Dear Dave,
My rig is outside all of the time. I have major problems with a gray squirrel. It has chewed 12v wires, and the worst was when it chewed the fuel line to the Onan generator. Do you have any ideas or know of a wrap product to protect them? —Donald, 2019 Winnebago Travato
Dear Donald,
Rodents of all kinds have always been an issue when it comes to RVs, especially wiring. I don’t know if anyone really knows what attracts them to chew up an RV. Some say they chew materials such as insulation and other soft materials in the winter to build a blanket or nest.
Other sources have stated that the coating on some wiring is actually made of a food grade material and is a source of food for them. And I have even read that rodents chew on materials to keep their teeth sharp!
We have fought rodents for years, with mice being the most annoying that I have found. We’ve tried just about everything—from moth balls to electronic devices—and have found that Mouse Free is the best. However, it is expensive and messy as it is sprayed on the bottom of the rig and has a greasy base substance.
Sometimes even an RV cover isn’t enough
Locally, we had an RV owner that had his trailer stored for the winter with a very good cover that seemed like it would keep just about anything out.
In the spring, he removed the cover and dewinterized. Once he started up the air conditioner, it began to snow inside the rig. A squirrel had burrowed inside the block foam insulation surrounding the fan and evaporator and created a nice little winter Airbnb.
I have not battled squirrels in my RV; however, I did have a few bouts with them in an attached garage. Once they get in and establish themselves, it’s almost impossible to keep them from coming back in—if you can get them out in the first place. I ended up catching them with a live trap and peanut butter and had the local Department of Natural Resources (DNR) take them to another county. Not sure what they did with them—but the peanut butter was really good… just hard to get myself out of the trap!
The owner of the above trailer did the same thing, then the next year used mothballs all around the outside and Grandpa Gus pouches inside. He did not want the smell of the mothballs inside and did not have any issues for the next two years. Notice the trees all around the rig? I told him it might be wise to find a spot with less rodent traffic!
Squirrel deterrent products
There are several squirrel deterrent products on the market. However, the first thing you need to do is conduct a thorough inspection of the rig and seal up any potential entry points. What I found works the best is to put some bright lights inside the rig at night and look for light leaks underneath and outside.
I have talked with people that have used cayenne pepper, cinnamon oil, and several types of mint. The issue with most of these is they dissipate quickly and are not effective after a couple of weeks. I have heard good things about Fresh Cab and Grandpa Gus. However, sometimes it’s hard to tell if the product really works or the rodents have just moved to a different vacation spot.
I’m interested to hear what others have used.
You might also enjoy this from Dave
Do ultrasonic mice deterrents work?
Dear Dave,
I saw your response about keeping mice out by sealing up access points and using scent deterrents. I was wondering if you or any of your readers had experience with those ultrasonic devices that can go under the hood that are supposed to keep rodents and other critters away? Are they just a scam? Do they work in specific but limited instances? We haven’t had a problem yet but want to keep it that way. (We’ve only been full-time RVing for a year.) Thanks in advance! —Tim, 2024 Leisure Travel Vans Unity RL
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I have mentioned a RatMat as my solution to everything rodent for the last 8 years. I live in the woods, store my rig in a carport. It only took once for me to look for a serious solution. A series of metal tiles are placed around the perimeter and plugged in to a regular outlet. Anything touching the tiles receives a shock. It won’t kill you, but it will startle anything that touches it. You can walk on it with shoes, but not bare feet. I’ve been completely rodent free for 8 years.
On my latest camping trip, I found a squirrel nest in my front ac. That explained why it did not blow cold air. The nest contained the mama squirrel and 1 live and 3 dead babies. I also noted two chewed compressor wires and a lot of chewed plastic ducting. When I began to remove the nest, the evicted mommy squirrel became quite upset and aggressive. I won and got the AC to blow cold air. My chore this week will be a more permanent fix to the AC unit and squirrel proof the AC cabinet. A great campfire story.
Coat the wires with Vaseline. They don’t like the smell. In areas where you don’t want poison (dead mice, etc. smells) there’s the Tin Cat. That is a metal box trap baited with peanut butter that mice enter, but they can’t leave. (Hotel California for mice). Dump the dead mice from the Tin Cat and rebait.