Or could they be voles?
I went into the garage this morning to collect something from the freezer and saw a little body disappearing behind the lawn mower. I knew they were in there because they’ve been nibbling at the rubbish sacks I usually store there. They seem to have a fetish for teabags. When I swept up the mess I could see a nice bed of hay under the lawnmower(dried grass which Rob didn’t clean out last time he mowed), just right for a little family looking for somewhere warm. The last time we had a mouse in the garage I nearly set fire to myself.
I’ve set a trap; it’s a tiny cage with a hook for cheese, this is attached to the door so when the mouse/vole goes in and takes the cheese the door slams shut. I can then pop them down to the marsh and release them, so that they can participate in the food chain. It doesn’t smell mousy in there so I hope it is voles…perhaps I’ll leave them if they are.
We used to get wood mice coming into the kitchen in the winter. They're much nicer than house mice, and don't seem to have that same musky smell. But I still trapped them and released them outside again, because I don't like sharing my food with them. I await with interest a more positive identification of your rodent pals.
ReplyDeleteThe rats that invaded a farmhouse I was staying in in Devon, though... now they were another matter. I chased them out with a stick. Big blighters they were.
When Jim and I took a cottage in the country for a while we had mice to share it with - unfortunately their favourite food was the grain that had been used to stuff his juggling balls!
ReplyDeleteDru: I must write about the rat trap Rob brought home from the Tour st Nicolas. It was much too big.
ReplyDeleteCaroline: Olivier made juggling balls at primary school out of elastic bands and balloons - not very tasty. It's amazing what they are capable of eating.