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Topic: Keeping mice out of engine compartment (Read 1164 times) previous topic - next topic

Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Was reviewing the older posts here on this topic and it appears that peppermint oil would be the way to go for us. I also saw that someone was mixing it with water in a sprayer. Any suggestions, on the ratio of water to oil?

Jim

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #1 –
I use it full strength in a sprayer bottle, and spray cotton pads in compartments.  At least I do that when we're not in grizzly country, which is where we are now (Island Park, ID - near West Yellowstone) for 3 months.  Mint oil was working fine :(, but grizzlies are apparently attracted to almost any strong scent. 

My current plan is to saturate all compartments with mouse traps...
Dave and Nancy
1999/2013 U270 36' Xtreme
Motorcade # 16774
2013 Subaru Outback
KD0NIM

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #2 –
So far (knock on wood) rope lights encircling the coach and set to turn on & off with timers has worked in all the years we have been fulltiming. 

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #3 –
Quote from: Two Hams in a Can –
So far (knock on wood) rope lights encircling the coach and set to turn on & off with timers has worked in all the years we have been fulltiming. 

Does light color make a difference? Someone here just loaned us some rope lights to try out but they are rainbow colored.

Jim

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #4 –
       No mice around my coach . I have A black cat named Pepper . He  patrols around my coach 24--7  He carries one  m-16  and A K-Bar Skinning knife . Some how he's putting on weight . May have to lease him out .
Brad Metzger
2010 Phenix 45'

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #5 –
Brad, my black racer is now challenging the cats.


The selected media item is not currently available.Bill&Doris 97 U270 36'
University of Parris Island Class of 66
Semper Fi  Build# 5174 MC#17094

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #6 –
Crapola, mice I can defeat question is.................how do you keep grizzlies out...pray tell?
Dub McBride 1996 270

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #7 –
   Looks like you hit that nail on the head ------PRAY----
Brad Metzger
2010 Phenix 45'

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #8 –
No doubt.......... and alot.
Dub McBride 1996 270

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #9 –
Quote from: Jim –
Quote from: Two Hams in a Can –
So far (knock on wood) rope lights encircling the coach and set to turn on & off with timers has worked in all the years we have been fulltiming. 

Does light color make a difference? Someone here just loaned us some rope lights to try out but they are rainbow colored.

Jim
Not sure, Jim.  However, my thoughts are it's the light rather than the color that's a deterrent; many animals are colorblind, but someone with zoological skills would need to chime in on that!

Mice & Peppermint oil....

Reply #10 –
So ... when we were in Nac Mr Wonderful invested in the WashWax All Coach Beautification System, with the fluffy blue cleaning pads and the miracle stuff to spray on your coach and the nice long handle.  He has used it enough to be really happy with his purchase, and keeps it all in one of the passenger side bays so that it is handy.  He prepared to use it not long ago, and discovered that some critter had efficiently denuded about half of one of the drying pads by pulling out large numbers of the fluffy blue nubbins.  They didn't like the taste of the "wet" one, because that was left alone. 
Today I doused a good number of cotton balls with Real Peppermint Oil and put 3 in each side of every bay.  I think I really must have soaked those babies, because just now ... about 3 hours after my treatment ... Jeff was getting something out of the bays and just about swooned!  We will hope that this oil accomplishes what the Glooey Looey and mouse traps were not able to do.  In the meantime ... we are minty fresh!!
Carol & Jeff Savournin
Usta have a '93 U225 36', Usta have a '95 U320 40', Usta have a '02 U320 40'
Usta have a 2006 Born Free, Usta have a 2011 Phoenix Cruiser
Usta have a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 4dr
"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."  Steve Jobs

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #11 –
We recently had success eliminating one of those annoying critters with an old fashioned spring trap baited with cheese. I have left another trap baited with peanut butter in the service entrance bay.
J D Stevens
1997 U295 CAI 36' Build #5085
2002 Subaru Outback
Motorcade 16869
Bellville, TX

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #12 –
Only had mice once in the coach and a trap fixed that. Put it outside the coach actually in the garage and the guy came to get the peanut butter.  Best way to keep them out of the engine is to run the engine. They will not be able to keep up...  :)
2025 Wanderbox Outpost 32 on F600 Expedition Motorhome
2015 Born Free Royal Splendor on Ford 550 nonslide version  for sale
Former Coaches  covering. 360,000 miles
1999 34 U270
2000 36 U320
2001 42' double slide U320
2018 Jeep Rubicon

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #13 –
Several of the neighborhood kitties like to hang out in the back yard of the shop where I keep the coach. Every now and then I discover a mouse carcass in the bed of the pickup (which has an old, ratty canopy over it).

Nice kitties!

Craig
1993 U225 36' Unihome GV with PACBRAKE exhaust retarder, Banks Stinger and Solar Panels.
Toad: 1999 Jeep Wrangler 2-door soft-top.

"No one has ever had to evacuate a city because the solar panels broke."

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #14 –
At home (Tucson) we wage an unending war with pack rats. If a vehicle sits in our driveway for three days, the little guys move in and begin chowing down on wires. Over the years we have tried seemingly every solution: mothballs, peppermint, dryer sheets... Anyhow, at least for our pesky pack rats, the only effective solution is the one TwoHams use, light. I keep an incandescent light under the engine area of the motorhome and a string of rope lights around the perimeter.

When boon docking we don't use the rope lights but do have four solar lights that we place strategically around the RV.
jor
93 225
95 300
97 270
99 320

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #15 –

I have had success with the sticky board traps. Put a Hershey Kiss in the middle, they can't pass up the chocolate.
John Duld
1995 U320C SE 40'

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #16 –
Quote
John says-  I have had success with the sticky board traps. Put a Hershey Kiss in the middle, they can't pass up the chocolate.

Trouble is, I can't pass up the chocolate either, so I've found that sticky boards are sticky.

Glen
Glen Kenney
Colmesneil, Tx
Former owner of
1997 40' U320
Build # 5099

Re: Keeping mice out of engine compartment

Reply #17 –
Glen, don't you ever drop one of those Herseys kisses after you unwrapped it? That's the one the mice get. The others you get.