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Another mouse thread... mice in van while camped
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bjrogers86auto
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:44 pm    Post subject: Another mouse thread... mice in van while camped Reply with quote

We were camped out next to a friends cottage the past two nights. The weather was amazing and the view of the ocean even better!

The cottage has a small issue with carpenter ants and mice. The ants were taken care of today by an exterminator but the mice are yet to be foiled!

I took comfort in knowing I was safe from the pests in the Westy as I dozed off to sleep last night. The hatch screen was on and the door propped open about 6" for a nice breeze. About an hour into dreamland I felt something on my chest..my hand closed around a small warm squirming rodent! I tossed it forward and sat up and turned on a light but found nothing! I heard it hit something...no idea what. My wife insists I was dreaming but it was real! AND CREEPY! I know they are tiny but its startling!

Anyhow...van is parked in the driveway at home with traps set. Trying to prove I'm not crazy!

Smile
Brian
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TequilaSunSet
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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bjrogers86auto
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:50 pm    Post subject: mouse Reply with quote

HA!

I KNEW THEY WERE EVIL!

B
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Zeitgeist 13
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 6:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gawd, if you've never felt a rodent scamper over you while you're attempting to sleep, you're missing out on epic creepiness. I once lived in a seedy little bungalow with a mattress directly on the floor. After experiencing the creepiness first hand, I opted to place traps around my bed. When I woke in the morning, every one of those traps was sprung...one even nabbed two mice at the same time. Rodents are permanently verboten from my abodes.
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0to60in6min
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 6:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

get a cat ! !

better yet get 2 cats so they don't feel lonely.. ! !

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bjrogers86auto
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 6:24 pm    Post subject: Mouse Reply with quote

I'm pretty sure the creepy little critter was just passing through. The place I park my van all winter is heavily guarded by my friend who owns the garage. He traps all winter long so I avoid the spring clean up. Nice guy he is!

There were no sign of mice this year at all. They tend to leave "stuff" behind. If I didn't scare that one out last night the Nutella and peanut butter should take care of it. Smile

Brian
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the joker
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 6:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hiking in Baxter state park, in a lean-to, mouse stole hair out of my friends head, try waking up to that Shocked

Once had a mouse - hitch hike - from NH to RI in my westy

Was his last ride Cool
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vanagonjr
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 7:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Once when using my friend's Westy (now mine) in Washington state, he and his wife equipped the van for our 2-week vacation, including mouse traps. He said I would need them. We spent a few nights in the van at their house.
Then we hit the road and sure enough, the 1st night, we could hear mice in the van. I got up, set two traps in the front foot wells, as he instructed, and within 15 seconds, we nabbed two mice. After that, I set them up near the front wheels prior to going to bed and often caught mice.

Weird, never had a problem with mice getting into the camper at a campground in other places, but several times in Washington we did!
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Mike Robinson
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 04, 2014 8:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just back from a week in the Olympic National Park in Washington.

I was woken up by my wife who could hear 'a sound'

So we went in search of 'the sound of chewing' and found a lovely mouse in the large storage locker next to the back table.

It was starting to tuck into some tortilla chips.

We then played get the mouse out of the van for half an hour. Did not see it leave. Re packed the van, said goodnight to our neibour who was trying to get a mouse out of his car and went back to sleep.

No more noise, no droppings, I think we aced this one.

I think the key is not to leave doors open. I know there are other ways in, but I think this mouse took the easy way in.

M
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snowsyncro
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 5:05 am    Post subject: Re: Another mouse thread... Reply with quote

bjrogers86auto wrote:
About an hour into dreamland I felt something on my chest..my hand closed around a small warm squirming rodent! I tossed it forward and sat up and turned on a light but found nothing! I heard it hit something...no idea what. My wife insists I was dreaming but it was real! AND CREEPY! I know they are tiny but its startling!

Smile
Brian


Hey tough guy! That mouse was just making a nest in that thatch you call chest hair.

(If you know Brian this story is even funnier. Picture the sea-kayaking, marathon-running, weight-lifting manly firefighter.)

