Poddy Mouse .....

 Thought I'd tell ye about my little mate here, " Poddy Mouse ". He's great! Little bugger's a Wood Mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus). And he's an absolute bugger for my nuts! In fact, I'm happy to say he's probably at them most nights.

 Here's a Googled photo of a Wood Mouse. Shamelessly nicked from some French site I couldn't read a word of:

 Sweet little fuckers, eh?  And, as this one's living out in my ditch hedge and just coming to share my nuts with the birds, by night, he's absolutely no problem to me. I like seeing him.

 As a life long Rat Catcher and Garden Bird Feeder, ye might expect that I've got it sussed, by now, how not to allow my bird feeding to attract rats? Ye fucking right I have!

 Thin wire, stretched between two points, at head height. Brown rat just can't hack it. (Black rat probably could, actually. But, they're not a problem, round here). Wood mice though? Jesus! Ye should see it!

 And I do. Most nights here. When I let the Dogs out for a late night piss. I always put the beam on the peanut basket. Just to check for 'Poddy'.

 Sometimes I'll just see a tail or some small portion of a body. Most often though, he goes shimmying along the top side of the wire and fucks off into the hedge. Incredible!

 Last night or two though, most wonderful thing: Poddy has brought his baby! Straight up! As soon as I step out there, I hit the feeder with the beam. Off goes Poddy. Doing his thing along the wire.

 And, hard on his heels is Pint Sized Poddy! Dear, tiny little thing. Not much more than a third Poddy's size. Always takes Pod's advice and gets the fuck out of Dodge, soon as the light hits them.

 I'd love to try and get ye a real photo, of my own, of these little characters, doing their thing. Only, they react to the light. And I'd need the light to get myself over there. Then, time I focused the camera ....? 

 Anyway, if one of them got panicked by me and fell off, to be snapped up by Rats, my mentally disturbed little terrier? I'd never forgive myself.

 Now here's a thought, eh? Wood / Field Mice, by definition, live in the woods and field margin hedgerows. Right? They'll come into human habitations, in the colder times. But, generally as much to get a bit of warm kip as anything. They're not typical kitchen raiders.

 But, I'm presently beating back quite the invasion of House Mice, in my (Pest Control) Store Room, of all places. Nothing unusual. I get all sorts, shrews 'n all in here, come the cold.

 Thought for today though; If Wood / Field Mice live where their name suggests, coming into our houses only in the bleak times. What's the House Mouses game; Generally appearing here in the bleak seasons?  

 See how something just isn't adding up here ....?

 

Collateral Shrews .....

Poor little bastards. Four of them. Two under the sink unit. One in the Pest Room. One outside it, in the kitchen. I fuckin' Hate catching shrews. Most perfectly harmless little creatures there are. And the most perfectly useless too. Nothing will eat them. Don't know why. Never read of a decent explanation either.

Weird thing is, they're insectivores. So, what are they doing coming after my peanut butter? And, if they'll eat peanut butter; Who's to say they won't eat grain, wax, or what ever other formulation of Bait I might put down for my mice, instead of traps, look?

Anyway, I seem to have cleared up this latest incursion by the House Mice. Magpies enjoyed the treats. Maybe I'll get the tiny live traps out, next time? Never been happy about killing captives in those things either though .....

Shrews, eh? Some things all the Training, Manuals and even a life time of experience never quite gets round to covering the answers to.

Worst Possible Move for a Mouse .....

Daft bugger. Looking for somewhere a few degrees warmer than out there now, see? House Mouse. Obviously decided it was time to move into a house for the winter. Bad choice, coming here. Just to add to it all though; Silly bastard turned up in my Pest Control storage room! I mean ....!

I also keep my sack of horse meal and my bin bag in there. Horse meal means I keep it scrupulously clean ~ not wanting to attract mice, obviously. And the bin bag means I'm opening the door and popping my head in, umpteen times a day. That's how I spotted him.

Just slinging something in the bin this evening. Saw something out the corner of my eye and was just in time to confirm it was a house mouse, as it bolted round or under something. Thought then; " Here we go! ".

Had to feed the Dogs and horses though. Gave Rosie a damn good brushing out. Came back in here to start settling down for a bit. Eventually wandered back out there and remembered the mouse. Set a few traps and got back to what I was doing.

Hard to imagine how he got in there. Pretty solid and sealed up little room, that one is. Probably something to do with the old fire place or the door frame. No matter. Thought to check the traps twenty minutes later and there he was. Magpie food.

Makes me laugh, really. Mr Average Family Man will see a mouse. Go out and buy A trap. Set it as if he's after an elephant. Place it in a terrible spot. Couple of days later, perhaps catch a mouse anyway, due to the sheer volume of traffic. Then brag to all and sundry what a fine and noble chap he is. Real genetic throw back to the Hunter - Gatherers. Thinks he caught " The Mouse ", see?

No. The buggers are in here now. Place is a right fucking mess, just now too. Building work going on throughout. Even got an entire floor to put down, one of these fine days. That'll stop a lot of them, of course. But, I know the craic. It's very much Game On from here on in. Time to get the traps out, in force.

Get my poster up in town too .....