Unexpected housemates
07th March 2019
Having moved more rural into the deeper Norfolk countryside I was hoping for more up close and personal wildlife experiences. Having said that I hadn't really banked on having mice in the attic!
Been rudely awoken in the early hours by noises that resembled a huge creature gnawing it's way through the ceiling, it was with some relief to discover that we had inherited Yellow Necked Mice as undeclared fittings or fixtures!
It's really hard to tell the difference between Wood Mice and Yellow Necked Mice. Having witnessed how high our unexpected housemates can jump, my money is on them being Yellow Neck Mice, as they are really good climbers, whereas Wood Mice are more likely to be burrowers.
I quickly invested in some humane traps and tried to block all the holes or access points I could find at ground level to the outside of the house. In just 4 weeks I have successfully caught and released back to the woods a total of 27 Mice!
It is possible that we have some returning visitors and I can understand that, given the attic must be warm and dry. I have at least two different mice though having caught two in one trap on the same night. We call them all Steve (as in Steve McQueen, who's character in the Great Escape Movie, kept being re-caught and only to escape again)
Both species of mice are really important food to the Tawny Owl and in recognition of the circle of life and survival of the species I feel much happier returning them to their rightful home...outside..so they can take their own chances!
I relocate them back to the safety of a woodpile where if I am lucky enough they sometimes reappear for what I hope is a quick photo farewell opportunity rather than a cheeky, see you later!
Been rudely awoken in the early hours by noises that resembled a huge creature gnawing it's way through the ceiling, it was with some relief to discover that we had inherited Yellow Necked Mice as undeclared fittings or fixtures!
It's really hard to tell the difference between Wood Mice and Yellow Necked Mice. Having witnessed how high our unexpected housemates can jump, my money is on them being Yellow Neck Mice, as they are really good climbers, whereas Wood Mice are more likely to be burrowers.
I quickly invested in some humane traps and tried to block all the holes or access points I could find at ground level to the outside of the house. In just 4 weeks I have successfully caught and released back to the woods a total of 27 Mice!
It is possible that we have some returning visitors and I can understand that, given the attic must be warm and dry. I have at least two different mice though having caught two in one trap on the same night. We call them all Steve (as in Steve McQueen, who's character in the Great Escape Movie, kept being re-caught and only to escape again)
Both species of mice are really important food to the Tawny Owl and in recognition of the circle of life and survival of the species I feel much happier returning them to their rightful home...outside..so they can take their own chances!
I relocate them back to the safety of a woodpile where if I am lucky enough they sometimes reappear for what I hope is a quick photo farewell opportunity rather than a cheeky, see you later!