Keeping critters and rodents out

[riffraff]

Before I left Minnesota we had a problem with small mice getting in the house. $1.49 for a pair of classic spring-loaded traps did the trick nicely. Worked out to be about 10 cents per mouse dispatched (sorry lil guys but you spread disease). Surprisingly effective although probably not as practical for inside a vehicle. The slightest vibration could set them off.

 

[pros80]

Good Solutions,

I was hoping for don't worry I never had mice answers!! So I'm dissapointed, but I'll keep dry foods in a metal can for now and I'll park in big box parking lots versus forests etc..

One thing I notice by dumpsters and trash cans at big box stores fast food places etc..

there are black boxes placed around, which I assume are rodent traps. I guess it wouldn't hurt to pick one up and place at the corner tire of the vehicle.

 

[highdesertranger]

space man I can relate to the dryer sheets. I can't stand the foo foo smell of them myself. pros80 those black boxes are indeed rodent traps they have poison bait in them so keep any pets away. highdesertranger

 

[Luisafernandes]

So far I haven't seen any signs of mice on the van, not the case with my old VW Jetta I just sold a few months ago.
One time after being laid off from work for about 7 months I went to do an oil change. Since I hadn't work I didn't use the car much, so it sat there on my driveway surrounded by 5 acres of trees in the Poconos, sometimes for days without moving.
Every time I did an oil change I also changed the air filter and cab filter. Usually that would be done every 3 months or so. But 7 months later I was shocked to find a mice nest inside the cabin filter. And to think I was breathing that stuff every time I drove the car!
Why couldn't you smell it you might ask? I didn't. Well, it smelled a little different. I guess little by little I got used to it. : (
So check those filters!! You don't want to be breathing in that filth!

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

space man I can relate to the dryer sheets. I can't stand the foo foo smell of them myself.highdesertranger

Ya, I can't stand the smell either. I have found that I cannot smell them after they have been exposed to air for a couple of months. Still seem to repel rodents (insert old elephant repelant joke here). Never looked to see if there are unscented sheets or if they work, as I have always used them in something stored and not used.

Really don't want to have rodents in or around your living space as their excretions carry very nasty stuff (can get airborne when dry, so don't vacuum).

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hantavirus

-- Spiff

 

[akrvbob]

Mice aren't just looking for food, they want a safe place to build a nest and have babies.

Every year I was a campground host I had to take nests filled with babies out of my toilets because they nested in them. There was NEVER food in those toilets!!!

No matter how clean you keep your van, there is food there for them so the combination of warm and safe place to have their babies and food is irresistable.
Bob

 

[SternWake]

Yeah mice are cute till you find their droppings near you food, or listen to their scratching trying to get in, or eat your wiring harnesses.

Vermin.

One time in North Western Australia, where I first learned the bucket/peanut butter trick trap. I stuck my hand into a 'slab of piss' for a beer and felt a mouse climb up my arm. I was startled enough that mouse went flying airborn when I withdrew my hand. Cartwheeling airborn mice proved to be quite amusing. The sea life there was so abundant, I could have used the mice as bait.

I had no refrigeration there and bought 12 packs of long life milk, and the mice chewed off a corner of every single one, and I declared war.

No remorse, no cute factor, just evil disease spreading vermin to be dealt with.

 

[GypsySilver]

When the dust cleared the next day they took a locked cargo carrier that fits on top of a car that had bird food inside. They dragged it a good 75 feet into the woods and were jumping on top of it. They did not have lock-picking tools so they just ripped the metal hinges right off.

O.M.G.!!! Do I need to be worried about having food in an RV and bears breaking in?

On a side note - I lived in the Poconos for a year and loved it there. I was close to Effort, Pa.

 

[SoulRaven]

Effort PA is a suburb of New York City therefore not the same type of bear.

 

[highdesertranger]

gypsysilver I wouldn't be worried but be aware. a rv is no match for a determined bear. a bear can even get their claws in the small crack of a car door and pry the door open. but this type of behavior is pretty rare. in sequoia np the bears have figured out how to open the bear proof food containers. so just be aware and keep a clean camp. highdesertranger

 

[akrvbob]

Let's stay on mice here folks. We have had multiple bear threads in the past and you can always start a new one.

A 5 gallon bucket with peanut butter at every point they can climb up should keep you mice free and it's pretty cheap and easy but takes up a lot of space.

I've found rat poison to work best for me-cheap and easy and doesn't take up any room.

It will kill your pets!!! And saving them from it will cost you about $1000. So only put it places mice can reach it but your dog or cat can't.
Bob

 

[Zil]

"I've found rat poison to work best for me-cheap and easy and doesn't take up any room."
had a rat die from poison laid up in a tight space under the floor. The stink was unbearable for a few days or more.
I also wondered about poisoned critters getting eaten by other things that then died. I like hawks and snakes.

 

[exitinn]

I am trying to get mice , rats out of my RV now . Have 4 traps , 2 with peanut butter , 2 with Slim Jim's . Got 2 but another one I cant get . Have a hole in my water line some where . Do not like them .

 

[LeeRevell]

Having had mice problems in my prior S&B home, I found that the infestation only ended when I bagged&tagged "Big Momma".
Mouse Pruf II - 7 mice.
Crosman 2240 CO2 .22 air pistol - 8 mice.
SIze 15 boot - one very stoopid little mouse! ;-)

Another problem with the poison is the mouse runs off and dies in hiding - in a closet, a drawer (under clothes) or in the walls..... YUCK!

 

[user 423]

No remorse, no cute factor, just evil disease spreading vermin to be dealt with.

Yeah, I'm taking very seriously the warnings about mice spreading bubonic plague and hanta virus in southern CO and northern NM .

 

[highdesertranger]

while I am no fan of poison bait it does have a useful purpose. it is sometimes necessary, the alternatives are not good. btw are you aware that are government uses poison bait on our public lands. highdesertranger

 

[pros80]

I am debating of always keeping poison bait around the tires,

Tomcat sells pet safe bait stations that I might try.

But it seems in suburbs and cities that with buildings and traps near buildings and stores, that may take care of the issue in the area. Maybe also parking lot lights may also deter. So no need to add to it.

I would think a building would be more attractive to pests than a van too.

The wilderness and boondocks are probably a different story.

 

[highdesertranger]

believe me I was not defending the government. just bringing the subject up. highdesertranger

 

[exitinn]

I think I run my rodents off . They must have got tired of me messing with them . Now to find the water leak . If you have ideas let me know . Under the bed is my next search .

 

[highdesertranger]

do you have a schematic of a water system. start at the tank and follow the lines. first dry and then under pressure if you can't find it dry. I have posted a generic schematic on here before if you can't find it let me know I can repost. highdesertranger