What better way to experience the great outdoors than by touring the country in an RV or camper? This all-American pastime is a family-friendly way to enjoy nature in relative comfort. Many RVs or campers are equipped with some form of kitchen, bed or rest area, and restroom. These modern comforts make your RV into a portable home, which can keep you fed and rested on your journey. Sounds ideal, right? It is! Unfortunately, a camper is also the perfect set up for rodents. You don’t want your vacation ruined by an unwanted critter, so we’ve put together our top tips on how to rodent-proof an RV or camper!
Why Do Rodents Seek Out Campers?
Rodents are the same as you and me; they want to relax somewhere relatively undisturbed with a steady supply of food and water. Your camper provides the ultimate luxury for rodents. It’s likely not touched for several months at a time, has a water storage area and food supplies, and plenty of soft materials for chewing through. Storing dry food in a camper is a major problem. Things such as dry pasta or crackers aren’t the most appetizing to us, but they’re a veritable buffet to rodents. Rodents will also be happy to chew through them themselves. Their teeth continuously grow like a dog or cat’s nails and are filed down through chewing. They don’t care if it’s wood, cloth, cardboard, or even metal; rodents will chew through it given the opportunity.
An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure
As with any pest control, investing time in prevention is better than investing both time and money in getting rid of a problem. Preventing rodents from entering your camper will be significantly easier than throwing them out. The easiest thing you can do is completely clear your camper of tempting food after you’re done using it. Bring all food supplies inside or donate them to a food bank if it will be a long time before you use the camper again. Give the camper a thorough cleaning after each use, and vacuum under the furniture to help get rid of any edible crumbs rodents could eat. Beyond that, you can use natural deterrents such as peppermint oil or mothballs. Rodents don’t love certain smells and will naturally avoid them whenever possible.
How to Remove Rodents From An RV
If you didn’t rodent-proof your RV or camper, there’s a good chance they’ve made it inside. Even a small food source attracts rodents, so start by removing any food. From there, you can try a natural deterrent like peppermint oil. If the rodents haven’t settled in and made nests yet, this may drive them out of the camper. If not, you can use either chemical baits or physical rodent traps to try to get rid of them. Chemical baits are highly toxic pellets that imitate delicious food to a rodent’s nose. They sniff it out, eat it, and die from the poison. The downside here is twofold: your pets or children could end up eating the bait instead, and the rodent could die inside your camper. You could also try using physical traps, such as glue traps, which work by restraining the rodent. These aren’t much more humane than poison and often end up maiming the rodent or letting it starve to death. For the best pest control practices, skip the DIY prevention, and contact an expert instead. We can help you get rid of your rodents and prevent more from coming on board.
For more common pest and other related pest tips, please contact Dr. Death Pest Control.