Mousey Move-In Day

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Well, it looks like all that time I spent under my MH last month filling every small hole I could find with Great Stuff expanding foam was all for naught. It got pretty nippy here last night and at 5AM I was awoken by the sound of one of the traps I always keep set near my water heater going off. They're baaaaack!
I had my doubts that I could fill every single opening in the much-repaired belly of this 1972 MH and it looks like I must've missed a few. Either that or they're standing on each other's shoulders and opening the outside access door to the water heater every night. Funny thing is, I just put fresh mothballs under my home 2 days ago too. So I'm doing everything right, but I just can't seem to discourage these varmints. Other than grabbing my neighbor's cat and stuffing it down a small access door near my furnace to spend the night roaming the belly, I can't think of anything else I can do to keep Mickey & Friends out of my home. The one positive thing in this invasion is that once they've made it into the belly, they always head to the water heater to warm up and I usually trap them there, but I lost a lot of sleep last winter with traps going off at all hours of the night. Plus I'm getting tired of disposing of dead mice. Anyone have any new ideas on keeping a MH rodent-free? The old methods sure don't seem to be working.
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gram2logan
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No, I sure don't, but if you find the answer let me know!! It got quite chilly here last night and I too heard the little critters under the sub floor. First time this season. We also have ground squirrels or chipmunks that were getting under our home. They had found a spot at the corner and ate thier way in!! We put new insulation, sheathing and siding on this summer so I sure hope we at least can keep them out now. Good luck to us all.
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Greg
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Wayne, I seem to remember reading that mice (and some others) will eat through foam to stay warm, My thought would be to mix some steel wool in with the foam by stuffing the hole with the steel first and foaming it in place. Not sure if that would work but it may be worth trying. I still think the best defence is Tight steel skirting, but if they want in bad enough they will find a way in. Greg
"If I can't fix it, I can screw it up so bad no one else can either."
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Yanita
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Hey,

Just my 2 cents...but I am with Greg, foam alone will not keep them at bay. You need to add the steel wool. Again, you can seal up one area and they will chew thru another to gain access.

To me your best defense is to check your skirting out, repair any holes, tighten it up if needed, add a layer of pea stone to the bottom of it.

Now please, do not think I am implying you have a dirty home, but any critter comes looking for a food source and nesting materials. Check your cupboards for any crumbs, check the bottoms of packaged foods for signs that mice are chewing into them.

I live in front of 2 very large commercial fields. Generally soy beans, peanuts, corn things that mice like are grown there. When the fields are harvested the mice go running...to me. Everything that I buy...flour, sugar, cereals etc are put into plastic or glass containers and I frequently wipe out cupboards. I have noticed a major reduction in critters since we tightened the home up, set traps and make sure the food source is not available.

LOL, whether you like cats or do not, they are a great deterrent to your pest problem. When or if I hear a mouse, the cats have heard it also...I open the cupboards doors and let them have at it....

Good luck...

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
Guest

In the year and a half that I have lived here, I have never, ever seen a mouse (or any evidence of mice) in the living area of my home. They are only in the belly area under the flooring and that's where I hear them. If I wasn't so successful at trapping them at the water heater, they probably would find their way inside eventually. So far they are content to just warm up by the propane water heater tank. But thanks for the tips Yanita. I'm a bit of a neat freak and I check the cupboards routinely and so far no mice inside.
I just got out from under the MH and none of the foam I applied has been disturbed at all. So they obviously have a way in that I haven't discovered as yet. If I notice teeth or claw marks on the foam in the future, I will definitely try adding steel wool to the mix, For now it seems to be doing the job of limiting their entry options at least.
As far as the skirting, I just completely replaced the old rusted and hole-filled steel skirting last year with new vinyl and there are no obvious holes or gaps that would allow them entry. It's pretty tight. I also added pea gravel to a large area of the skirting at one end of the MH to prevent frost heaving the skirting out of place again this winter. (Not to hard a job and it came out nicely, Greg. Thanks for the advice on that.) The rest of the skirting is flush with the cement pad and the bottom rail is even glued down in some areas. I'm sure that even without obvious gaps it wouldn't be difficult for a mouse to get under it somewhere. Don't really care if they're under the home, but I don't want them continually getting into the belly area among the insulation and duct work. I'm also not convinced that mothballs work as effectively with mice as they may with larger animals like squirrels or skunks. They don't seem to deter the mice at all.
I'm totally stumped at this point. I've fixed the large holes in the belly that were left from the previous owner's plumbing problems, sealed every small hole I could find, spread mothballs, replaced the skirting and scattered D-Con everywhere. The spring traps are the only thing that has worked. I actually caught not one, but TWO mice last night in traps set up by the water heater. I guess I don't have a chance of stopping this yearly invasion until I discover just how the heck they keep getting in. I'd love to get a cat, but for it to do any good it would have to spend the night under the flooring in the belly and that would make more noise than the mice are making now! Thanks for the responses. Think I'll take a nap - I think I'll be woken up a few times again tonight.
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Yanita
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Well, it seems that you have covered all the bases.

