Our Mouse

Well ...... not exactly OUR mouse.  


Greg had found some mice droppings in the garage. He was a bit concerned that a mouse could nibble the wiring and wreck his Harley (not the wiring of the garage or house you note !). So he decided to put down a mouse trap.


Now for all those who may be a tad squeemish ... I do empathise ....... but, having worked on a farm and being a bit more pragmatic, I could understand his concerns. Plus, we do live overlooking a spinney that then becomes a field that then leads to the river ..... so one mouse can become a whole field-mouse family in no time at all!


The first day he put down some cheese. He looked at the trap the next morning and the cheese had gone ..... the cheeky blighter had eaten the cheese and not got caught at all !!!


The second day he put down some chocolate. He looked at the trap the next morning and .......... the chocolate had gone ...... no mouse ...... by now I am sure the mouse was thinking "Yum Yum - what's going to be on the menu tonight"


So on day 3 Greg put down caramel chocolate, hoping that the caramel may stick and make it more difficult for the mouse to retrieve, before the trap snapped down. 


He looked at the trap this morning ........... he came into the bedroom and asked me to come with him to the garage - my first reaction was to refuse - I understand why it has to be done - but do not want to SEE a dead mouse ..... no, he said, please just come and look.


In the trap, caught by his tail, was a very much alive and very, very cute little field mouse. We prized open the trap and placed the mouse in a plastic box we had. He seemed OK apart from a battered and bloody tail and was limping a little, so perhaps his foot had also been caught.


Greg was not going to kill it, it is one thing to remove a dead mouse from a trap but it is completely different to actually, physically have to kill it yourself. 


I pleaded with him for all of about 5 minutes to let me look after it until it had fully recovered, I was concerned that with a dodgy tail and foot it would be very vulnerable out in the field. To which my husband said - "knowing the cheeky little thing it will probably work its way back into the garage in a day or two" !!!


And with that comment he let it go - out the back garden in the spinney.


It ran and bounced away, with no limp or cautiousness at all, just happy that it had got another chance at life and that he was free !!!!


I will keep you updated as to whether we have actually got rid of the mouse problem ..... or not !