We had a mouse problem some time ago and to stop it happening again I've put bait trays down, the cupboard under the sink and various other places. These are all untouched at present.
However, I also put a small flowerpot saucer with bait (grain impregnated with poison) under the floorboards. When I looked a few days ago a small amount of bait had been taken but the whole of the saucer had been piled up with small pieces of rubble found under the floor.
This was about ten days ago and I've been looking every day now. No bait has been taken but it seems every other day this rubble appears, I clear it off, it reappears a couple of days later.
Would a mouse be able to shuffle this kind of stuff about??
I put a humane trap under there yesterday but haven't caught anything, the saucer is clear of debris too.
Anyone had experience of this kind of behaviour?
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How big - are the pieces being moved around? A mouse is a pretty tiny animal - much smaller than say a hamster. Capacity to ferry rubble would be limited.
Rat or grey Squiggle on the otherhand......
Any other signs - droppings, urine etc?
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The bits are all around the 1"x1"x1/4", no sign of droppings and yes, they have all been neatly piled onto the saucer.
I blocked up all the air vents around the base of the house with fine metal mesh some time ago. All I can think is that they are coming in from next doors house? Would the party wall be solid all the way down to the foundations? But there could be a gap anywhere along there.
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We've had a moose in the loft for about 6 months now, doesn't bother me, but er indoors kept on about it so I said to buy a human killer - she never did buy one.
She mentioned the moose again this week so I said get a moose trap then, she came home with a mighty powerful Rentokill plastic killing device, so I put a knob (not mine) of peanut butter (organic) in the trap & stuck it in the loft.
He/she was dead within the hour poor sod.
RIP.
Last edited by: Dog on Thu 12 Apr 12 at 10:58
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Diamond.
Is there anyone else in the house with a sense of humour? Could be winding you up?
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Borrowers, I expect.
Any very small Morris 1000's parked outside?
www.totalfilm.com/reviews/cinema/the-borrowers
Last edited by: AnotherJohnH on Thu 12 Apr 12 at 11:43
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How did you get a moose out of the loft through the hatch. Did you have to cut it up first? I suppose the antlers would look good mounted on the wall :-)))
I'll get my coat.
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>>How did you get a moose out of the loft.............
Least of his problems as he told her to buy a 'human killer'.
;>)
Last edited by: bathtub tom on Thu 12 Apr 12 at 12:14
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Sounds like Rattus Norvegicus burying a stockpile for winter! - I once lifted a floorboard of my shed (to feed in a water pipe) and there was a "good" bucketful of chicken grain and pellets stashed! They had had to transport it all about 20yds from the chuck-run to get it there! The introduction of the trap will have made them suspicious and wary for a day or two, but once they get used to it they`ll be back. Plenty of natural food around this time of year so not as keen to eat bait now, store it for later!
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A mouse has chewed a hole in the plastic dog food bin, no idea why it can't get the food, if it dropped in it would never get out again.
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I found a family of mice living in a metal corn bin once. Obviously a pregnant female had fallen in, couldn't get out again, so made the best of it and settled down and raised a family.
Raised in darkness the mice were totally confused by sudden daylight, and when I tipped them out sat looking dazed while the cat mopped them up.
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I had no idea you kept plastic dogs, Zero. Good idea though, very economical on the food.
Last edited by: busbee on Thu 12 Apr 12 at 18:08
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It still carps in the garden tho.
Last edited by: VxFan on Thu 12 Apr 12 at 21:25
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>>I suppose the antlers would look good mounted on the wall :-)))<<
It didn't have the horn, so I assume it was Femail ;)
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My late mother-in-law used to say that mice can fly. It's certainly true that they can climb apparently smooth and featureless walls.
They aren't afraid of heights because they are so light that their terminal velocity in air is low enough for them to be able to land comfortably. They just sort of flutter down.
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They sort of flutter down.>:) I like your use of words.Fluttering mice.A mate I went to school with used to feed live mice to his pet snake.I couldn't do it.
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Mice excavate under my greenhouse sides in order to eat whatever is inside.. or to be be warm in winter. So shuffling a few bits of rubble is mice play.
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rat trap... butter, or chocalate , even better peanut butter ....result
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Snakes are nasty eaters Dutchie. Did you ever watch the poor mouse being swallowed whole through those double-jointed jawbones, to become a slowly diminishing lump in the snake?
One of my daughters kept snakes for a while. Fortunately they were too small to eat live mice, but they treated the bits of sardine they were given in exactly the same way, creeping up and pouncing on them before swallowing them whole.
Very expensive in vet's bills when they fell ill. I think the cat got them in the end. I've never minded snakes myself, but they aren't very cuddly. Lizards are often nicer. Can't see a spider or scorpion without wanting to kill it.
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>>I've never minded snakes myself, but they aren't very...
I've never yet encountered a dog I felt I couldn't dominate but snakes...whoa ! I used to be stationed in Brazil back along and some of their snakes are properly scary big things ! Even the frogs are as big as footballs.
We had a grass snake on the lawn last summer and I had to chase it next door with the jet from a hose. Couldn't go near the wretched thing.
As a child though, my friend used to trap adders using a forked stick. I never quite shared his enthusiasm.
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I have just remembered that about 55 years ago, when I was a 'student', I kept a snake in the drawer of my desk for a week or two. It wasn't mine, I was looking after it for its trouble-hit owner. I didn't feed it anything while I had it, but I did quite like it. It would sleep in the corner of the desk drawer and stiffen into that shape, so you could take it out like a rigid object. The warmth of your hands would revive it and it would start to glide about. Not an endearing animal, but quite engaging.
Can't remember what happened to it. It may have just escaped.
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Over the years have seen adders and grass snakes right here, but not for some time now. One wouldn't want adders round small children, but grass snakes surely are to be encouraged?
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I encouraged mine to go and slither about elsewhere...yeughy thing...
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Africans flee shamelessly at the sight of any snake however harmless. Better safe than sorry, that's the principle.
Got any African blood Humph?
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In Australia you flee any snake. They will all kill you in nasty horrible ways.
Gods own country the Aussies call it, I tell them that god clearly hates Aussies.
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Not recently as far as I'm aware AC, although I do tan if I so much as forget to switch off the bedside light, but ultimately, haven't we all?
:-)
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Whilst Snakeys are on topic, did you know that it is mistakenly thought that Ireland has no Snakeys because they were banished by St Patrick.
St Patrick actually liked them, and told them to "Go forth and multiply" but they couldn`t because.................................they were only Adders!!
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That's a very silly but very good joke.
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Can a mouse do this?! - Bromptonaut
