A mousey problem

Betsy

Betsy

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A few weeks ago, I had to set a humane mouse trap in my garage as I had a little mousey visitor eating piggy forage. The visitor also had a go at the bird food in the Conservatory and I found a couple of piles of peanuts behind the cupboard. I found a couple of piles of dried carrot in my garage on the top behind the paint pots too as well as a bag of dried sunflower petals which had been chewed open at the bottom which was still in the cardboard box with the other forage. I immediately removed the forage from the garage and hoovered up all the piles of food from the garage and the Conservatory. Since doing that the mouse has not been caught in the mouse trap so hopefully this means it has moved on because the food is no longer available. The forage is now in a plastic storage box with a secure lid back on the top in my garage. This is the 3rd year (nearly 4 years) I've lived here with forage on the top in the garage in the cardboard box it came in with no problems. Years ago my Mother and Father in Law had a squirrel trapped in the garage and when we moved here there was some ancient rat poison that I swiftly disposed of so there is a history of mice/rats/squirrels in the garage which I thought was no longer. If the trap does catch a mouse there is a lovely place a mile away that I can let it go.
 
I hope you catch your little visitor especially before it starts to get cold !
 
Hopefully he’s moved on once the snacks were removed 🐭
 
I live in a village on the edge of fields. Mousies have happily gorged on my unopened horse feed, pipe insulation, garden shoes, bird suet balls, even a riding hat cover. I’ve even caught them in action. I hope your little visitor has moved on (but not to my village 😂).
 
This morning I saw a mouse run quickly past the Conservatory while I was giving Misty her morning cuddle. After I had put her back in the cage, I got the mousetrap out and baited it with peanut butter. I put it by the wall of the Conservatory and within 20 mins I found this in it.20240206_084456.jpg

I put the mouse in a bag and took her over a mile away and released her on a woodland path with lots of places to hide and food close by. I have returned the mousetrap to the same place to see if there are any more mice around.
 
Ah good on you @Betsy
When I caught a mouse in my humane mouse trap I took her/him over a mile away as they’re very smart at finding their way back !
 
Roselina said:
Ah good on you @Betsy
When I caught a mouse in my humane mouse trap I took her/him over a mile away as they’re very smart at finding their way back !
Click to expand...
The instructions on the box said to take it a mile away so it wouldn't find it's way back. As it's a woodland path, I hope it doesn't find it's way back and realises that its a much nicer place to live than in my garden.
 
Betsy said:
This morning I saw a mouse run quickly past the Conservatory while I was giving Misty her morning cuddle. After I had put her back in the cage, I got the mousetrap out and baited it with peanut butter. I put it by the wall of the Conservatory and within 20 mins I found this in it.View attachment 241110

I put the mouse in a bag and took her over a mile away and released her on a woodland path with lots of places to hide and food close by. I have returned the mousetrap to the same place to see if there are any more mice around.
Click to expand...
Another good bait for mice or rats is Mars Bar (or the Tesco fake version). A few years ago now, I think we were in the ratty Michelin guide as they seemed to like our garden best, out of 8 in a row, even though we got rid of our bird feeder and compost bin thinking that was attracting them.
 
I remember a house I moved into that had a deserted squirrel drey in the loft. It was around 4ft wide and 4 foot deep made of vegetation and shrubby sticks. It was a shock finding it and took around 10 sacks to remove it. The neighbour said she used to watch several squirrels cling along the telephone wire and go into the eaves on the gable wall where there was a bit of Mortar missing for several years.

It’s amazing what these little creatures do to find a cosy home!
 
Betsy said:
This morning I saw a mouse run quickly past the Conservatory while I was giving Misty her morning cuddle. After I had put her back in the cage, I got the mousetrap out and baited it with peanut butter. I put it by the wall of the Conservatory and within 20 mins I found this in it.View attachment 241110

I put the mouse in a bag and took her over a mile away and released her on a woodland path with lots of places to hide and food close by. I have returned the mousetrap to the same place to see if there are any more mice around.
Click to expand...
Awww lovely little wood mouse! They do like to stockpile! From time to time when I move something in the garden I come across a little midden: empty hazelnut shells with a hole drilled in them, wild cherry stones split open and empty snail shells with a hole drilled in them too!
 
We get lots of field mice off the fields. They tend to stick to the garage but occasionally we’d find one decaying under the fridge 😢 unfortunately we’ve now got ratty out and about wandering without a care up and down the road. Not seen him in the garden yet but who knows what goes on at night in the dark. Could be worse - neighbours have badgers 😱
 
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