Someone commented that they don't give up. Correct. They do not. I opened the bird seed container this morning and guess what? Two of the little creatures. It's taken me a long time to work out how they got in. They couldn't climb up the sheer plastic side because they couldn't do that to get out. They were attempting to jump out (the second photo froze one in mid jump). They must have dropped onto the lid from the bench above and then, because the lid was wood and gave their claws purchase, the walked side down and squeezed under the lid. You have to admire their tenacity and skill. I've solved the problem by putting all the seed in the other bin which is metal with a close-fitting metal lid.
However as a reward for their tenacity I have established a proper cat-proof mouse feeder outside the shed so that they can survive but not encroach on my space.
It's a pity they make such a mess as they are attractive little beasts.
ReplyDeleteYes Adrian. They are messy little things but I still love them.
DeleteI am pretty sure the plural of mice is not mices ~ it is meece!!! That will have you running for the dictionary (tee hee)
ReplyDeleteCarol don't be silly it's mouse and by the way there were two.
DeleteAh Carol I think you may be correct. Mouse, mice, meece (or is it meese?).
DeleteWhat a soft-hearted man you are, Graham. Lucky mice!
ReplyDeleteFrances underneath this gruff exterior there beats a heart of...there beats a heart.
DeleteYou're a kind man. I hope the mice appreciate it, but don't tell all their family and friends... ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure, Monica, they will spread the word. Birds, mice, whatever they all need food.
DeleteIn some countries, people eat mice though I understand they are rather crunchy. Why not give them a try? Here's a recipe:-
ReplyDeleteFIELD MICE PIE (OLD-TIME)
12 nice plump field mice, cooked & deboned
1 qt. mixed vegetables
1 med. onion
1 qt. potatoes, cubed
1 lg. pinch salt
Cook all ingredients together and place in a casserole lined with pie dough. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour at 375 degrees.
YP they wouldn't be crunchy if you de-bone them (would they?). I think I'll pass on the mice recipe. I am, by inclination though not wholly in practice, a person who doesn't eat meat. Mice would, I suspect, get stuck in my teeth.
DeleteMouse, mice, blouse, blouse, house hice,
ReplyDeleteStupid iPad. Cannot correct. Blouse, BLICE.
ReplyDeleteKate there is a way with the iPad which Carol in Cairns told me but I think almost everyone with an iPad has to put up with this irritation. Apple and Google just don't like each other! I wonder why it isn't mouse mouses?
DeleteYou have just confirmed what I already knew - You are just one big softy.
ReplyDeleteSpesh me, soft? Hard as marshmallow nails I am.
DeleteThese characters are twice as smart as we think they are.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely true Red.
DeleteI must be the odd one out. Not for the first time, I admit. I do not like little mice. Big field mice OK, but not little mice.
ReplyDeletePauline I wasn't aware there were any big mice.
DeleteI wonder, would they have ever gotten back out if you had not opened the container? Probably not... and if you had gone to NZ and returned months later as you used to do, you'd have found two small skeletons at the bottom of an otherwise empty container.
ReplyDeleteHmmm feeding mice seems... not really necessary, does it? One should think they find enough to eat out where they belong, just like birds do at this time of the year.
No Meike I don't think they would have. They were jumping up and down with the lid off and couldn't get out because the sides were too sheer and slippy with no purchase for their claws. I had to tip the container on its side to free them. I was under the impression that whilst the finches were breeding at the moment the food was fairly scarce compared with the autumn because they feed on the seeds that the plants produce during the summer. I suspect field mice are probably opportunists and the more they eat the more they will breed. I have no evidence of that though.
DeleteYou do have a heart of GOLD....those mice don't know how lucky they were to have you around.
ReplyDeleteVirginia I'm just a big softie that's all.
DeleteI've told you before not to stop taking your medication !
ReplyDeleteAnd I usually listen to your advice. Sorry.
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