My border policy paid !
By topffer
@topffer (42156)
France
June 27, 2018 10:30am CST
Since a few months I am seeing what I was thinking to be a bank vole in the house. It seems that it has a secret agreement with the cat... and I cannot put traps because of the same cat
. A few weeks ago I bought two ultrasonic repellents for mice and a cage where I put a piece of chocolate
.
The ultrasonic repellents seemed to work and I did not saw it during the past weeks... But this morning I had a prisoner in the cage
. I started by a haka to give him some uncertainty on his future and continued by the reading of a few selected pages of Boethius’ De Consolatione Philosophiae that would have brought a great moral help to my prisoner, but I realized that this stranger was not understanding a word of Latin. La-men-ta-bly uneducated 
!
Looking closely at him, I noticed that he had a too long tail to be a bank vole, Myodes glareolus. An extreme vetting led to the conviction that he was a wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus. OMG ! I am living in the downtown core of a city, what is doing here this creature from the woods 
? His color helps to hide from predators among dead leaves, but not on pavements...
He does not know yet, but I have decided to release him this evening in a Natura 2000 protected park where there are wood mice. I worked a bit to find the right place for him. I know, I am too good...
. A few weeks ago I bought two ultrasonic repellents for mice and a cage where I put a piece of chocolate.
The ultrasonic repellents seemed to work and I did not saw it during the past weeks... But this morning I had a prisoner in the cage. I started by a haka to give him some uncertainty on his future and continued by the reading of a few selected pages of Boethius’ De Consolatione Philosophiae that would have brought a great moral help to my prisoner, but I realized that this stranger was not understanding a word of Latin. La-men-ta-bly uneducated !
Looking closely at him, I noticed that he had a too long tail to be a bank vole, Myodes glareolus. An extreme vetting led to the conviction that he was a wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus. OMG ! I am living in the downtown core of a city, what is doing here this creature from the woods ? His color helps to hide from predators among dead leaves, but not on pavements...
He does not know yet, but I have decided to release him this evening in a Natura 2000 protected park where there are wood mice. I worked a bit to find the right place for him. I know, I am too good...19 people like this
17 responses
@topffer (42156)
• France
27 Jun 18
@LadyDuck I do not understand that : my cat is terrible for birds, but not interested at all by this mouse
.
It is difficult to find some good turron in France and I bought a few packs in Spain. This mouse is a fruit/seed/nut eater and attacked a turron on the table for the almonds.
.
It is difficult to find some good turron in France and I bought a few packs in Spain. This mouse is a fruit/seed/nut eater and attacked a turron on the table for the almonds.3 people like this
@LadyDuck (458091)
• Switzerland
27 Jun 18
@topffer I would not tolerate that someone eats my turron, this delicious product is only available here for the Christmas season. I do not believe a mouse would last long here, there are so many cats in the area. If they are lazy the little snakes are not.
3 people like this
@Jessabuma (31700)
• Baguio, Philippines
27 Jun 18
This mouse is lucky as you are going to release him and let him go.
2 people like this
@Jessabuma (31700)
• Baguio, Philippines
27 Jun 18
@topffer I have seen a white and gray color mice here.. I don't know what kind of mice are they.
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
27 Jun 18
@Jessabuma Maybe the common mouse, mus musculus ?
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
28 Jun 18
Very pleased that you are letting him go and you are too good as others would have no pity for him.
Zas and away with him and fancy daring to eat your turron at least he does have a very good sense of taste.
He has education because he has not invited anyone to join his party as he wanted the feast all for himself.
I should have sent you the dog as he would have nabbed him right away he is very much into birds and mice.
A border policy that has made me smile and thank you also for letting me know that those so called mice repellant electrical things do not work either.
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
28 Jun 18
@topffer
That is it then they get used to the sounds they can hear.
Well what do you know.
He is back with his friends now and lets hope that turron suffers no more attacks on it except yours.
Our dog is a predator and I did not teach him.
I am glad he is free now and you are free of him also.
Very nice Turrón over here yes but it all went this year at the start of it.
De La Viuda and 1880 are good marks but there are others that make their own and that has to be heaven to try..
PS:
Keep it tucked away so that that the little friend cannot sniff it out.
