Squatter in glovebox
Hi, Looking for a few suggestions if possible please. My motorhome is kept on a nearby farm - I take it out for a short run once a week when not holidaying in it. Today, my wife opened the glove box (as she did last week to pop a new Garmin in) and a mouse/mice
have nibbled through the outer material case along with the majority of my insurance details. None of the charging cables have been touched, and there are no signs of mice anywhere else in the motorhome. Two small square holes tucked away in the top of the
glovebox have obviously been used as a point of access - I imagine the engine bay is the 'ladder'. I'll be attempting to permanently block those tomorrow. Apart from hiring a cat, does anyone have any suggestions/solutions to deterrring mice? All 'working'
ideas gratefully received. Thanks.
Comments
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You can but humain traps. Mice like chocolate so I would suggest using that. The only problem is that unless you are there to check it every day it might not be very humain!!! Perhaps something like moth balls would discourage from trying to get in?
David
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We were told to put tumble drier sheets in cupboards and under bunks, cooker etc. They also keep the home smelling nice. We had an intruder but did not know how he got in. We used the old fashioned mousetrap to catch him and also leave traps down all year
plus the battery mouse repeller. Mothballs are difficult to comeby now but health food shops have an oil that has the same scent. Jeyes fluid placed on the ground round m/h also is a repellant.0 -
The old fashioned mouse traps are foolproof. They work every time. Not very PC I must admit, but who cares !! the result is what matters ----- NO Mice .
K
Careful kennine what you say on here, as you know it's very PC
Regards, Mickey Mouse
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The old fashioned mouse traps are foolproof. They work every time. Not very PC I must admit, but who cares !! the result is what matters ----- NO Mice .
K
Fully agree Kennine !
Got four "old tyme" traps in my workshop ( shed ) & regularly catch a little varmint !
I use a tiny piece of well -- handled Cheddar softened to hold in place the peanut / chocolate / sultana that I use for the 'real' bait.
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I don't like the poison method, it is slow and when they die you might not be able to find it's remains behind the dasboard, the smell would be awful. At least the old fashioned little nipper holds it for disposal.
Write your comments here...Maybe it was just a good marketing ploy but I believed that something in the bait made them thirsty so they went outside to find water and died an excruciating death out there
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What about a small battery powered transistor radio? Left on at a volume that the owner of the storage facility is happy with. We had good results in our loft with this method. Good luck
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We had mice in our previous motorhome. Fortunatley I caught them fairly early but they still managed to do over £100 damage to our duvalays. I put mouse traps by all the wheels and inside the van as well, caught well over 20 of the little blighters.
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We stopped using poison as the end is not immediate, and looks unpleasant. We have gone back to old fashioned traps (including one in the engine bay) with peanut butter as bait and as mentioned before, tumble dryer sheets everywhere (especially around the
cab and glovebox) which seems to work well. You can get mothballs from Amazon, but it takes ages to get rid of the smell from the van after the winter, we won't use them again.0 -
Do not delay in getting shut of them.My first motorhome was subject to a rodent attack:they ate through the injector pipes and had started on the wiring harness when discovered.My motorhome is garaged but they still find their way in during he winter.I have
two large rectangular bait boxes(from my local farm supplies) and I bait them up with bait blocks.Mice are curious and will soon take the bait.Rats are "newiephobic" and may take longer to come to the bait box.Keep feeding until they stop chewing on the baits.A
box is about a tenner and a tub of block bait is £36 inc VAT -cheaper than a full rewire job!The box comes with a key to prevent kids etc getting into it and it keeps the poison away from pets as well.After the expense of putting right the damage they did
I have no worries about poisoning the furry vermin!0 -
The only snag with traps is forgetting to inspect and remove - I did that last year near my dishwasher and came home from a break to find quite a whiff! I think the poison theory about them seeking water works - as I haven't had bad smells for ages - not
other ways to dispose of them here in the depths of the country and a neighbour who keeps masses of raptors0 -
People have different views of what constitutes a pest and whether they should be removed or exterminated. I follow the advice of Mrs B because it's safest. All animals are protected except mice which eat our electric cables and rats which got a bad press