Is your hot water heater in your home, like under the kitchen sink or another accessible interior place or do you have a gas hot water tank?

I really do not have a foolproof way of eliminating mice. I guess since I have moved here I am learning to "live" with it. We have brick under pinning and I even spent a long miserable day down under using low density spray foam insulation in the minor space between the bottom of the home and the brick...have since realized that the mice are probably gaining entry in thru the vents, we have those large metal vents. A mouse can get thru a hole smaller, much smaller than a dime!

I do not recommend the use of poison. Should they eat it and die in your underbelly, you will have a difficult time locating a dead smelly mouse in your underbelly.

The only place I have visible signs of mice is under the kitchen sink...no food there, no water, but they gained entry from the water line up thru the floor into the home. We have since used steel wool and spray foam and sealed the hole off around the incoming water lines. UUUUUGGGHHHH, not sure how they gained entry but there was one there last night, my female cat "Suki" gave me the dead mouse late in the night!

What I have done in the kitchen is removed the lower cabinet doors under the sink, hung curtains there, the water heater is to the left under there and totally accessible to the cats...... :shock: if the mice come up, they don't stand a chance.

So I guess, LOL, my suggestion would be "Get a cat". BUT, if you do, never let it under your home!

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
Dean2

Sounds like They use Your place for a base and go out to eat if there's no evidence of them inside past the water heater. Mice will eat anything,,that's one reason they are so successful as a species. The spiders and insects are fare game to them and they can eat 1/4 of their body weight per day. Would bug bombing underneath the MH kill one of their food sources for a while? Do they make a bugbomb that sprays sideways so the vapor does'nt just collect on the belly instead of spreading? Does the poison in bugbombs dissipate so You are safe later when You have to go under for some reason? I dunno.

Is it possible to put a thin layer of fine sand around the skirting to show their little paw prints? The sand might be most disturbed at entry/exits. I spose doing this would be better when a calm day or two is forecast so wind/rain does'nt wreck Your plan..I've never tried it,,just thought of it after reading Your posts.. A shop vac could be used to remove the sand for treating newly found accesses. If You do'nt use too much sand I doubt it would affect grass or flower beds either but You could always vacuum it all away too if worried..

Is it an older concrete pad? If yes are there any cracks wide enough for them to access?.Mice will tunnel long distance and use mole or shrew tunnels,,could they have tunnels under the concrete pad to plumbing cutouts?

I do'nt have alot of faith in mothballs either but have used them in a mouse-invaded car,,far as I know they worked in that smaller area..Mice will also take poison pellets and stockpile them so You think they are all eating it but it's just been moved to a more secret location and is'nt eaten by as many..

There are plenty of shrews around this tiny Iowa town,I never saw one till I moved here 5 years ago and thought I had trapped a baby rat till I talked to the neighbor and She told Me what they were. Now at the new location(I moved the mobile 4 blocks) I see gopher mounds accross the entry road to this small court. I trapped 0 shrews since I moved(2 1/2 years ago) and only 2 mice since last year but am expecting a few now with winter coming. Peanut butter baited snaptraps are My best defense once they get in. I keep 2 set most of the time,,one in kitchen and one in LR just in case.

Good luck.

Dean


MobileWayne wrote:In the year and a half that I have lived here, I have never, ever seen a mouse (or any evidence of mice) in the living area of my home. They are only in the belly area under the flooring and that's where I hear them. If I wasn't so successful at trapping them at the water heater, they probably would find their way inside eventually. So far they are content to just warm up by the propane water heater tank. But thanks for the tips Yanita. I'm a bit of a neat freak and I check the cupboards routinely and so far no mice inside.
I just got out from under the MH and none of the foam I applied has been disturbed at all. So they obviously have a way in that I haven't discovered as yet. If I notice teeth or claw marks on the foam in the future, I will definitely try adding steel wool to the mix, For now it seems to be doing the job of limiting their entry options at least.
As far as the skirting, I just completely replaced the old rusted and hole-filled steel skirting last year with new vinyl and there are no obvious holes or gaps that would allow them entry. It's pretty tight. I also added pea gravel to a large area of the skirting at one end of the MH to prevent frost heaving the skirting out of place again this winter. (Not to hard a job and it came out nicely, Greg. Thanks for the advice on that.) The rest of the skirting is flush with the cement pad and the bottom rail is even glued down in some areas. I'm sure that even without obvious gaps it wouldn't be difficult for a mouse to get under it somewhere. Don't really care if they're under the home, but I don't want them continually getting into the belly area among the insulation and duct work. I'm also not convinced that mothballs work as effectively with mice as they may with larger animals like squirrels or skunks. They don't seem to deter the mice at all.
I'm totally stumped at this point. I've fixed the large holes in the belly that were left from the previous owner's plumbing problems, sealed every small hole I could find, spread mothballs, replaced the skirting and scattered D-Con everywhere. The spring traps are the only thing that has worked. I actually caught not one, but TWO mice last night in traps set up by the water heater. I guess I don't have a chance of stopping this yearly invasion until I discover just how the heck they keep getting in. I'd love to get a cat, but for it to do any good it would have to spend the night under the flooring in the belly and that would make more noise than the mice are making now! Thanks for the responses. Think I'll take a nap - I think I'll be woken up a few times again tonight.
Guest

