mice attack how do they get in?

[JimboT]

Have seen a few posts about mice attacks just wondering how they get in is there anything that can be done to stop them.
Thanks
Jim

 

[MHVirgins]

Bill found mouse droppings in the van a few months back, they were on the driver's seat (ambitious mouse!) and some on the worktop.
We think it was a "one-off" and haven't seen any more droppings since, the van moves everyday so perhaps it's done a runner.
However, just yesterday I was looking under the settee storage area and spotted some droppings on the carpet.........I'm assuming that these were from the first visitor

However, looking on the bright side, if the mouse is still stowing away, he's been around over the past couple of months free of charge

Our big problem is we're surrounded by fields and countryside and it's impossible to keep them at bay.

Margaret

 

[MHVirgins]

one year I stored the entire crop of onions in plastic mushroom trays, 10 of them stacked up. The mice ate the bloody lot same thing with apples wrapped and stored in our loft at home and green tomato's racked in the workshop. I have a sonic repellent in the motorhome connected to the leisure battery so always charged. just thrown away my travelling underwear as the little********** chewed them up to make a nest within a foot of the sonic device. Poison cleared them for now. I am parked on hardstanding not grass. Oh yes and the barstewards have chewed through the overflow pipe on my fuel tank so fuel spilt when I filled the tank, goodness knows what ended up in the fuel.

A few years back before we bought the van, we took the car for a service to Lloyds of Carlisle. When we went back to collect it they said everything was fine, but we had to replace the breather pipe. Before we could question this the guy said it looks like something with sharp teeth has been chewing it's way through it.
£130 to replace it!

We knew it must have been field mice, but recently found a rubber tubing inside the Dakota bonnet and something had started to chew that before giving up.......hopefully they won't come backoh:

I keep loads of packing materials in the garage and the mice made a nest in a box of shredded paper a couple of years back. There were two of them sitting in the box, brazen as you like. I decided to lift the box outside during daylight, they didn't decide to jump out until the last minute.

We have a sonic repellant thing that plugs in, but don't think that's any use, it didn't stop the ones in the garage. We have the van on gravel, but being surrounded by fields is the problem. Poison is the only answer I think

Margaret

 

[Madwife]

We had unwanted visitors when we came back from France a few weeks ago. Traps laid and three caught in one night. No more seen since then and had bought some more sonic deterrents so thought all was working well

However last night I heard a bang from one of the areas where we had some traps set - when I have looked this morning dead mouse in trap - guess Howie will be busy emptying them this morning

Kath

 

[magicsurfbus]

With our MH they climbed up the front wheel, into the engine bay and started making nests in the passenger side of the engine compartment using the sound insulating material. Until I duck-taped a bait box in there anyway, then the bait box became their tomb - mooowahahahahaha! Fortunately they didn't chew the wiring loom, but they'd made a start on its fabric sleeve. I've also found mouse wee on the cab battery so they can get up both sides.

The only time they got in the living area was through the fabric lining of the passenger footwell in the cab, from the engine bay. Then they became trapped and died of starvation because I don't leave any accessible food around - I found the emaciated remains in the door footwells. One started nesting in a tea towel in a bottom cupboard which I'd left open to prevent damp, but it had also expired.

These infiltrations happened when the van was stored on or near grass, which provides natural cover. When the storage company switched MHs to a gravel parking area I chose a pitch in the middle, and so far there's been no sign of rodents. They don't like running across open spaces and tend to stick to edges.

I've said on here before that if anyone comes up with a design for a smooth plastic tyre guard with a curved top to stop rodents getting up the tyres I reckon there's money to be made. I tried making one myself from a shallow stacker box but the plastic is too brittle.

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[PHD]

At the risk of sounding like a "know it all" :Cool: which I assure you when it comes to MH stuff I don't.:Blush:.........but......I have been an Environmental Health Officer for over 30 years, mostly in the Army and more recently for Tesco.

Mice can get into the smallest of gaps, as people have said before if a pencil can enter a mouse can. They can then expand an opening by gnawing, using their incisors, to make access bigger. So a couple of mm opening can let them in. They gnaw regularly to wear down their teeth which grow continually, they will attack hard rubber, plastic and wiring causing a great deal of damage and creating fire risk.

They will use any material that they can to chew up for nesting, such as paper, tissue, clothing, insulation etc. They are constantly urinating and defecating where ever they go. After a while you can smell them.:Angry:

Keeping food out of reach is essential but does not stop them entering out of curiosity. Rodent proof containers should be used where ever possible. Tins and jars aren't accessible but they may contaminate the outside of them. In a MH it isn't really possible to make it completely rodent proof. Deterrents don't work! ultrasound emitters are a waste of money. Any anecdote that they work, is purely circumstantial. A lot of research has been done and while there may be an initial reaction; they get used to them. Nor do smells like onions, lavender, mint etc they will overcome all these to get in.

Mice don't need water (unlike rats) and can live quite happily on the driest of foods. We once had them in our garage and they were only taking the chain saw oil, as it's vegetable based. They had chewed through the plastic container, at the same level as the contents, and lapped the oil.

Mice are quite easy to control (compared to rats) lay traps in the areas where signs have been noticed. The small "break back" traps work well. The best baits by far are chocolate or peanut butter. The bait needs to be secured to the trap so they don't pinch it without triggering the trap. The modern traps have a small cup on the pressure plate which is ideal for peanut butter and it works a treat http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000T5N0JE/?tag=mhf04-21

The key is to remove anything that will attract them. Check inaccessible ares regularly for any signs of infestation. They are particularly drawn to bread, cereals, and nuts but they will eat anything....anything! Keep everything clean including spills and crumbs.

Short story: I was in Kosovo in '99 and we were living under canvas. We were plagued with field mice getting into our kit. We only had sticky traps which we baited with chocolate. The next morning there was a mouse stuck on the trap with another mouse balancing on his back to reach the chocolate. The cheeky one got away!

P.S. To seal a hole use wire wool and mastic. They can chew through mastic but they can't deal with wire wool.

 

[Sidney]

Often there are gaps between the chassis and the body. So get a crawing board and roll around under your motorhome looking for gaps. Also look around all services going through the floor including pipework, electrical cables and gas drop out points.

Consider filling any gaps 10mm or bigger with a PE adesive/sealant. Larger holes can be stuffed with closed foam insulation i.e. pipe lagging and put sealant over the top.

If you find gas drop out points that appear to have been chewed cover these with an aluminium, steel or fibreglass mesh.

Lastly take a good look around the engine compartment for displaced or missing grommets.

 

[PHD]

Consider filling any gaps 10mm or bigger with a PE adesive/sealant. Larger holes can be stuffed with closed foam insulation i.e. pipe lagging and put sealant over the top.

Lastly take a good look around the engine compartment for displaced or missing grommets.

Mice can get through gaps of 6mm, and less than that if the material can be chewed. They will gnaw through mastic sealant, foam insulation, pipe lagging and grommets with no problem.

 

[Mastercamper]

Bill found mouse droppings in the van a few months back, they were on the driver's seat (ambitious mouse!) and some on the worktop.
We think it was a "one-off" and haven't seen any more droppings since, the van moves everyday so perhaps it's done a runner.
However, just yesterday I was looking under the settee storage area and spotted some droppings on the carpet.........I'm assuming that these were from the first visitor

However, looking on the bright side, if the mouse is still stowing away, he's been around over the past couple of months free of charge

[HI]Our big problem is we're surrounded by fields and countryside [/HI]and it's impossible to keep them at bay.

Margaret

Margaret, I am sure it would be a bigger problem not to be surrounded by fields & countryside. I know it would be for me.