Thank You all for your responses. What I am really wondering is how did you get them out in the first place.
I set up mouse traps and glue traps and a have a heart, in case my visitor(s) are chipmunks. Once we started setting the camper up and turned the heat on, I have not seen any new evidence of critters and have not caught anything in the traps.
We live in a similar area. Use POISON for the mice/Rat size rodents. By chipmunks if you mean groundhog we use 17 HMR. Never had problem (Watch them chew right through camper now)
I just got a Koala 26SS, so my construction is very similar to the OP's Koala. I have been working under there for a couple of days installing batteries between the frame rails in the area between the rear of the A-frame and the portion that is covered with choroplast. I have found five areas that needed to be sealed. Four of them are similar. Look behing the bumper and there is a big piece of sheet metal C channel that the choroplast attaches to across the back of the trailer. Look at where this meets the I-beam frame rails at the floor of the trailer. You will probably see a rectangular hole there large enough for a mouse. There are probably two similar holes at the front (you will have to crawl under the trailer to see them). The fifth place I found was where a bunch of gas lines went through the choroplast. They didn't use enough foam at the factory.
Removing the choroplast from a Koala with the intention of reinstalling it is not a real proposition. I was going to do this so I could install my batteries between the black and gray water tanks. The problem is it is one single piece of choroplast. They put it on, then installed the drain lines for the holding tanks.
I did lower the back and looked in. They had put foam around the edges prior to screwing it to the bottom of the frame.
Whenever you use foam, paint it with some black spray paint. It will help keep it from deteriorating.
Now for those that suggest replacing the choroplast with sheet metal, I think I have a better idea. There are two types of screen material available for replacing the screens in your house -- fiberglass and aluminum. I don't think a mouse can chew through the aluminum. Get some of that, and some galvanized fencing material with 1" or so holes in it. Remove the screws the hold the choroplast on, put the aluminum screen wire up there, and then some fencing material below it (the fencing material is to support the screen). you will need to overlap the edges of the aluminum screen material by about 3 or 4 inches so you don't get gaps -- and overlap the fencing by a couple inches too. Wire the edges of the fencing material together with some wire too. Use the original bolts and washers that hold the choroplast on to hold the entire arrangement on.
Note: the washers may be too small for fencing material with 1" holes -- you may need to get the fencing material with the smaller size holes.
I don't understand why some of the first answers were allowed to this post. It makes you wonder about if there is a minimum age for people to be able to post answers on here. I just feel like if somebody asks a legitimate question on here they should get decent answers to those questions. Even if the question doesn't concern me like "what did you do to your truck camper today". I respect the persons right to ask questions about what interests them. Who knows-- you might have the same questions some day and do you want to read through a bunch junk to get to the answer your looking for.
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Rodents' teeth grow constantly and they can (and need to) eat through just about anything, including concrete and metal, especially soft metal like aluminum, if they want to... The trick is to make it so they don't want to... Once the rodents have left a scent trail alerting others to the free food & shelter that you are providing, you will have a much more difficult time keeping them out. If you block 1 hole, they will make/find another...
The person using 1/8 - 1/4" hardware cloth has the correct idea. Steel wool can be good if it is tightly packed into the hole, as the poster observed, if the rodent (or just about any animal) can get their head through, they can get their body through also... Placing steel wool tightly in a hole and using the foam to help hold it in place can work.
In truth, squirrels seem to be more destructive than rats, especially if they can't get out...
RayJayco wrote: Rodents' teeth grow constantly and they can (and need to) eat through just about anything, including concrete and metal, especially soft metal like aluminum, if they want to... The trick is to make it so they don't want to... Once the rodents have left a scent trail alerting others to the free food & shelter that you are providing, you will have a much more difficult time keeping them out. If you block 1 hole, they will make/find another...
The person using 1/8 - 1/4" hardware cloth has the correct idea. Steel wool can be good if it is tightly packed into the hole, as the poster observed, if the rodent (or just about any animal) can get their head through, they can get their body through also... Placing steel wool tightly in a hole and using the foam to help hold it in place can work.
In truth, squirrels seem to be more destructive than rats, especially if they can't get out...
My daughter has a rat in a cage in her room. She has not been able to chew through the metal yet, although the paint is gone in some places.
RayJayco wrote: Rodents' teeth grow constantly and they can (and need to) eat through just about anything, including concrete and metal, especially soft metal like aluminum, if they want to... The trick is to make it so they don't want to... Once the rodents have left a scent trail alerting others to the free food & shelter that you are providing, you will have a much more difficult time keeping them out. If you block 1 hole, they will make/find another...
The person using 1/8 - 1/4" hardware cloth has the correct idea. Steel wool can be good if it is tightly packed into the hole, as the poster observed, if the rodent (or just about any animal) can get their head through, they can get their body through also... Placing steel wool tightly in a hole and using the foam to help hold it in place can work.
In truth, squirrels seem to be more destructive than rats, especially if they can't get out...
My daughter has a rat in a cage in her room. She has not been able to chew through the metal yet, although the paint is gone in some places.
If you don't believe that he can chew through it, just stop giving him food and watch what happens...
PETA Peeps, Merely stating facts and not encouraging the starvation of rats!!!!
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