We have our caravan on a seasonal, pitch, with winter storage in situ. The site is closed from Nov to Mar each year.
Last weekend our lovely neighbours two pitches up discovered mice had got in and caused some damage, I was devastated for them and also panicking about next winter!
I put plugs in all sinks and shower tray, and obviously do not leave any food stuffs of any kind nd do a deep clean before shutting up for the winter.
Is there anything else you’d recommend as a precaution please? I can’t stand the thought of arriving next March and finding damage 😫
TIA
TCx
------------- “It is great to be a blonde. With low expectations it's very easy to surprise people.”
Vango and Outwell Tents > VW Camper and various Vango and Outwell awnings dependent on stay location and duration > Bailey Pegasus Grande SE Brindisi and Vango Air Awning.
Found our Nivana ❤️
yes, get a load of fine mesh and get under the van, any entrance hole around pipes and wires needs to be covered and the mesh stapled in place. once you have that done get jeyes fluid and make a puddle under the steadies/wheels/jockey wheel, yes it smells! thats the point of it to disrupt the mice and their trails they leave from pee to find their way back inside any fluid left pull the van forward on its pitch and with a watering can go over the whole pitch with it. this was the ONLY way that worked for us
Traps is a bad idea, as they need baiting. I had a rodent in the engine bay of our mh over winter, did £600 damage.
After a bit of online research, I’ve put little pots of cotton wool and peppermint oil around the van; so far so good.
We were told by a caravan engineer that if there is a hole you can poke a pencil through, that will also be big enough to let a mouse through as they can sort of concertina down, so you need to look for any small gaps in your caravan. If you look under your seats and bed etc you will probably see some circular plastic air vents with a grid of holes. In our caravan, these holes were big enough to fit a pencil through so we taped a piece of fine metal mesh over the top of each vent to continue to allow air to flow but to make sure that nothing could squeeze through the holes.
However, I think that leaving your caravan scrupulously clean at the end of the season is the most important deterrent, as mice will usually only try to get in if there is something attracting them. Look everywhere for crumbs and remove all food and clean out all cupboards where food has been stored.
A mouse went into my car engine area & made a very cosy nest in the sound insulation that lines the bonnet. Must have been hard work chewing through the silver material. I only found it when I was checking oil & water. A few tiny baby mice, all dead, no smell. No food there. Just dry.
Instead of a trap in the caravan, I’d suggest a bait station. The mice eat the bait but go away to find water, and die elsewhere. It’s covered, with a locking mechanism, so pets & people can’t get to the bait. If all the bait is still there after winter, you haven’t had any visitors.
The trouble with anything that requires bait is you are presenting a scent that they will want to get to. You are more or less inviting them in. Their sense of smell is so acute, which is why something like peppermint oil is repulsive to them and they’ll move on elsewhere.
The gas locker get a roll of chicken mash roll up and put in the big cap round locker And if top of the locker is not sealed put the wire mash ln the corners .As most caravan company's don't seal the top gas lockers As rats love to run up to the top locker
Thanks for all the tips. No one else has any damage or sign of visitors. I’m erring towards the fact there must have been some crumbs of some kind to attract them.
The peppermint oil, Jeyes fluid, and mesh sound worth a go!
TCx
------------- “It is great to be a blonde. With low expectations it's very easy to surprise people.”
Vango and Outwell Tents > VW Camper and various Vango and Outwell awnings dependent on stay location and duration > Bailey Pegasus Grande SE Brindisi and Vango Air Awning.
Found our Nivana ❤️
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Topic: Mice!
via mobile 31/3/2025 at 7:51am