Just kidding tops.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Jun 18
@lovinangelsinstead21 I buy turron each time I go to Spain because I cannot find some good turron all the year in France. And any mouse eating my turron will be deported if it is not killed before by the cat. I need to be strong about that
.
. I need to be strong about that.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
28 Jun 18
I would not tell that it does not work, but I read that with the time these ultrasonic repellents are less efficient when the mice get used to the sound.
I opened the cage in a protected park where there are other wood mice. They are seed eaters, so they love almonds inside the turron. He was a bit surprised and needed 1 mn to realize that he was free to go. There are certainly more predators in this park than in my home. I cannot call my cat a predator, it would be too flattering.
. He was a bit surprised and needed 1 mn to realize that he was free to go. There are certainly more predators in this park than in my home. I cannot call my cat a predator, it would be too flattering.1 person likes this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
5 Jul 18
This reminds me of that ol' story about the country and city mice . . . perhaps there the city mouse cousin was somewhere out in the woods (you had not seen it in weeks because it was out there visiting out there ). Well what a lucky critter that he stumbled upon a house with a good natured fellow (who happens to know Latin 
) and his life would be spared .
(you had not seen it in weeks because it was out there visiting out there ). Well what a lucky critter that he stumbled upon a house with a good natured fellow (who happens to know Latin ) and his life would be spared .1 person likes this
@much2say (53959)
• Los Angeles, California
6 Jul 18
@topffer Well it's nice that you at least tried to find him a suitable place where there would be others like him . . . unless he is the loner adventurous type who likes to be different and actually wanted to venture out into a people home .
.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
5 Jul 18
I thought that it was a red vole until I captured it. Wood mice are fruit/seed eaters and are rarely entering in houses. I am not that good, I tried to catch it with glued papers but it did not worked. I did not put traps because of the cat, but I cannot kill an animal caught in a cage.
And he is better in a wood with other wood mice around.
.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
29 Jun 18
I saw this red mouse this winter and thought that it was a red vole. It would also have been exotic in the middle of a city. There are also weasels in the place where I released it, he has to learn quickly what is a weasel if he wants to survive.
.1 person likes this
@YrNemo (20261)
•
30 Jun 18
@topffer Just checked, a vole seems to be cuter than a mouse (fluffier??). Hmm, owls also eat mice, right? Oh well, your protégé might meet his other half in the new environment for all we know... They might bring baby mice back to visit you, fancy that .
.1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
12 Jul 18
So, you are absolving him of all his crimes and releasing him to where he will hopefully have a long life and be amongst his kind.
1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
27 Jun 18
Too bad he didn't appreciate your efforts. Maybe you should try a different language if Latin is too difficult for him
Did you feed him? My mother always caught mice alive and gave them food before she took them to the forest. She didn't want to them to be hungry in the forest
Did you feed him? My mother always caught mice alive and gave them food before she took them to the forest. She didn't want to them to be hungry in the forest 1 person likes this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
27 Jun 18
@topffer He must be depressed if he didn't even want the rest of the chocolate It will be good for him to get back to his natural environment. I hope he doesn't have a family. One time my mother thought that she had caught the last mouse...but the next day there were 4 tiny mice in the cage.
It will be good for him to get back to his natural environment. I hope he doesn't have a family. One time my mother thought that she had caught the last mouse...but the next day there were 4 tiny mice in the cage.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
27 Jun 18
@Porcospino I am not sure they are really chocolate eaters like common mice. It is the first time I see this kind of mouse in a house, but I read that they were doing it when they were not far from houses. I had a jungle in the back garden when I moved, but not at the point to have wood mice in the garden, and it is a small garden. It is a bit of mystery how he came here. I cannot tell if there are several mice : since I installed the ultrasonic repellents I had not heard or seen him in the house. I will put the cage again and see if I catch another one.
. It is a bit of mystery how he came here. I cannot tell if there are several mice : since I installed the ultrasonic repellents I had not heard or seen him in the house. I will put the cage again and see if I catch another one.1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
16 Jul 18
@SIMPLYD They are rodents, so they can damage anything like all rodents, but they are fruits and seeds eaters, and they do not find a lot to eat in a house contrarily to "normal" city mice. They rarely enter in a home from what I read. I still not totally understand how this one came. He was probably in a large park at 300m from my home.