What about these electronic devices that drive those critters away,
according to the testimonies they work, might be worth a shot doesn't cost much, plus they guarantee it.

http://www.newtonsuniverse.com/index.ph ... YQodrHEtAA
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Yanita
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Hi,

For whatever the reasons LOL, I think most tv testimonials are paid testimonials. Unless someone from here or I know personally waste their money first...it probably ain't gonna happen. :D

I have a pair of living devices...Javanese cats!

Yanita
The difference between success and failure is who gives up first!
Guest

Hey I don't have mice problems here and I just quickly google it to see what came up and NO I didn't see any TV commercials. Just trying to help that's all! and who know maybe it does works he does offer a 30 day money back guarantee so what does it hurt to try?
Guest

Yes, Yanita. My water heater is propane gas, only accessable by an outside door, which is why a cat wouldn't do much good as a deterrent. The former owner completely filled the spaces around the plumbing lines coming into the bathroom sink, which is one reason I never see the critters in my home. When you open the outside access door, the bathtub and shower pipes are behind the water heater and that is where the mice are coming up from the belly. I cannot access those pipes or block that opening in the floor without tearing down the bathtub surround and removing all of the shower fixtures, or tearing up the belly to do it from underneath. Two things I'd rather not do (and I'd still have them in the belly.) The water heater closet is so tight that I can only barely see that opening with the help of a mirror. It is completely out of reach to repair it from the access door. So even though I know how they are getting into the water heater area, I still have no idea how they are getting into the belly itself.
Dean, I like your idea of spreading fine sand (or even talcum powder?) around the skirting to determine where they are getting into the crawlspace, but I really need to know how they are making the 2' climb into the belly once they are past the skirting. The few pipes going up into the belly that they could climb are completely sealed at the belly and undisturbed. On the waste pipe entry (what I thought was the most likely culprit) I even stapled fine metal screening before covering it with expanding foam, so it can't be there.
That now leaves only one possibility I can see. Do you think they could be jumping up to the water heater pan overflow pipe and getting in that way? Not only would they have to jump 2' straight up to get to it, but they would also have to grab the 3" long 1/2" diameter pipe in mid-jump and then defy gravity to crawl inside and up it. I know mice can jump, but with that kind of accuracy and agility? In the dark? How the heck could they hold onto it long enough to turn upside down and enter the pipe without falling? If a mouse can do that I think I'll stop eradicating them and start my own travelling mouse circus.
Jim, thank you for your suggestion of sonic repellers. I'm not a believer myself, but there are a few on this site who swear by them. If I can't figure out how these little Houdinis are getting in here soon, I may just give it a shot.
Last night was relatively quiet. I only caught one and he was so fat I didn't even hear the trap go off. Think I'll go wrap some metal screening around that overflow pipe opening with an automotive clamp just in case. If the traps remain unsprung for a few days after doing that I'll let you all know. Thank you all.
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hvac1000
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Mice hate steel wool because it is hard to chew and tastes bad I guess. I have some openings filled with small pieces of steel wool that I packed in with a wide knife or flat blade screw driver. All of the areas where this was used was out of sight or my lovely wife would have been very unhappy.
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Dean2

I really do'nt know how high or far a mouse can jump but those front paws are little hands and they can hold food well enuff, it's hard to say if they can hold their own weight. They could be getting up anywhere and have a route to the WH closet tho. The route could zigzag in and out of the belly covering a supposed 100 linear ft to go an actual 20'.

If there's an outside endless food supply then You have a real battle,,especially if they brought food in to stockpile for winter. Mice can breed at 6 weeks old or so and WILL do it..If the food runs out tho then there has to be less mice.

