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cclarkego · 07-23-2009, 01:48 AM

My trailer sits in a rural setting. When I am not there, the mice seem to be having Burning Man parties in my absence. Lots of evidence of spilled tiny drinks and even a few wet spots left on my bed. Enough I say!

I tried the granular bait at first with a slight reduction noticed in their subsequent attendance at the events, but also found they were grabbing the stuff and running; rat packing it all over the trailer, like in my shoes, my drinking glass, (revengefull little tykes) and my Kleenex box. Nothing like a fresh snort of blood thinner in the morning....

Then I found a dead owl in the vicinity, oh my God, the guilt.... I gave it a proper burial and returned to the trailer and cleaned out every speck of the stuff I could find.

I decided to go with the old fashioned mouse trap, baited with peanut butter. Set a bunch of them up and started planting them around the trailer. While trying to figure out where the next one should go, I promptly sat down on one which clamped onto my rear, exclaiming loudly about it's efficiency. (I seriously am not making any of this up) That one finally got placed inside the rear bumper with all the sewer pipe stuff, where it sat, just like all the other traps, for the next two weeks, not catching one single mouse. Instead, that is the precise spot where the bear showed up the other night and decided I no longer needed a screened window and tried to sneak into the party without a ticket.

So how do you all handle your mouse problems?

Carol

richinny · 07-23-2009, 02:13 AM

we love them mices to pieces!

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/...elp-53738.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f163/mice-48858.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f368...-me-35174.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/...ive-18984.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/mice-16716.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/...61.html21.html

Lily&Me · 07-23-2009, 05:02 AM

Really, Carol, you need to be a writer!

markjoandall · 07-23-2009, 06:22 AM

Mice seem to hate moth balls.

I take moth balls and wrap about 4 of them in cheese cloth, tie the cloth off at the top, and place about ten of these packages through out the trailer. I make these cheese cloth packages so I can find them. The mice hate moth balls. Maybe bears do also, you never know.

When I use the trailer, I remove the moth balls. It takes about a day to air it out.

Mark

centennialman · 07-23-2009, 06:42 AM

Wow Carol....you certainly are having animal challenges lately!

I agree with the mothball method and also have used dryer sheets with success. For some reason, mice don't like the smell of dryer sheets. I do and they make the trailer smell good while repelling the little critters.

mello mike · 07-23-2009, 07:04 AM

Try Irish Spring bar soap if the others don't work.

ArtStream · 07-23-2009, 07:26 AM

Carol,

After a few sleepless nights in Colorado and 14 mice later I got serious. Between the belly-pan and the living cabin, the wood flooring is peppered with many LARGE access holes. These access holes run along both sides of the trailer. They are for electrical wires, heating ducts, propane and plumbing. While a mouse can exploit the smallest gap, the holes cut into my floor could allow an critter the size of Lima (not a Lama) into my rig.

You can see some of these access holes by poking around under your closets. The largest one is under the shower/tub drain pipe.

Models vary, but in my 1995 classic there are many ways critters can get into the belly pan. The slide channel for the steps is a great example. After a number of unsuccessful remedies at preventing critters from getting into the belly-pan. I decided to drop the banana wrap on the underside of the trailer and seal all the access points in the wood floor between the belly pan and the cabin area.

In some cases I used metal flashing to reduce the size of the holes, but in all cases applied bronze wool mixed with expanding foam.

Like in any good horror movies (Alien, for instance) The only weak point are the heating ducts. The little aliens could chew their way into the duct in the belly pan, and chew their way out after the duct re-enters the cabin.

If this WERE to happen, I would be left with no alternative than to set the trailer on self distruct and abandon ship using the escape pod/tow vehicle.

I realize this method is not practicable for all. I post it here as an example of how I solved MY problem for MY model trailer .
On a side note, sealing up the floor has made my trailer less prone to road dust and drafts.

My name is Michael, and I've been mouse free for 18 months now...

"whata mean they turned off the power, their just animals!" quote from Alien II

silverleeper · 07-23-2009, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArtStream

My name is Michael, and I've been mouse free for 18 months now...

LOL! Oh my! LOL!

Thanks for the morning chuckle.

danalee · 07-23-2009, 07:54 AM

If you didn't live clear on the other side of the country I would lend you my Tiger. He and Nubbin hang out around the Princess and after I cleaned what seemed like truckloads of mouse turds and other nasty stuff, I have been mouse free. I also use steel wool in my house to block the critters and have shot foam around too. I hate the smell fo moth balls but I have tucked dryer sheets around. I am expecting a challenge when the weather gets cold so I might have to add the old fashion mouse traps. You crack me up and know that I am only laughing with you, I'm famous for my lack of grace.

Silverhobby · 07-23-2009, 12:22 PM

I read somewhere recently that Peppermint Oil is a scent that mice hate too. Put the oil on a cottonball and replenish as necessary. A one ounce bottle of 100% oil cost $25.00 at the drugstore near me. The 100% stuff is very strong and should last for a while. I'll report my results later.