1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137145)
• United States
4 Jul 18
Oh, WOW! He must be one of the rare wood mice who understand the French people, Top! He searched out your house all the way from the forest he once called home! (And you dare return him to that uncivilized dwelling place? I should think he will easily find another taxi to bring him back to you! I hope you also gave him cab fare for his hopeful return!)
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
4 Jul 18
Don't tease me! I eat meat but I cannot kill an animal (except mosquitoes, but it is self-defense
). This kind of mouse enters rarely in a house, and I do not understand how it managed to reach the center of the city, it had a serious GPS problem, or you are right, I was targeted
.
! I eat meat but I cannot kill an animal (except mosquitoes, but it is self-defense). This kind of mouse enters rarely in a house, and I do not understand how it managed to reach the center of the city, it had a serious GPS problem, or you are right, I was targeted.1 person likes this
@DaddyEvil (137145)
• United States
4 Jul 18
@topffer I'm sure I have no idea where it could have gotten a faulty GPS unit or the original cab fare to your house, Top
.
I'm sure I have no idea where it could have gotten a faulty GPS unit or the original cab fare to your house, Top.1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
15 Jul 18
He probably hitched a lift on someone car! Glad you are chauffeuring him back to his natural abode!
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
15 Jul 18
@garymarsh6 It was possible through the cellar which has a trapdoor on the street, and there are holes the size of a pencil around pipes... I saw him first at the end of winter, it was very cold this year and he may have looked for a refuge. My electric cables are inside the walls and it would be expensive to repair if there was some damage done by a mouse.
.1 person likes this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
15 Jul 18
@topffer They say that mice can enter a house if there is a hole the size of a pencil., They are pesky as they gnaw through electric cables. Worse still if they die under the floor boards and make your house smell. Glad he has been reunited back where he belongs!
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
13 Jul 18
That is a very kind thing to do. I hope the ultrasonic repellents work to keep other creatures away.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
13 Jul 18
I was afraid that there was perhaps more than one red mouse, but I have not seen, heard or caught anything since and I have disconnected the repellents, being not sure if they are completely harmless for me and the cat. Now, how and from where he came in the house is a kind of mystery.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
13 Jul 18
@JamesHxstatic The cat did not seemed to be affected, but now that I believe that there was only one red mouse in the house, it was more safe to disconnect the repellents.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
13 Jul 18
@topffer That is always a mystery. I had not thought about the repellents the cat, but with sensitive ears like that, who knows?
1 person likes this
. I hope that you will be more lucky than me, I was seeing this one since winter but could not manage to catch it.
@crossbones27 (48426)
• Mojave, California
11 Jul 18
Probably from cutting down parts of the woods maybe or so many people anyone could have carried him for a ride, not knowing. I know when they cut our fields down the street some years back we had a field mice invasion. Luckily for my old German Shepherd and traps like that we rescued many and put them back.
We did try regular traps at first but was painful to hear them scream when a trap would not fully kill them. My German Shepherd was another story and could not help them if they were going to invade his territory and try to steal his dog food. Believe he killed the last one and never had a problem since. Why stray cats are always nice to have around because it sucks when they invade.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
12 Jul 18
There is a large park not far, he could have been there, but how he came in my house is a kind of mystery. I have not seen one since, so I suppose he was alone. My cat has not been able to catch him, or was not interested. Maybe better, I released him in a wood and wish him a happy life.
@topffer (42156)
• France
10 Jul 18
He did not needed to bribe him, my cat is only interested by birds. I just had a look at wood rats, and I am happy we have not them here. I have not seen a rat in this city, and it is all good : when I was 8 or 9 I jumped near a rat eating something on a pavement, and instead of fleeing it jumped on me an bit my shoes
. Since that I have an aversion for rats.
. I just had a look at wood rats, and I am happy we have not them here. I have not seen a rat in this city, and it is all good : when I was 8 or 9 I jumped near a rat eating something on a pavement, and instead of fleeing it jumped on me an bit my shoes. Since that I have an aversion for rats.