How to make a rodent proof perimeter around vehicle?

There are loads of rodents on the other side of the field where I would intend to run the track. I suddenly remembered that I better think of a way to keep them off the van before running the track to park there.

They have caused much destruction over that side already. I naively thought previously that they wouldn't chew through plastic if they could not smell food or otherwise being enticed but having seen them bulldoze through most none metal things I would leave at, or near, ground level I have since read they will just gnaw indiscriminately if only to keep their teeth from overgrowing.

So I certainly don't want my van to be over unprotected.

I did experience them a lot on the van over in this corner of the field for a while. I used to hear them scratching and scraping almost as soon as it got dark. Yes I am confident it was rodents as I know that sound, and also saw droppings before.

The run of frosty weather must have killed them off though as I haven't heard them now since that run of cold weather.

I think they are going to be rife over that other side though and there are two big piles of cut back brash (not sure what you guys stateside call it but piles of small woody debris) which they probably find good nesting grounds.

When I had the previous rodent issues I seem to have deterred them going on the roof of the van, which they did often, they would go on the bumper then I would hear them scrambling up the sides, by sticking electrical tape to the seams of the back doors where I would previously have heard them climbing.

I am thinking to do a similar method to make a fence a few feet high, and a bit under ground of course, to make a fence to not give them anything to grip on to so they won't be able to climb over.

Similar in theory to historic staddle stones which protected grain stores but of course I don't want to raise the van base of the ground in this case as that would be impractical from an engineering perspective and much simpler to make a fence around at ground level instead.

What would be a reasonably priced material that I could run about a 20ft by 10ft perimeter around the van? I am thinking I could either use plastic drainpipe for the corners or just make them flush and 90 degrees or less so they would not have anything of substance to grab on to.

Ideas? I am thinking to put the track on hold until I have a good idea for how to protect the van.

Btw as I have solar on the roof I would not want anything that would cover it completely so something to bear in mind with suggestions.

Thanks.

Hope this doesn't offend anyone's sensibilities.
Hello John - I feel your pain.  Dry weather really makes the rodents seek water wherever they can find it, and the usual target is the windscreen washer reservoir (ours has a very tasty plastic cap; replaced 4 so far)  then they go for the rubber tubes that connect the washers, followed by any tasty coverings of the essential wiring.
Tried peppermint oil which is meant to repel them - OK for a couple of days but has to be refreshed constantly, and if it gets forgotten, look out!  
Then we replaced the chewed tubing and covered with the ridged plastic coverings used for electronics (same stuff used for grey water) that stopped 'em in their tracks for a bit.  
Finally we have resorted to poison baits - placed in metal tubes and held in place with a wire.  No sign of them for ages, then a new lot turned up. (Not very Permie, but I'm totally sick of 'em)
The main problem with trying to fence them out is they can climb.  They turn up in the roof. . . and they don't use a ladder, so I don't think even the smallest mesh fence would stop them. If they can get into the engine space, and over the back wheel arch they can go anywhere. They like to follow a wall or other edge when crossing "open" space, which suggests good places to put a trap or two.  

Personally I'm onside with aggressive rodent control -- especially since my problem rodents cause destruction and carry disease that transmits to humans. If they stay in the woods, fine. If it's them or me, it's going to be them.

But on a gentler note -- another thread is asking about uses for spiky branches. Could this be woven into a spiky wattle fence barrier that discourages the little SOB's?

Jill Dyer wrote:
The main problem with trying to fence them out is they can climb.

The whole point is to make a fence - probably better to call it a wall - they can't climb.

Would you like to tell me how they would climb a sheer face of smooth polished metal? That is along the lines I am thinking.

I will look up the cheapest metal types to see if it is cost effective.

Hmm looks like sheet metal would cost as much as a cheaper shed for that kind of area, into the hundreds!

An option could be one they may be able to climb but have a large overhang like staddle stones so they would not be able to get over the lip.

Corrugated sheets looking more affordable.

Keep in mind a lot of the insulation on wires was made with soy... so even without any food in the vehicle... it still has food for them... as you have found out.

One fairly effective thing is to remove any and all debris and hiding places for as big an area as you can. No tall grass, no leaves, no ruts, no mulch, no nothing. This makes them have to run over an exposed area which they don't like. So they will run over it less often. And it makes them targets for all sorts of predators, who can catch them easier in that open area.

Would it behoove your efforts to try the " drowning bucket" defence system?  You might have seen it discussed on other threads of this ilk.  A five gallon bucket is used , half filled with water.  The trap door device seats near flush atop,  I believe.  Peanut butter or other bait can provide the olfactory allure.  

I am still a novice here at Permies but will try to supply a   photo or link.  Not foolproof,  but has advantages over poison and old style traps. Good luck mate, I know how it feels to battle the Rodent Family....almost akin to a mafia group.  I even woke up once in a dilapidated house with a flying squirrel performing barrel rolls overhead.  My fright drove me to grab the first thing handy ...and as my trembling hand felt a framing hammer, I temporarily lost my sense of Buddhist compassion for all creatures.....

Here is image that might help you

The only thing that has worked for us is cats.

I'm not sure if I missed the backstory for what you're doing with your van (storing it, living in it, etc.,) but I think I understood enough to offer my two cents based on my own experience.

If you're looking to store your van, the long of the short of it is that I agree with Jill.  If mice are that big of a problem, you're not going to get rid of them simply by repelling them or trying to be passively humane about it.  Not the way they breed and reproduce.  You need poison.

