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Small Cabin Forum / Nature / Keeping the mice out
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forcedair
Member
# Posted: 31 May 2012 09:26
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I have a problem with mice getting into my cabin. I keep it very clean. No crumbs or food left out. I have examined every inch of the exterior but cannot find where they're getting in. Any suggestions of where to look for their entrance?

TomChum
Member
# Posted: 31 May 2012 10:26
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Do you leave the door open while you are using the cabin?

forcedair
Member
# Posted: 31 May 2012 10:30
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Briefly while I'm carrying stuff in. Do you think they can scurry in that fast?

Montanagirl
Member
# Posted: 31 May 2012 11:54
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Do you have a fireplace? They used to get in our cabin (even with the damper closed!) until we capped it when we would leave for extended periods.

TomChum
Member
# Posted: 31 May 2012 13:24 - Edited by: TomChum
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I don't think they would come in while there is activity, I think they are very cautious, and would watch for a time where there is no activity. Mice rarely climb (upwards) out in the open, they run along baseboards, and prefer hiding places. I suppose they might climb inside a masonry style fireplace chimney.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 31 May 2012 14:34 - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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I used a full foundation and sealed mine bug tight. Post systems, etc there may be no way to keep them out unless you run that metal screening over your insulation. WraP POST WITH METAL FLASHING SO THEY CANT CLIMB UP WITH THEIR CLAWS TOO. I have not have a single critter get in. But I seen birds tired to peck out my screens in the bird blocks. I built them myself and in addition to metal screen, I used a 1/8"galvanized screen and installed it behind my fine bug screen. Paid off. They never got in. Some cabins in the area have had issues with woodpeckers pecking holes through the siding for nesting in spring. I was told to build bird houses and attatch them near the rafter tails. Not close tot he cabin where they can land and work throught he siding. That works for that.

forcedair
Member
# Posted: 31 May 2012 23:09
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Thanks for all the suggestions. I have a wood stove & an airtight, so they can't be coming down the stainless steel chimneys. The odd one might get in through the open door. I do have a block foundation, but how to check it for mouse holes? There isn't enough room to go underneath and taking down the siding to look for holes would be a major undertaking.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 1 Jun 2012 00:06
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I might add, I went to my cabin in April, and I opened up the woodstove to clean it out and there lies a dead bird. He must of went down the chimney. What an awful way to go, in a dark dusty small confined space. I felt bad.

rayyy
Member
# Posted: 3 Jun 2012 18:11
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I know the mice around here don't take NO for an answer.They climb up over or dig down under or squeeze them selves under the door.I have tried that green pelleted mouse poison but I think they eat that stuff for breakfast.I only get good results with those new fangled mouse traps with penut butter.You have to check it everyday but they can't resist that alure of penutbutter.

BRL
Member
# Posted: 4 Jun 2012 07:56
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This is what we are doing under our cabin. Hope it works.
042912145604.jpg
042912145604.jpg


Camping mom
# Posted: 19 Mar 2013 09:23
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This works great! And if you want to set rehome them, just dont put water in it and transplant them later!

Build a Self-Resetting Mouse Trap

TheWildMan
Member
# Posted: 21 Mar 2013 08:40
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mice can get in through holes as small as a dime in diameter, they could come through any timy gap around a pipe or something. it doesn't matter if there isn't food, they went for shelter (things that eat mice can't get them in there, good place to build safe nests for more mice and forrage outside).

camping mom, those work great, been using one for years, if you got a 55 gallon barrel you can make a big one for squirrels. both type make it cheaper on the catfood bill (toss mice to the cat). the idea is actually thousands of years old, the mouse bottle pit was a native idea that used a bottle shaped pit with a flat rock over top to catch mice and small rodents and stuff. when food was otherwise scarce these would be set in a field or meadow and a person would circle around it making noise and flushing rodents to run towards it, they seek shelter under the rock and fall into the pit, the bottle shape has narrow walls at the top making it hard to climb out. a mouse and lizard stew was better than nothing when starvation set in (listed in serveral survival books, Tom Browns book comes to mind)

SE Ohio
Member
# Posted: 21 Mar 2013 14:31
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I set up a few traps outside the cabin. I now rarely find mouse activity inside, generally only when the outside traps are "at capacity" (full).

