Keeping Out Mice Over Winter

ScottG

The new T@B will spend the winter covered but outdoors in a yard teeming with woodland creatures. While it looks to me that a closed up T@B doesn't offer any mouse-sized openings, the little buggers are pretty industrious. And they can chew...

Anybody ever have any trouble with mice or other critters over the winter? Anyone do anything special to help keep them out? 

ChanW

I've been thinking about that too. It's been said that Irish Spring soap bars or smelly dryer sheets will discourage mice from taking up residence.

Not sure however if that'll keep them from chewing a hole to "case the joint".

There is an 'easy' mouse route into the Tab by way of the back plastic trim, behind the bed (in the non-clamshell).

ScottG

Thanks ChanW and Sandra. I'll check all the vents and pipe exits carefully, though I think everything is pretty well sealed on the Max S. Hadn't thought about the trim creating a mouse run--I'll have to give that a closer look and maybe break out the copper mesh.

Either way, I'm sure it will be easier than trying to figure out how they got into my house--ha ha.

ChanW

Yeah Scott, I used stainless-steel scrubbies stuffed into the 'run ways'.

Michigan_Mike

I use these in my garage and you apply a little bit of peanut butter in the small round tray and mice cannot resist it.   This has been the most effective trap I have used and you could set them along the edge of your trailer beneath it, etc. and am betting this would help alleviate any mouse activity in the area.  I picked them up at Home Depot and they are well worth the investment and no mouse will escape the jaws.

jkjenn

I came home from Colorado to rodents - I assume because my entire street has been tore up as they are replacing the infrastructure, ripping out the old brick, and paving the street and the rodents have had their homes disrupted. I found some Tomcat bait traps that make it impossible for dogs or cats to get into and they seem to have worked very well.

Nomad

Farmers use these little blue pellets - mice eats them, dies, dehydrates, turns into a ball of fir - have seen them in old churches also. If the rodent dies where you can't see them, they don't rot and stink. Don't have to check and reboot traps all winter.

Deltaboy59

Down South I keep my t@b in a barn and mice are a constant threat...exposed wiring...propane hoses etc are all potential targets...tractors and other vehicles suffer wiring damage from these critters... I use moth balls on a plate and rat mouse bait continuously under my t@b...farmers suggested this to me after mice made a home in my Boss 302 engine bay...no problems since...

Nomad

Sandra - Or both

mash2

Make the T@B your cat house....

jkjenn

mash2 said:

Make the T@B your cat house....

That would bring problems of its own

mash2

Details, details...

ChanW

A cat house! Would that require that I get a red light for the outside door light? B-)

ScottG

Thanks all. I lean toward exclusion rather than extermination (though I'm not above both if necessary). I guess my question was more whether anyone has had problems with mice actually getting into their closed up T@B, and if so, where/how were they getting in.

bgualtieri

Well.... On our recent trip to SoCal we foolishly left a partially eaten bag of Fritos in the T@b that a mouse thought was her invitation to share. After a little screaming and a lot of cleaning and moving food, we had no more problems the rest of the trip.

This worked for a closed but occupied trailer. Not a stored one.

jkjenn

ScottG said:

Thanks all. I lean toward exclusion rather than extermination (though I'm not above both if necessary). I guess my question was more whether anyone has had problems with mice actually getting into their closed up T@B, and if so, where/how were they getting in.

@warren207has mentioned eating wires in the T@b. That would be terrible. I crawled under the T@b this summer to look for points of entry but didn't really find any. I wonder how they get in?

Verna

Jen, they would crawl up the tongue jack, the tires, the 30 amp cord or the Battery Tender cord. Those monsters can get in through the smallest places. In 24 years here, I've had one mouse in the house, long enough to eat up the booklet that came with the stove (never leave paper in the stove drawer). And last winter, a mouse was in the garage, munching on a 5 lb bag of grass seed. I'll set a trap in the garage before I leave for the winter this year!

webcrawler

Get a cat....

LARK

Mice and rats must chew to keep their teeth from growing too long. Something they don't like to chew through is called Hardware Cloth. You can get it at HD or Lowes. It comes in a roll and you can cut it to fit an opening. They don't like it because if they chew and break off a piece it is real sharp and sticks them in the face and gums.....they will go somewhere else easier.

ScottG

ChanW said:

There is an 'easy' mouse route into the Tab by way of the back plastic trim, behind the bed (in the non-clamshell).

I used stainless-steel scrubbies stuffed into the 'run ways'.

Hi Chan,

I checked this out this weekend. I assume you are talking about the plastic "pan" that makes up the lower back end of the trailer. I couldn't tell for certain whether it was open to the outside or not without removing the insulation behind the bed.

Under the trailer, the side trim tunnels up next to that pan, but you can't see or reach all the way in. Is that where you stuffed your stainless-steel scrubbies?  

Mr_Mrs_Gnome

If you decide to use a "wool" product, you might want to look at copper as opposed to steel. It's woven differently and doesn't leave rust stains. We used both and found copper wool to be better, albeit pricier.

ChanW

ScottG, yes, that's where I was concerned about - that side trim. I couldn't tell where those 'tunnels' ended up, so I stuffed the stainless scrubbies in there.

That back 'pan' that you refer to concerned me too, because there was wind blowing in there behind the bed. The insulation board back there in mine was badly installed, and fit really loosely. But there's nothing else to it back there, not structural nor mouse resistant.

I use stainless steel scrubbies. I think MMGnome are right about steel wool rusting. I also think the scrubbies are a little less tasty than the finer steel wool would be for those little mousies' teeth.

Michigan_Mike

PXLated said:

Don't have to check and reboot traps all winter.

Hey, that's part of the fun and excitement of it all!   It's part of the primal hunter instinct that kicks in when finding a mouse looking up through the hole in the Tomcat traps!  They definitely do the job and there is no suffering as they never knew what hit them.  

Nomad

Mike - You were probably a big tomcat in a previous life.

ScottG

ChanW said:

ScottG, yes, that's where I was concerned about - that side trim. I couldn't tell where those 'tunnels' ended up, so I stuffed the stainless scrubbies in there.

That back 'pan' that you refer to concerned me too, because there was wind blowing in there behind the bed. The insulation board back there in mine was badly installed, and fit really loosely. But there's nothing else to it back there, not structural nor mouse resistant.

I use stainless steel scrubbies. I think MMGnome are right about steel wool rusting. I also think the scrubbies are a little less tasty than the finer steel wool would be for those little mousies' teeth.

Got it--thanks. Same here with the loose insulation, though my (unconfirmed) impression was the plastic pan behind it was sealed to the back end of the trailer. However, given your comment about the breeze back there, I might do a little more careful inspection. I have the copper mesh at the ready and will report back if I find anything more of interest.

kimschuckwagon

you may want to try a product called "Cab Fresh."   VERY pungent and supposed to keep mice OUT.  (does not attract them for sure!)   My first year trying them, so I cannot tell you how well they work,....but they have a great reputation.

ScottG

Out of curiosity, I pulled the insulation behind the bed and carefully inspected the entire area. It looked like the plastic pan was fully sealed to the rear of the trailer, with no "mouse doors" evident.

That said, it is clear that the corner trim offers a nice little tunnel accessable from both ends. Since it's not clear if those lead to any other hidden access points, I think I'll plug 'em with the copper mesh, anyway, at least the winter storage. I'm personally a little skittish about loose corner trim, since that's also how the little buggers got into the attic of my house!

Thanks again for all the info and suggestions.