Funny, at the same time I was camping in Cape Breton. First night I could hear gnawing that sounded like it was up in the sheet metal between the A and B pillars, or on the headliner under the luggage rack. After a few poundings with my fist it settled down. Second night I was awoken to the sound of tearing tissue (it was very quiet where I was). I thought it was coming from the ashtray, which my granddaughter had stuffed full of Kleenex. Sure enough that was chewed but it was odd -- the sound seemed too loud. The third night my wife was in the lower bunk. I was up on top and I heard nothing, but she said the mouse kept her awake it seemed like half the night.

Yesterday, after coming home, I went on a mouse hunt. The mouse had bailed, presumably when the van left home, but I did find this (in the small cupboard under the hatches) mere inches from where my head was…

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RonC
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bjrogers86auto
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:48 am    Post subject: Mouse Reply with quote

Hahah yeah I'm only tough when I think someone is watching! Smile

Last nights trapping was unsuccessful so I'm looking more like a vivid dreamer than anything!

That's some major work your mouse was doing Ron! Are you bringing him along to Graves? Hehe

Brian
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snowsyncro
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 7:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I won't bring that one -- I think he stayed in Cape Breton. But he has lots of relatives around here…found this mess in my Syncro when I began rebuilding it in the winter:

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After removing the mess:

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He was even stockpiling materials for later use:

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RonC
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morymob
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 12:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pepper mint oil on cotton balls located in hideaways, smells good & will keep them out once u get mess cleaned up, use some strong colorox mix to disinfect where they have been. Another sure cure::torch it!!
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bjrogers86auto
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PostPosted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 1:59 pm    Post subject: mouse Reply with quote

WOW! Thats impressive!

I have a feeling I was parked inline with the cottage exit and the nest in the woods and he took a short cut through the van. I have 3 traps set with nutella and peanut butter but no action yet. I'll leave them in there for a few days but thinking it was a pass through.

Either way I won't forget that for awhile...motivates me to improve rear screen security. Smile

B
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Mmartinphd
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 7:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We tried the peppermint oil things all throughout the van and it did not work. We use Freshcab, which we order from Amazon. We have not had a critter stay since. It also smells good and it works well.
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supersooner
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 7:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I swear by peanuts superglued to the bait pedal. Mice seem to lick off peanut butter without tripping the trap. Front passenger floorboard in the westy seems to be a good place.
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bjrogers86auto
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 6:25 am    Post subject: more mice Reply with quote

Just finished another great summer of camping in the Westy and have another mouse story to share!

Camped in Lac Cascapedia for two nights in the Chic Choc mountains in Quebec on our tour. On the first night while enjoying a lovely quiet snooze my wife heard a "mouse in heaven" and woke me up. He indeed had found the mother load of sugar in a bag of trail mix. Yogurt covered raisins seemed to be the favourite but would prove to be his downfall!

After setting up a clear plastic bowl upside down over the trail mix on the floor...I waited. Smile It took me over two hours to finally lure him into the trap but in the end it was those raisins! (note to self...pack some traps)

The waiting wasn't all bad...at one point a bull moose wandered by just outside our site. I didn't have a clear view of him but could see the outline through the trees...it was huge!

B
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oldhuldy67
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 7:27 am    Post subject: The first one and the last one .. Reply with quote

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My first resident didn't want to leave..

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My guest for coffee on the Blue Ridge this summer

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They're back..
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 7:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

On the last two nights camping on the Colorado I had a mouse visit each night. I noticed that the river bank had plenty of holes and there was a tiny mouse about. I'm going to have to go over the entry points again. I thought I had them well blocked, haven't had a mouse in years, but this one was able to get in. I will say that the mouse I saw was about half the size of our field mice back east. Over 60 days camping and I didn't get one until the end. Looks like he was just a nocturnal visitor since I saw no signs or noise after I left that site.
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dhaavers
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 9:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

3 tips...

- front air intake (close up gap with hardware cloth):
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- battery box vents (stuff with stainless sink scrubbies)...PS & DS:
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- food (keep every bread or chip bag inside another tub or bin)

If they do make it in, they'll get bored and leave... Cool
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