Cantrell · 07-23-2009, 12:54 PM

I had a mouse problem last winter and found the best solution was to get some of those sticky pads and put a small nut in the center. The pads have a sticky gel on them about 1/4 inch thick that once the creature gets on them they are stuck for good. You can get them from home centers or wallyworld. Even if they don't get all four legs stuck, the pad is big enough that they can't drag it to a remote location.
Killing them with poison only encourages them to find the most remote spot in your trailer and die. Dead mouse smell is no good. Also could kill innocent mouse predators, as mentioned.
Apparently there was some article in the mouse forums about how to outsmart the spring loaded mousetraps because they simply ate all the peanut butter and left the trap unsprung when I tried those.
The sticky pad is your best bet. I hate to see them die a slow death by being stuck to the pad, but it beats dead mouse smell and chewed up wiring. I left the sticky pads out until no more evidence of mouse activity. The best solution is to seal up the bellypan as mentioned by ArtStream, but once they are in, stick 'em.
Good luck,
Bill

easyride · 07-23-2009, 01:05 PM

I don`t really think an owl would die from the amount of poison ingested by a mouse,more likely coincidence.I agree with the sticky pads,then steel wool.
Dave

Ganglin · 07-23-2009, 01:26 PM

If your going to stuff openings with wool - aluminum wool may be best. Steel wool will turn into a rusty mess in no time.

Aluminum wool

Aluminum Wool 1 lb Reel - Coarse - eBay (item 310142568847 end time Aug-13-09 21:02:56 PDT)

On edit - maybe stainless - it's less expensive:

http://stores.sobodistribution.com/C...-+%23434+alloy

Becky B. · 07-23-2009, 03:59 PM

I've used sticky pads too. My sister had a mouse die from d-con in a wall & it smelled for quite a while. I'm suprised PETA hasn't put up a stink about the pads, though. Even though I don't like mice, they're kinda mean. The mouse basically dies of dehydration. I found one in our barn & the mouse was squeeking. He looked kinda sad & scared.....I made my son put it out of its misery. I felt like a big meanie.

cclarkego · 07-23-2009, 05:06 PM

A thousand thank you's to everyone, I will go back up thoroughly armed to fight back against mouse squatting.

I had even tried some of the new fangled things they keep in the hardware store checkout line. Like those little black plastic houses that the mouse enters and the door snaps shut. Not one rental. Guess I could use them to keep little snacks in and put in my day pack while I'm out in BEAR country.

Then there is a large plastic pincher looking thing that you place along their scenic walking trails through your trailer. They snap shut smartly when you close the door too hard or if the dogs jump off the bed, scaring you each and every time. No sign ever of even a tip of mouse tail to be found. I will now use them as big paper clips to keep my to do lists together.

I think I will start with some of the easier solutions and work my way up. I am not too keen on the sticky traps either, but if I find another mouse turd on my toothbrush, the sticky traps are coming in to play.

If I start seriously considering Michael's "Burning Down the Mouse" method, keep an eye out for my next post which is circling round my brain right now.....

Thanks again everyone!

Carol

COArgosy78 · 07-23-2009, 05:25 PM

Carol - I am going to attempt to add a different post re: MICE

If it doesn't work, I will say that we too have had a problem before with a large family of rodents. We had to move the trailer to a new storage facility that has asphalt rather than the dirt of the previous one. We also tried to plug every single opening we could find/get to (this was after using the traditional trap/p. butter to eliminate them). Finally, I used a product that was created by a woman who lives on a farm and ALWAYS had mice in such things as tractors, cars, sheds, etc. It is a combo of essential oils (including peppermint) she has infused into corncob. and it smells wonderful!!! I love walking into the trailer and seeing no hint of those pesky critters and having the lovely smell to boot. Nothing else worked for us, not mothballs, dryer sheets, etc. Here is the other post w/my contact for the product...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f44/...elp-53738.html

I wish you the best of luck. They are a pain in the behind, even when you don't sit on the trap

Cantrell · 07-23-2009, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beckybillrae

I've used sticky pads too. My sister had a mouse die from d-con in a wall & it smelled for quite a while. I'm suprised PETA hasn't put up a stink about the pads, though. Even though I don't like mice, they're kinda mean. The mouse basically dies of dehydration. I found one in our barn & the mouse was squeeking. He looked kinda sad & scared.....I made my son put it out of its misery. I felt like a big meanie.

Yes, I feel a little bad about killing mice but then I remember that I am currently chasing a short in my running lights. I am sure when I find the source of the short it will be covered in mouse fingerprints.

Just check your traps often and put them out of your misery promptly.

cclarkego · 07-23-2009, 09:31 PM

A new thought comes to mind...Why not make them work for you after you capture them???

Using that 5 gallon bucket with the cracked corn in the bottom, you can pluck them out with gloves and then give them new employment opportunities. Get a bunch of cotton balls, some double sided duct tape, a ball of string and various cleaning materials.

For each mouse, make a little leash with the string, put a piece of duct tape on the other end to keep them in their work cubicle, attach small patch of duct tape to each of their feet and then stick the cotton balls on.

For window washers: Apply Windex to cotton balls on mouse feet, tape leash to top of window and let them scramble around for awhile till break time.

Wood ledge cleaners: Apply Lemon Pledge to cotton balls and tape to center of ledge to clean up all those nasty little puddles they left there in the first place.

Floor waxers: Apply floor cleaner to cotton balls and then attach at one end of floor, keep reapplying cleaner and moving them across towards to the other end of trailer.

I am sure I will think up some more, how about you?

Carol

ArtStream · 07-23-2009, 09:45 PM

Carol, I like the way you think.

I got one. Fashion a mouse harness and to it tie a string.
Attach small scruffy pads to the mouse feet soaked in turd remover, by way of the toilet, lower them into your black tank(drained of course) and have them do some black tank scrubbing.

Michael

overlander64 · 07-23-2009, 09:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mello mike

Try Irish Spring bar soap if the others don't work.

It may take the original formula with green stripes. My Southern Illinois field mice took an immediate liking to Irish Spring soap with alohe -- they managed to consume more than half of a bar in less than one month last winter.

Kevin

P.S.: The mice did entirely avoid the cabinet where I had towels stored with bars of original formula Irish Spring.