Unlike the animal in Robert Burns' famous poem To a Mouse, this character is a wee, cunning, devious, cocky beastie because it's taken me four days to catch it. On three separate nights it managed to take the bait from the live mammal trap without tripping the trap door, but last night it finally put a foot wrong and imprisoned itself.
Many of the threats to a mouse come from overhead, from kestrels and owls, and you can see here how well those bulging, upward pointing eyes and ears are disposed for detecting any threatening movements from above. That's a fine set of whiskers too, capable of detecting the slightest vibration and helping their owner to find its way around in darkness.
It was living in the cupboard under our stairs but this Houdini mouse has now been relocated to a local woodland, where wood mice belong. No more freeloading on sultana and peanut bait.
It seems to have been doing well on its luxury diet, judging from that fine, glossy coat - which it will need tonight; more snow forecast.
For more info on wood mice, click here
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You have a better trap than I have. Mine is like a smoky plastic. I have a bad dog that carries hedgehogs, rabbits and mice back home. She licks them for a while and lets them go.
ReplyDeletePeanut butter works in the traps.
Such pretty creatures. I use chocolate to catch mine in the humane trap, I hadn't thought about raisins and peanut butter. I take mine to the canal bank, I'm sure they have a better life there.
ReplyDeleteGreat set of photos Phil. I think Penny would go bonkers if one came in her territory. She spends ages perusing the bottom of the shed, which is where they usually nest.
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