Stopping mice from getting in your trailmanor

[BrucePerens]

I used the "Rodent Block" variety of "Great Stuff" expanding foam. Caulk doesn't expand so I don't feel it does as good a job. I stuck the injector tube into the cracks so that it filled the voids I couldn't see into. I did use silicone caulk on the outside of the wheel wells but foam inside. Read my description of everything I sealed above. You will need to get under the trailer. Don't wear any clothes you would not want foam upon, it gets on everything and does not come off.

[B_and_D]

This past year has been very frustrating. We kept mice out of our TM for years and suddenly since this summer they seem to be constantly invading. Luckily we still keep mouse bait in there, in the bathroom, under the kitchen sink, under the drawers beneath the wardrobe, and in the main floor area of the trailer. I got underneath the trailer and got foam and sealed up where the drain pipes come out from the shower. I put metal mesh inside the bathroom vent.

This helped until today, when I went out to check on things, and there were a lot of droppings in the main area, none in the bathroom, and none under the kitchen sink. I'm thinking that the mice are hopping up on the stairs (we keep them down) and jumping up to the door at the bottom left corner where the seals are not seeming to meet together as well as they used to. So I'm going to try keeping the stairs folded up and see if that helps.

Also checked our local Tractor Supply and they carry Fresh Cab. I'm going to buy 3 packages and keep it in the TM.

We even have a cat, and he brings mice to us quite often. He doesn't eat them, so I don't have to worry about him getting second-hand poisoning (very spoiled ).

The droppings are really small so I'm thinking that there are some really small mice squeezing in there somehow.

[Bill]

For years, I have been taught (and I believed) that sealing up openings with expanding foam would keep mice out. Then, about three years ago, mice invaded our summer place during the winter, while we were elsewhere. When we got back the next spring, I grabbed cans of foam, headed under the house, and foamed every opening bigger than my finger. Patted myself on the back for a job well done. No good, they invaded again the next year. So two years ago, I foamed every opening bigger than a pencil. No luck! This year, in desperation, I started seeking tiny openings I had missed, ready to foam EVERYTHING. Then, as I was crawling around under the house, I noticed some crumbs of foam on the ground, under a place that I had already foamed twice. I looked up, and discovered that mice had chewed through a thick billet of foam, and were entering the house through an opening that they had used - and I had foamed - years ago.

Lesson? Mice are perfectly happy to chew through foam. Don't believe otherwise. I finally stopped them (I hope) by stapling 1/4" hardware cloth (screen) over their entry point.

So get under your TM and check all your previous foam jobs. And bring a stapler and some screen.

Bill

[B_and_D]

OK, I just spent at least half an hour with the cat in the TM. I saw the mouse (and it was bigger than I thought it would be) when I went out there, and went and got the cat. The cat was on it. He had it cornered under the stove/oven and was shaking the trailer trying to get at it. I saw it twice after the cat was after it. And then it disappeared. I took out every shelf, drawer, pot and pan, microwave, and no luck. I told the cat to come back to the house but he's hanging out around the trailer looking for the mouse.

He's such a good boy! Hopefully the mouse will be on the mat in the morning.

I still can't figure out where they're getting in.

[B_and_D]

He just cane back in and no mouse on the mat. I'll coax him back into the trailer tomorrow before I go to work. It was raining so I'm sure that that interfered with his hunting skills.

I love that cat. He is a really good boy.

[stormpeakco]

Originally Posted by B_and_D

This past year has been very frustrating. We kept mice out of our TM for years and suddenly since this summer they seem to be constantly invading. Luckily we still keep mouse bait in there, in the bathroom, under the kitchen sink, under the drawers beneath the wardrobe, and in the main floor area of the trailer. I got underneath the trailer and got foam and sealed up where the drain pipes come out from the shower. I put metal mesh inside the bathroom vent.

This helped until today, when I went out to check on things, and there were a lot of droppings in the main area, none in the bathroom, and none under the kitchen sink. I'm thinking that the mice are hopping up on the stairs (we keep them down) and jumping up to the door at the bottom left corner where the seals are not seeming to meet together as well as they used to. So I'm going to try keeping the stairs folded up and see if that helps.

Also checked our local Tractor Supply and they carry Fresh Cab. I'm going to buy 3 packages and keep it in the TM.

We even have a cat, and he brings mice to us quite often. He doesn't eat them, so I don't have to worry about him getting second-hand poisoning (very spoiled ).

The droppings are really small so I'm thinking that there are some really small mice squeezing in there somehow.

_________________________________________
We've also had good success with Fresh Cab, 5-6 packets on the inside of the TM and d-Con on the outside of our enclosed, off-site, seasonal storage....(no pets at this site and perhaps, this combo makes our unit seem less like a Mouse Hilton than either the unit on each side of ours).
(Fresh Cab's aromatic longevity seems to be significantly superior than peppermint oil on cotton balls (Amazon ~40-60% cheaper than at our local hardware store).
(Wonder if some thick and slick garbage bags coated with teflon spray pulled up tight over the tongue and TM wheels might deter mice from being able access inside. Any forum participants w/ experience/success-failure?).

[Larryjb]

Originally Posted by Bill

For years, I have been taught (and I believed) that sealing up openings with expanding foam would keep mice out. Not so. About three years ago, mice invaded our summer place during the winter, while we were elsewhere. When we got back the next spring, I grabbed cans of foam, headed under the house, and foamed every opening bigger than my finger. Patted myself on the back for a job well done. No good, they invaded again the next year. So two years ago, I foamed every opening bigger than a pencil. No luck! This year, in desperation, I started seeking tiny openings I had missed, ready to foam EVERYTHING. Then, as I was crawling around under the house, I noticed some crumbs of foam on the ground, under a place that I had already foamed twice. I looked up, and discovered that mice had chewed through a thick billet of foam, and were entering the house through an opening that they had used - and I had foamed - years ago.

Lesson? Mice are perfectly happy to chew through foam. Don't believe otherwise. I finally stopped them (I hope) by stapling 1/4" hardware cloth (screen) over their entry point.

So get under your TM and check all your previous foam jobs. And bring a stapler and some screen.

Bill

Rats have no problem chewing their way through my garage door rubber seal. I've had to resort to rat traps.

Perhaps epoxying metallic mesh into the openings?

Perhaps a touch of sprayfoam, then press in a little followed by a little steel wool or metal door screen material, then more sprayfoam?

This is something I'll be keeping an eye on for when I do get a Trailmanor.

Larry

[BrucePerens]

Look for signs on the fridge vents. Mine were gnawed wider. I formed screening around them on the inside and hot melt glued the edges. Mud dauber screens sold online were not effective against mice.

The open area at the bottom of the fridge allows rodents and cold air in from behind the fridge. Rodents can nest in the insulation atop the fridge.

[B_and_D]

I stopped and bought a box of Fresh Cab. My nose is running and I'm sneezing over and over, I think I'm allergic to it I also ordered two electronic pest repellent devices. We've had one in our garage and one in the barn and they really help with keeping the mice out.

[logcabin]

In our 2720SL mice were entering under the sofa slide. When we had carpet, we pushed plastic sheeting into the slide. Once we took out the carpet out, the gap is much larger. So we rolled metal screening and then wrapped it in plastic and shoved it under the slide and around the cut out in the slide where the propane tanks fit. We also use Fresh Cab, peppermint oil on cotton balls and Bounce strips. But most important, is to keep your fingers crossed.