I've used a simple bucket trap in the porta-potty, with a glob of peanut butter stuck several inches down the bucket wall, just out of safe reach. A long paint stick served as a ramp up to the bucket rim, and had a few inches of water inside. No other parts or features, this had about 10 dead mice the following weekend, but was quite smelly (some recommmend antifreeze instead of water).

adakseabee
Member
# Posted: 21 Mar 2013 23:44
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My Admiral uses those five dollar scented quart (?) candles in a glass jar from Walmart (like the Yankee candles that go for upwards of fifteen dollars at candle shops) for lighting in the outhouse at night. One morning we found a mouse had fallen in the nearly empty jar. It was entombed in wax! Never thought to use them as a mouse trap.

tcmatt
Member
# Posted: 23 Mar 2013 10:00
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forcedair,
re checking for holes...at night, turn on lights, lanterns, etc to make the cabin as light-filled as you can. Close shades and/or cover windows. Go outside and thoroughly examine every square foot of the exterior and the underside if you can. Note areas where light is coming through. I did this right after I had sheeted mine. I then stuffed steel wool into any area/sliver/hole with a small screwdriver and I have yet to find a mouse or turds in my little cabin. I have a 5 gallon bucket trap inside to catch any that might get it, but so far none have. Mouse can't or won't chew threw steel wool from what I've been told. I have plenty of mice around my place, too. If i forget to bring in the toilet paper from the outhouse, even for one night, the little suckers chew the roll.
matt

beachman
Member
# Posted: 23 Mar 2013 11:47
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Has anyone tried cloves?

rake1
Member
# Posted: 24 Mar 2013 15:54
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I have been lucky never had them in my camp, but when I leave I do set two mouse traps with peanut butter out side. Have caught a few mice so I am thinking I am keeping the population down by doing this.

rayyy
Member
# Posted: 25 Mar 2013 13:06
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I keep getting mice in the horse trailer/camper.For the life of me,I don't know how they get in.It's very well built.They destroy everything.My towls,blanket's,sheets,clothing,pillow's saddle linings,even chew holes into my ceiling tiles,,,UGGG!Stinks like mouse pee and little turd's everywhere.I have put out a big block of mouse poison for their dinning pleasure but it's alway's to little,to late.

Patgreat
Member
# Posted: 27 Mar 2013 09:44
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I personally believe that mice will find a way to get in and there is nothing you can do to stop them. You need to take the approach of how do I get rid of them. The poison pellets work very well but I have dog and I am always worried she will eat them.

One of my cabin neighbors gave me a great way to get rid of mice. You take a 5 gallon and put two small holes in the top. You take a can and put some peanut butter in it and string it up threw the holes you put in the top of the bucket so it's hanging in the middle of the bucket. Take a piece of wood and make a ramp that goes to the top of the bucket. the mice will go up the ramp and jump into the buck to try and get to the peanut butter and fall into the bottom of the bucket. You will be amazed how many you will catch. I do this in the winter every time I leave my cabin. I put some water in the bucket so they are not running around when get up there. It cheap, it works, and it will catch multiple mice and is reusable. Try it out, it has really help to keep mice problem under control for me.