in 1665 and have not recovered and cats which kill birds ( see below ) All human life is precious except for one former son in law. All birds are safe except carrion crows, not sure why they cause displeasure.. All insects are good except those which bite
or look as though they might..Reptiles are fine except snakes, must be a phobia thing. Removal is preferred as long as it is practical but if death is the only answer then it must be quick and painless , except for the former son in law.0 -
you people who thin the old fashened traps are the best, they are NOT, mice and rats can flick the bait off with their tail, bait gone but NO mouse caught, I use the humaine trap, the mouse has to go in to get the bait, they cant reach it with their tail,
the door drops, then you put the trap with mouse inside in a bucket of water, job doneI leav one of theese traps set all the time, never had a visitor
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The bait boxes are placed beneath the vehicle and I check them weekly.There is currently evidence of mice eating the block baits but in the five years in which I have been using them there has been no repetition of the damage done to my first MH by rodents.It
seems that the bait is more attractive to them than vehicle wiring and piping are.Living in a semi rural area we always have rodents around and it is a matter of controlling their numbers and minimising the damage they can do; I cannot see them ever being
wiped out around here.We feed the birds and rodents are drawn in by the bird food spillage.I found a large,dead rat in the garden just this week, much to my wife's horror.0 -
The bait boxes are placed beneath the vehicle and I check them weekly.There is currently evidence of mice eating the block baits but in the five years in which I have been using them there has been no repetition of the damage done to my first MH by rodents.It
seems that the bait is more attractive to them than vehicle wiring and piping are.Living in a semi rural area we always have rodents around and it is a matter of controlling their numbers and minimising the damage they can do; I cannot see them ever being
wiped out around here.We feed the birds and rodents are drawn in by the bird food spillage.I found a large,dead rat in the garden just this week, much to my wife's horror.Write your comments here...ratatouille is
Lovely
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I had mice in my van last winter but this was the first time (and I am hoping the last). I could not figure out where they were getting in but, bit by bit, I blocked up every conceivable entrance and they seemed to stop. I am pathetically squeamish and I just can't cope with traps and killing.
The guy who looks after the mechanics of my van told me they don't like WD40 and spraying that around the key places where there is evidence of their presence should get rid. I didn't try it as they had gone by the time he told me so I've no idea if this works (I was highly sceptical). Does anyone know?
The only damage they did was to nibble through a small plastic cover on an overflow pipe coming from the down pipe from my sink. There were all these tiny little bits of black plastic which I thought were just more droppings until I turned a tap on! (There were plenty of droppings too.) To replace it required buying a whole new down pipe - cost £25. However, Lowdhams kindly found a cap in their workshop and gave it to me free of charge.
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you people who thin the old fashened traps are the best, they are NOT, mice and rats can flick the bait off with their tail, bait gone but NO mouse caught, I use the humaine trap, the mouse has to go in to get the bait, they cant reach it with their tail,
the door drops, then you put the trap with mouse inside in a bucket of water, job doneI leav one of theese traps set all the time, never had a visitor
Flick it off with their tails ???? You must have a breed os super intelligent mice up your way!
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Thanks for all your suggestions - good or bad! I placed a snap-trap in the engine bay and caught what I thought was the culprit. I also placed one on the floor inside the motorhome, which was untouched. Two days later, after resetting the trap under the
bonnet, both traps were seen to be clear. However, today the trap under the bonnet has been dislodged and was on the ground minus a generous portion of Mars Bar, but inside the van the trap yielded a dead mouse! So now I wonder: If the trap in the engine
bay is placed securely will it stop the next curious mouse entering the van via the dashboard? Did the trapped mouse actualy 'smell' the chocolate and make its way inside after dislodging the engine trap? I've used Brillo Pads to block the small holes leading
to the glovebox and wire wool to block other small slits and openings in the dashboard - there are no signs of fresh droppings anywhere. Are the traps encouraging them?0 -
Never mind. Three days time they stop moving about, or so we are led to believe. Mind you it could get noisy on the lawn.
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When mice moved into my brand new autotrail i had to poison them in the end they were to crafty for traps , also tumbledryer sheets , mothballs, spray wheels with jeyes fluid and block holes with wire wool good luck (they had a good nibble on my upholstery
little blighters0