As for the electronic noise devices even if they do work where do the mice go? A close neighbors' place? Waiting for a chance to return? I suppose they are a humane device or something to try if there are mice running rampant in the hundreds.. If there are'nt close neighbors and the devices do'nt take much energy AND *IF* they do work then one or more might be good. The next question is "how long do they last before You have to buy another one?" and "since humans ca'nt hear it how do You know it quit working before the mice return?",, ultimately are they cost effective?

I like My peanut butter baited snaptraps,,they work and seem comparatively cost effective,,,as in "cheap" like Me! Mice play a numbers game and breed like crazy because Nature knows they die alot anyway..

Talcum powder sounds too pricey to Me,,might take multiple boxes to go round a home..Some dry sand might be found for next to nuthin and spread with any size scoop.HTH.

Dean




MobileWayne wrote:Yes, Yanita. My water heater is propane gas, only accessable by an outside door, which is why a cat wouldn't do much good as a deterrent. The former owner completely filled the spaces around the plumbing lines coming into the bathroom sink, which is one reason I never see the critters in my home. When you open the outside access door, the bathtub and shower pipes are behind the water heater and that is where the mice are coming up from the belly. I cannot access those pipes or block that opening in the floor without tearing down the bathtub surround and removing all of the shower fixtures, or tearing up the belly to do it from underneath. Two things I'd rather not do (and I'd still have them in the belly.) The water heater closet is so tight that I can only barely see that opening with the help of a mirror. It is completely out of reach to repair it from the access door. So even though I know how they are getting into the water heater area, I still have no idea how they are getting into the belly itself.
Dean, I like your idea of spreading fine sand (or even talcum powder?) around the skirting to determine where they are getting into the crawlspace, but I really need to know how they are making the 2' climb into the belly once they are past the skirting. The few pipes going up into the belly that they could climb are completely sealed at the belly and undisturbed. On the waste pipe entry (what I thought was the most likely culprit) I even stapled fine metal screening before covering it with expanding foam, so it can't be there.
That now leaves only one possibility I can see. Do you think they could be jumping up to the water heater pan overflow pipe and getting in that way? Not only would they have to jump 2' straight up to get to it, but they would also have to grab the 3" long 1/2" diameter pipe in mid-jump and then defy gravity to crawl inside and up it. I know mice can jump, but with that kind of accuracy and agility? In the dark? How the heck could they hold onto it long enough to turn upside down and enter the pipe without falling? If a mouse can do that I think I'll stop eradicating them and start my own travelling mouse circus.
Jim, thank you for your suggestion of sonic repellers. I'm not a believer myself, but there are a few on this site who swear by them. If I can't figure out how these little Houdinis are getting in here soon, I may just give it a shot.
Last night was relatively quiet. I only caught one and he was so fat I didn't even hear the trap go off. Think I'll go wrap some metal screening around that overflow pipe opening with an automotive clamp just in case. If the traps remain unsprung for a few days after doing that I'll let you all know. Thank you all.
Guest

Amen, Dean. Peanut butter-baited traps are about the only thing that has worked for me too. I'll try anything, but the traps are the only thing that really gets results. I think I must've caught at least a dozen mice here last year using them.
I used to hear them first in my bedroom walls before the traps would get them at the water heater, so I suspected that's where they were getting in last year. When I installed an air conditioner in that wall this spring I pulled off the panelling and - about 2 dozen acorns rolled out of the wall cavity!! It was pretty obvious that this was where they were nesting, but not where they were getting in. I pulled out all the acorns and nesting materials, installed new insulation in the entire wall and filled all gaps in the 2x3s with caulking. No more noises in the wall this year, but they're still getting into the water heater.
I think they summer in my tool shed (I've trapped a few there) and when the weather turns cold they make their way to the water heater for warmth. I'm sure they are feeding outside, since I have no evidence they are getting inside my home to forage. Taking away their food stockpile sure hasn't stopped them from coming in to warm their tootsies. At least they're not keeping me up all night like they were last year with all the noise in the bedroom walls. Now I only hear them when a trap goes off. Last night passed without incident, but it wasn't as cold as it has been, either. Keeping my fingers crossed that blocking the water heater overflow pipe might've done the trick, but I'll need a few more days of empty traps to be convinced I've found their way in. Thanks for the response.
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Maureen
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Hey folks,

I have to agree with Yanita on this one. There is no way to totally get rid of mice, but my best deterrent is my neighbors cats! They are all great mousers! We live in a rural area, plenty of room for the mice to make their homes. We have 3 outbuildings.

Between the cats, the steel wool and foam and moth balls, we've only had evidence of one mouse in just about 10 years. I give most of the credit to the cats! Even though Rocky (our dog) isn't too fond of them LOL! I give them a treat every now and then for putting up with Rocky chasing them. We've developed a relationship!

Maureen 8)
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