Newsflash: mice and RVs do not play together well. Few things other than water can damage an RV more effectively than mice. That’s why, if you own a motorhome or travel trailer, you should do everything in your power to keep the little critters away.
Mice are bad news for a number of reasons. First, they love to chew. And in fact, they will chew just about anything they can get their little teeth on. They will chew through your shoes, your jackets, your food containers, and even the electrical wires that run throughout your rig. Not good.
The second reason mice are problematic is that they can carry disease. They are not necessarily as much of a problem as rats, but disease is still a potential concern. So why take the chance? You are better off keeping them out than dealing with the aftermath of letting them in. To that end, the two best ways to do so are described below.
- Blocking Their Entry Points
Here’s another newsflash: the only way to absolutely guarantee mice will not get into your RV is to block their entry points. Seems pretty straightforward, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, RV owners like to try all sorts of easy fixes that do not involve the intense labor of plugging holes. But those easy fixes only deter, at best. The only guaranteed solution is to block entry points.
Blocking from the Inside
Ideally, you want to block entry points from both the inside and outside. Blocking from the inside is the easier to do, and also prevents mice from getting into your living space. However, it takes some work. It takes getting on your hands and knees and scouring every inch of space. You are looking for any hole whatsoever. Even a hole as small as a dime is still big enough for a mouse to get through.
Any holes you find have to be filled. How you go about it is up to you. You can use expanding foam for most of them. Where that is not practical, use your imagination. There are plenty of materials you can buy at the hardware store to fill in the gaps.
Blocking from the Outside
While blocking holes from the inside will keep mice out of your living space, it will not necessarily keep them out of the walls. That’s why you need to block from the outside, too. This requires crawling around underneath your RV.
Unfortunately, while getting underneath a fifth wheel, travel trailer, or Class B/C motorhome generally isn’t a problem, getting underneath a Class A motorhome could prove impossible. You may need to have a mechanic do the work for you.
Also, do not rely on RV skirting to keep mice out. AirSkirts, a Connecticut company that sells an inflatable skirting product, says that’s not the primary point of skirting anyway. Skirting is designed to stop your pipes from freezing. It is not intended to keep out critters.
- Cover Your Leveling Jacks
The second way to keep mice out of your RV is to cover your leveling jacks. Mice climb up the jacks to get to the frame. Those jacks are like ladders. Cover them with some smooth aluminum or plastic tubing and you’re good to go. They will have no more ladder to climb – as long as you don’t store things under your RV.
Mice inside an RV are always bad news. Rather than trying to get rid of them after the fact, you’re better off keeping them out altogether. The best way to do that is to take away their access.
