Help Dealing With A Visiting Mouse

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Chuckie J

Chuckie J

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Hello!

Our girls Judy & Liza live in an outdoor hutch - this sort of style:
hutch.jpg


For a long while we've had a little dormouse visitor who comes to the ground at the bottom of the cage, probably to enjoy some of the hay that the girlies have pushed out of the cage.

Just recently we've noticed that the mouse has started to climb up the legs of the hutch and in through the cage. Earlier this week it was stood on the hay box, and last night it was burrowed underneath the bedding.

The girls don't seem to mind and at first we thought it was nice that they had a new friend, but the more I think about it the mouse could be bringing in disease or there could be a time when they turn on each other... or I suppose if the mouse gets too comfortable we might suddenly be faced with a family of squatters!

So I was wondering if anyone has gone through something similar and has any ideas for stopping the mouse from getting into the hutch. I was thinking maybe some vaseline on the legs of the hutch, but that might not be the most practical solution!

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
 
What about catching it & taking it as far away as possible, & release it in a field, If that doesn't work you need to take other measures, which isn't nice.
Really you have to protect your piggies.
 
You can get some find mesh to place over the bars of the hutch and affix with cable ties or similar, and perhaps just leave some hay outside the hutch for your little visitor to take away elsewhere. I agree with your fears - a fight or disease is entirely possible, sadly. You can't stop wild animals from walking into your garden, and it's a shame to do so really, but it may be worth watching the path that he takes and noting if he is a creature of habit, and at run-time placing your piggies on an area of the grass that your dormouse doesn't go to.
 
my hutches have that sort of mesh so now it's doubled meshed with the finer o e too to stop unwanted visitors x x
 
You could put some sort of cone around the legs of the hutch so the mouse can't climb up. (Think squirrel proof bird table) I hope I've explained this ok. Lol.
 
IMG_1834.webp Like this idea on each leg. You could make it from old diluting juice bottles. (Stronger than cola/soda bottles.)
 
If it's really a dormouse you will have to call someone as it is illegal to disturb, capture, move etc etc
. If it's a house mouse or a field mouse them you're ok to capture (humanely please!) and the locate it
 
These are all excellent ideas, thank you so much everyone!

Julie M - I love the idea of the cones, I think I'll try that for an immediate answer.

Critter & Elisabeth - the mesh is a good idea although I do like to feed them through their bars so I can have a little chat and nose-stroke, so I'd have to come up with some sort of retractable mesh cover... something for me to think about.

Tiamolly123 & Guineapigfeet - I hadn't even thought of moving the mouse as a solution, although I'm not sure what type of mouse it is so I'm glad you made me aware that you're not supposed to move dormice.

Thanks again everyone, I've been rather worried so your ideas are really appreciated!
 
I think the cones look like a great solution whatever kind of mouse it is (I would be very surprised if it is a dormouse as they are still rather rare - hence their conservation status) as it would stop them getting in at all.

My last pigs lived quite happily along side mice for many many years with out an issue (except the time one mouse got it's tail bitten off . . .) , though I know this is certainly not recommended!
 
Chuckie J said:
Hello!

Our girls Judy & Liza live in an outdoor hutch - this sort of style:
hutch.jpg


For a long while we've had a little dormouse visitor who comes to the ground at the bottom of the cage, probably to enjoy some of the hay that the girlies have pushed out of the cage.

Just recently we've noticed that the mouse has started to climb up the legs of the hutch and in through the cage. Earlier this week it was stood on the hay box, and last night it was burrowed underneath the bedding.

The girls don't seem to mind and at first we thought it was nice that they had a new friend, but the more I think about it the mouse could be bringing in disease or there could be a time when they turn on each other... or I suppose if the mouse gets too comfortable we might suddenly be faced with a family of squatters!

So I was wondering if anyone has gone through something similar and has any ideas for stopping the mouse from getting into the hutch. I was thinking maybe some vaseline on the legs of the hutch, but that might not be the most practical solution!

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Click to expand...
I back onto fields and mice sneaking a warm in the hutches is a regular thing, I don't think it's an issue, I think I'd have known by now if it was!
 
Just be aware that a mouse can get through a gap the size of a pencil end, so the small ones can fit through most mesh that a water bottle spout can fit through!

No helpful suggestions. Just keep their pellets somewhere mouse proof and only feed enough in a sitting so that the portion is eaten quickly so that there's not food lying around that will encourage mice in.

Oh, and don't leave fleece blankets/cage liners folded neatly in a shed waiting for bedding change day unless they're secured in mouse proof storage otherwise you may find they get chewed up and used for bedding by your visitor. :( That was an expensive lesson to learn!
 
When I had rabbits outside we had mouse problems and the thing that really helped deter them was putting their food and hay in a big plastic bin and sweeping the ground regularly. And like Tewdric has said don't pile up loads of food in the hutch!
 
Thanks for the continued advice, it's really appreciated.

We keep the girlies' food indoors, so it must be the hay in the hutch that's attracting the little mouse. Either that or their scintillating conversation!

It's quite sweet really, last night we found the mouse sat under their wooden tunnel with Judy (the PEW) facing it nose-to-nose. I think it's brought out Judy's maternal side!

We must sort it though, so I'm definitely going to give the homemade cones a try - I think that's got potential.
 
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