Every suggestion here is great.  Every one of them.  If your van is an RV conversion and you're living in it, and want to stay in one place on a property for awhile, a mixture of these suggestions will help keep the mice to a minimum, but they all require regular maintenance.  The live traps and buckets have to be emptied so they're not really viable if you're trying to store your van for awhile.  (A five gallon bucket could fill up to the point that mice wouldn't drop in and could easily climb out if the bucket's left there unattended long term.)  The peppermint oil works well but, as it was pointed out, it has to be refreshed.  And Matt pointed out that the wiring is made from soy and there's a lot of plastic in vehicles that mice are attracted to.  I had a friend store her pickup for a month and mice got inside the cab and chewed her dash to bits.  And it's basically impossible to plug every little access they can fit into to get inside your van and in your engine.

My bluntly honest advice (if it resonates with you) is this:  I don't know about the wall thing because that's the part of the story that I don't quite understand.  I hope you find a workable solution.  Where I come from, if you have a redneck friend, anything is possible!  But, you need poison, and you need to be aggressive about it.  Start outside the van to deter them getting inside the van as much as possible.  But, also treat the inside and engine compartment, too.  If you can't get back to reapply things like peppermint oil, mothballs, dryer sheets, etc., then drench it in peppermint oil and fill it with moth balls and dryer sheets to the point that the smells would be unbearable to you!  You might need to air out the van once you get back to it, but vans, and van repairs, are NOT cheap.  Peppermint oil, dryer sheets, and mothballs are.  Irish Spring soap, too.  Protect your investment.  

Also, check with your car insurance and make sure you're protected against rodent damage, just in case.  

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I almost sent this message when I had a thought about your wall.  (I'm okay.  It didn't hurt too bad.)

Like you said, mice can't climb flat metal.  So, get whatever kind you want to use and bend it into right angles.  No actual construction is needed.  Just one end under the van (you can put a brick or rock on it so it doesn't move) and let the other side of the metal act like an RV skirt around your van.  You can make it as tall as you want as long as it's tall enough to prevent them from jumping or climbing that high.  This skirt would go all around your van, protecting your tires and even your engine because they would overlap each other, preventing mice, snakes, etc., from even getting under the van at all.  I hope I'm describing this well enough for you to get the picture.  Basically you're putting your van in a metal box that's about three or four feet tall, but your building the box around your van, with the metal that slides under your van (and under the tires) acting as the bottom of the metal box.  

I found a picture to illustrate what I mean by the shape of the metal.  (Ignore the writing on the picture.)  Just make enough of these to go all around the van and far enough up the outside of the van to cover the tires and any other possible entry area.

Wow, woke in the middle of the night thinking "smooth metal wall"  but others got there before me!  Do you have a recycle yard close by - that could be a good source of pre-owned flat metal sheets, or those surplus to requirements for a project.  Even sheets classed as 'seconds'.

We had mice nesting in our car when we lived in California.  Never had this happen elsewhere we've lived, although in those places we often had cats that could go outside at night.  Eventually after trying many ideas we found two things that gave good control....1.move the vehicle every couple of days to a different spot, not parking it in the same place for long periods (during lockdown we would often go 2 months without leaving the farm) and 2. running a bright light under the car at night.

Emmett Ray wrote:

I almost sent this message when I had a thought about your wall.  (I'm okay.  It didn't hurt too bad.)

Like you said, mice can't climb flat metal.  So, get whatever kind you want to use and bend it into right angles.  No actual construction is needed.  Just one end under the van (you can put a brick or rock on it so it doesn't move) and let the other side of the metal act like an RV skirt around your van.  You can make it as tall as you want as long as it's tall enough to prevent them from jumping or climbing that high.  This skirt would go all around your van, protecting your tires and even your engine because they would overlap each other, preventing mice, snakes, etc., from even getting under the van at all.  I hope I'm describing this well enough for you to get the picture.  Basically you're putting your van in a metal box that's about three or four feet tall, but your building the box around your van, with the metal that slides under your van (and under the tires) acting as the bottom of the metal box.  

I found a picture to illustrate what I mean by the shape of the metal.  (Ignore the writing on the picture.)  Just make enough of these to go all around the van and far enough up the outside of the van to cover the tires and any other possible entry area.

Hey oh thanks that is a good suggestion to prevent the need for any joints! Hadn't thought of that.

Indeed the situation is I would be in the van, not a storage suggestion, so will be able to do maintenance for whatever.

I do prefer the idea of just stopping them getting in the van rather than mass killing. They don't interfere with my life otherwise and don't see them in the day. Of course I am still not over there yet, having been working on the access track, so don't know the situation for sure but the wall would be my preferred line of defense to explore thoroughly first.

I have heard what I think are owls around the place at night so I guess they are doing something on that side of things.

Btw how do you suggest I would bend the metal without any dedicated metalworking tools? I mean accurately enough to not compromise its efficacy? Would just a heel in the intended crease and pull be enough?

Bending a crease as you envision should not be too hard. Depending on the gauge metal used, I would first make a careful pencil or even sharpie line. Then use 2 x 8 x 8 board to slowly fold up the shorter of the two sides

Peppermint oil for protecting engine compartments is pretty common in our neck of the woods. The use of soy as a component in wire insulation on modern cars has exacerbated the problem. One wonders how many trips that mouse has taken to fill the air cleaner or heater ducts with 50 lbs of dog food or sunflower seeds. "Mighty Mint" is a brand that I am asked for. I'm sure that one could make their own peppermint spray. Underhood ultrasonic units have had mixed results. But peppermint oil works not sure if other mints would work or not.