the bays was fulla bulla!  :)) 

Scott, my caretaker up at the ranch puts a flat wooden stick up to the side of a big empty bucket with a Hershey's kiss in it & they go up the ramp, into the bucket for the chocolate & that's it for them! (he fishes 'em out & "teaches 'em to swim" after that)

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #41 –
I haven't used a Hershey Kiss as bait. I was told Nutella is much stickier than peanut butter so you never have to re-bait the trap. I may buy some today and try it, but peanut butter works great if you don't mind re-baiting the trap(s) regularly.
Scott Cook
1991 U300 36' 6V92TA
Old Town Penobscot 16
1984 Honda VF1100C (V65 Magna)

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #42 –
Quote from: RRadio –
I'm camped at Bandelier national monument, where rodents carry horrible diseases, and suddenly I have mice in my cargo bay. Well I'm exaggerating a little cuz I've actually only killed two mice with traps so far and I've been here a month. Still, I've traveled all over the country and never had a mouse get in before I got here. Has this happened to other folks on this forum? Are the mice coming in through the chase the wires and hoses run through? Was anyone able to find a way to keep the mice out? Just thought I'd ask on here before attempting to reinvent the wheel.

Rodents will SQUEEEEEEEEZE in through some of the tights spaces imaginable!

At night, use a flashlight from inside the bay into the coach or reverse view to see if and where any light is visible from the opposite side. Once found, use the expandable spray foam to fill these holes and or a steel wool stuffed in these holes. They hate that. 
Live, Laugh, Love.
You never know when it will all be over!!!!!
 

Re: how to keep rodents out of cargo bay?

Reply #43 –
Apparently I have solved the mouse problem. I haven't caught a mouse for many months now. I think mice were getting into the cargo bay through the chase that the wires and hoses go through the full length of the coach. I crawled underneath and filled up either end of the chase with "Great Stuff" and haven't caught any mice since... Hope this helps someone reading this.
Scott Cook
1991 U300 36' 6V92TA
Old Town Penobscot 16
1984 Honda VF1100C (V65 Magna)