Winter is coming soon, or so the mice think as they have begun moving indoors - my indoors. I realize the irony that I will try to save any living thing, (and in fact once raised rodents - hamsters) but I regularly trap and kill mice. I show no mercy. I showed the fat one I caught last night to Lazarus to motivate him. Quite a good mouser when the mood strikes him, he growled and hissed at the dead critter.We live in an older house near the woods, with easy access. The mice must consider us their winter home, their Florida trailer park. (Do they call themselves Snowbirds?) We were alerted to the situation when Lauren began dancing around in the kitchen after a mouse ran out of the spaghetti box, over her hand and ran across the floor. Three dogs and a cat gave chase, while I directed them as to which way to go and yelled, "Get it! Get it!" The cat and Daisy injured it to the point I was able to get it by the tail and put it outside with the cat who I'd hoped would finish the poor thing off. Later, all the dogs spent some time sniffing and pawing at the base of the wood box, so I fear that it must have escaped to be killed another day.
Soon after, a mouse jumped out of our pantry onto my shoulder, ran down me onto the floor. Okay, I thought, this is war. I reorganized the kitchen (putting dry things in a less accessible cabinet) and began laying traps. I've caught several already. I dispose of their bodies in secret so that I don't have to play 20 questions with William about his mother, the mouse serial killer.
Farm Notes:
Roxie, the foal, loves to groom Lazarus the cat.
Roxie and Quid (Lauren's horse) have a bazillion ticks (ew!). They are little tiny ones, and difficult to locate in Roxie's fuzz. No wonder she's always itchy. I thought we were past this time besides the fact that I've never found ticks on our horses before.
Had Jorgen (Gotland pony) adjusted by the chiropractor yesterday. He needs it twice a year at least, having had some major unknown injury prior to our purchase of him. His back and jaw go out and he is visibly quite sore. After treatment, he ran up the hill, tossing his head, obviously feeling his studly self again. The chiropractor visit itself is another whole blog. Later.
6 comments:
Okay, #1) if I had a mouse run across my hand or my shoulder, the next time you'd see me I'd be layed out in a casket.
Knocking on wood here, the only time we've ever had found mice in our house was in the garage, & I hope to keep it that way. I did get 6 in one day once.
#2)I thought of your son on my drive into work this morning... I passed a bunch of white ducks waddling along the roadside of a neighboring subdivision, & considering his love of chickens, I think he'd do well with a duck too.
We had a mouse last year that my husband caught, live, in one of my Tupperware bowls. My sons, who love Tom and Jerry, begged me to keep it for a pet.
No Way! They can have snakes, lizards, frogs, you name it, but not rodents. We sealed that Tupperware up and threw it in the trash.
We had a mouse last year that my husband caught, live, in one of my Tupperware bowls. My sons, who love Tom and Jerry, begged me to keep it for a pet.
No Way! They can have snakes, lizards, frogs, you name it, but not rodents. We sealed that Tupperware up and threw it in the trash.
I do so love our cats' mice-catching abililities. They don't let any in our house (crossing fingers). Our dog is pretty good at it, too. Surprisingly. Lab/Rottie mix.
Tammy at http://news.abasiccurriculum.com
We also live very near the woods and used to have a huge problem with winter field mice. We found that if you get cotton balls and peppermint oil on them, then put them in all the places you have seen mice or mice dropping, the mice go away.
We pretty much solved our mouse issue a couple of years ago (finger's crossed) by using a foaming agent that turned hard to fill in holes and cracks.
No more mice running across my hand, in my cupboards etc. Now 2 of my cats are fighting over 2 play mice that I bought the other day. :-)
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