Kudzu
Member
# Posted: 27 Mar 2013 09:53
Reply 


Once a week I set my "trap line" and have been very successful. I set five ole timey mousetraps using cheese as bait. I have caught as many as three in a night. Sooner or later I will see a decline, I hope.

justincasei812
Member
# Posted: 27 Mar 2013 16:29
Reply 


I have shrews at the cabin, at first I thought they were mice but they never seemed to bother anything. The first winter I caught one in a mouse trap inside the cabin and it was eaten to where a little fur a and a foot was left. I thought to my self mice don't eat other mice so I did a little more investigating and that's when I realized I had shrews. Shrews over all are not bad, they eat insects, mice and any other creaters running around. Very rarely have I found evidence of them in the cabin (usually winter time and very little). I keep traps active all winter and some times in the summer and have caught one in a trap and one in a water dish that was left one time when we left. One each winter. Never see droppings on the floors or any place elese for that matter. They don't go after the food that is left behind and do not carry the diseases like mice do either. I guess the only thing I don't like is that there are so many of them or at least it seems like it. There is a crunchy moss for ground cover through most of the woods and I see them running around and into their holes a lot.

oldgringo
Member
# Posted: 27 Mar 2013 18:27
Reply 


I just built one of the 5 gallon bucket traps. After action report to follow.:D

SteveF
Member
# Posted: 11 Dec 2015 08:26
Reply 


Warfarin. I used to have them in my tool shed but no more. I just spread this stuff around and they eat it and poof they are gone.

Wilbour
Member
# Posted: 11 Dec 2015 08:39
Reply 


In the last few years I've had mice in my car twice! Once from South Carolina campground to Ottawa and last year from my cabin to Ottawa. Both times it was because I put my stuff on the ground just prior to loading the car. The little guy jumped into my boxes and then spent a few days running around the car. They are very quick, especially in the food bins.

SteveF
Member
# Posted: 27 Dec 2015 13:02
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Warfarin ... they love it and in no time they are history as it totally dries them out.

bobrok
Member
# Posted: 20 Nov 2016 14:07
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Well I know this thread is a year old, but...

Quoting: SteveF
Warfarin ... they love it and in no time they are history as it totally dries them out.


Wouldn't this leave dried mice all around inside the building? Any experience there?

I recently had the cabin air filter replaced on my truck and I wish I had taken a photo of what it looked like. Evidently mice crawl around in the engine compartment and leave their debris in or near the air intake. When you turn on the ventilation system everything gets sucked up to the air filter. This filter was so clogged with bits of debris, insulation, leaves, string, etc its amazing any air got through.
Then I think about having breathed this air while driving.

It was suggested that I put moth balls under the truck when its parked because that would deter mice.

Also considering putting them in the crawl space of the camp. Don't know if we'd appreciate the smell, though.

Anyone try this method?

DaveBell
Moderator
# Posted: 20 Nov 2016 16:20
Reply 


Instead of trying to repel them from everywhere, attract them to one trap, away from truck and cabin.
See my bucket of death in another mice thread on this forum. Other folks on the forum have used it with success.

bobrok
Member
# Posted: 20 Nov 2016 16:37 - Edited by: bobrok
Reply 


TY.

I've used the peanut butter/bucket trap a lot and, yes, it works the best, except for the smell if you aren't there to monitor and empty it. We don't get mice inside the camp at all, but they're in the walls and ceiling crawl space. Ever try hefting a drywall bucket full of water and a dozen dead mice over your head through a ceiling access door that's right over your bed while on a ladder? Did that once. Had to fan fumigate the attic crawl space all day before we could go inside.
Tried leaving it outdoors but all that does is attract more critters, some larger and hungrier.
No, I'm all for finding a way to repel from inside after my past experiences, but I appreciate the suggestion.

toyota_mdt_tech
Member
# Posted: 21 Nov 2016 10:25
Reply 


There is electronic repellents.

http://www.amazon.com/Ultrasonic-Electronic-Control-Repellent-Cockroaches/dp/B00RKPNW NK

DaveBell
Moderator
# Posted: 21 Nov 2016 10:35
Reply 


Quoting: bobrok
Ever try hefting a drywall bucket full of water
You're only supposed to use 3 inches of water.

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