I put Irish Spring soap in the cupboards, moth balls in punctured plastic boxes under her in eight places, and the most expensive electronic rodent chaser I could buy at Home Depot on the slab under her and still a mouse found it's way in.
Yesterday I put Bounce fabric sheets in all of the bays. Craig doesn't like the smell, so I didn't do it before, but maybe it will help.
Two days ago I found a couple of very tiny droppings on the dash board. I wasn't really sure they were, so I searched the area for any more and didn't see anything.
Yesterday there was one on the dashboard and one on the passenger seat.
I set a trap, and sure enough I caught the first mouse.
I thought parking the Alfa up on that place was a bad idea from the beginning. Although it was torn down over a year ago, the shed that was there was crawling with rodents. So now they have a new place.
I'm so depressed.
Craig just paid over $400 to have a rodent nest removed from the fan in the Prius. It is driven every day and parked in the garage.
I feel like buying that RV was the biggest mistake we have ever made.
Oh well. it's only money. We can't take it with us, and we can't drive it out. It might as well be a rodent retreat.
We get mice every year too - traps work. I've used dryer sheets but don't know how much they help. Was told never to use moth balls inside as it isn't healthy for us and the smell will never go away. So traps it is (I use peanut butter).
ReplyDeleteYou'll get on the road - just have patience (is that spelled right?) I know how anxious you must be - we got our first camper at the end of October and had to wait until the following May to go out. I nearly went out of my head! It was a long winter so I spent my time making stuff for the camper and organizing - making lists, getting plastic baskets and other stuff like that. I'd go out in the below freezing weather and just putter a bit.
Keep your spirits up!
Don't get discouraged! And stick with the traps. The dryer sheets and all the rest of that "fresh air" I'm sure is something that the squeamish have come up with to try and convince themselves that it's somehow a good idea to try and keep the little buggers away, rather than just lessen the population.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, Peanut Butter works. The only suggestion is, wrap a short length of string around the bail before adding the peanut butter and then setting the trap. Some times the little buggers can get the bait off without getting nailed, and with the string there, they'll get their teeth caught. Works every time.
Good hunting.
Al said he used some sort of repellent thing years ago in a customers attic. They never had any further problems so he assumed it worked. He said he would try to find if its still available. It was inexpensive...couldn't hurt to try. Dont get discouraged..you can plug holes with steel wool if Craig won't.
ReplyDeleteCheer up!
I'm sorry you are feeling so down today. We came home to find evidence of mice in our house so I know how frustrating that can be. Just have to keep at it. Hope that bob cat comes back and gives you a hand with the mouse population.
ReplyDeleteYour day to be on the road will happen Merikay. Sometimes I think it is harder after you get the rig because it's out there and you are still not on the road. But it will happen. We're all rooting for you. ♥♥
Don't give up! Buy the boxes of mouse bait...they eat it and leave to find water (and they die outside). I put them all over my MH when I stored it in Colorado Springs for 11 months...including a couple balanced inside the engine area. Came back and not a trace of mice! When I lived in that area, in a very nice 3 story house, we had them chewing from the garage into the house so I know how bad they can be. Hugs!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other posters. Traps and mouse poison are your best bet. I've heard of people who put the dryer sheets in their rig, and the mice used them for nesting material. Try not to get down. It will all work out. Remember when you were so stressed about finding and buying your rig. Now you have it, so don't worry, be happy!!!
ReplyDeleteI have been using mouse bait for about five years and it seems to work very good.
ReplyDeleteI tried the bounce thing and it didn't help at all.
I agree - go with killing off the suckers. We had mice in the stix and bricks and had to call in a pest guy. He put out some great poison that they would eat and take away with them to die. So don't give up. You will get your baby out of that drive way and then you can have fun. I know how discouraging it is - the trees aren't being trimmed and you're fighting the mice. But eventually it will work.
ReplyDeleteGo buy some more mouse traps, and don't give up! Turns out I transported one sneaky fat mouse through my two recent tow jobs, but the trap finally got him last week!
ReplyDeleteOh Merikay...I am so sorry you are feeling so discouraged. The motorhome was NOT the worse decision you ever made....it was the BEST!! You WILL get on the road and enjoy travel and camping. I promise you will.
ReplyDeleteKaren is right you can plug those holes and just buy more traps. You have come this far now don't let those little varmints get you down.
You can handle this!! Hang in there!! There will always be something to deal with in this lifestyle....you can do it!!
Don't get discouraged!! We saw this stuff at the RV show, and it is supposed to work like magic..
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mouse-free.com/
Look it up..it's guaranteed to work!
While the weather is still halfway nice try to find the holes yourself and stuff them. Then the traps...the cutting tree thing will get straitened out...rome wasn't built in a day!..
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about the mouse problem Merikay. But buying the RV was not the worst thing you've done. You've just had some set backs, just sit back, breathe & relax. Then tackle the issues as they arise. The product that Laurie & George suggested sounds really interesting!
ReplyDeletesorry to hear you are having mouse issues!..hope the traps and all the suggestions will work and get those dasdardly mice to find a new home..six feet under!!
ReplyDeleteI was shocked last year when I found the remnants of what mice leave as they walk and poop all over everything.
ReplyDeleteI caught them all and by some time in Jan I believe they were gone but they left a lot of their poop everywhere.
I'm going to try dryer sheets this year as well as trying to find where they get in which of course can be anywhere!
Cheer up Merikay, you guys will get on the road soon and you'll find a way to deal with the squatters! :)
Erik
An RV Kitteh Cat?
ReplyDeleteTry Fresh Cab or Cab Fresh from the Tractor Supply Company. We have used it in our RV and I also used it in my classroom at school(lots of mice in the building)... no mice in my room! It is a combination of herbs that mice don't like. Worked for me!
ReplyDeleteA couple of years ago I had a mouse that I knew about in my house. I may have had mice every year, but I only knew about one that particular year. I was so discouraged as I am terrified of mice running up my leg! I used a glue trap and it was successful but I will never use another.
ReplyDeleteI bought some plug in repellers - every different kind I could find. I haven't seen another mouse yet. I hear they don't work, but they don't use too much electricity.
Years ago I used to chew doublemint gum and I put the wrappers everywhere I thought a mouse might enter. I changed them when I thought about it. In this house I used peppermint oil on cotton balls, but they dried out so fast & the oil is kinda expensive.
More years ago I read that mice won't cross lime. I think I read it in Mother Earth News. If you put a ring of lime around the motorhome supposedly no new mice will enter. At least put it around every tire since they surely must be climbing the tires to get inside.
I have a lot of sympathy for you and can understand why you feel the way you do about the motorhome. LG