Mouse, trapped!

I finally deployed my Live Catch Trip Trap Mouse Trap, as you’re supposed to check it every two hours, and this is really the first time since I bought it that I’d actually have the time to relocate the mouse should one turn up in it.

Well, only three hours later I start to hear an unfamiliar rattling sound, and lo and behold, there was a mouse in the mousetrap. It seemed okay, and had the cheezy wotsit and chocolate button bait to keep it happy, so I put on my shoes and headed out to drop of my prisoner.

Unfortunately, this being Scotland in November, and about half eight in the evening, it was cold, wet, windy and dark. So it wasn’t the most fun walk I’ve had ever but actually it wasn’t that bad. Keeping the hat on the head was a bit tricky, and it’s times like these I wish I could get windscreen wipers for my glasses…

Release point

Anyway, the chosen spot is about fifteen minutes walk away, approximately three-quarters of a mile.  As previously mentioned, I’ve heard various recommendations from one quarter to a full mile, and this seemed a decent compromise.  There’s a stream nearby, trees, and lots of grass.  Although not a mouse myself, I’d have thought this would be an okay place to be, apart from being in Scotland in November, of course, but I can’t help that.

The release went pretty well.  Simply opening the trap didn’t work, so I just removed the bait compartment.  I couldn’t actually see the mouse go, as it was really quite dark, and my glasses were covered in raindrops.

On the way back, I decided I deserved a post-release reward, so I bought some chips from the local Chinese take-away.  I think they make the best chips!

Bedraggled

This was me on my returned – slightly damp and windswept!

My reward!

And here is my reward: a portion of chips and a nice  cup of hot chocolate!

A mouse in a partially filled bathtub

So I found this slightly bedraggled mouse in my bathtub this morning, when I went for my morning wash. This would be the third mouse I’ve found there, and the second live one. I wonder if it’s something about the standing water that’s attracting them in? Anyway, as the mice are beginning to bug me, largely by keeping me awake at night with their scrabbling, I decided to rescue this one and release it.

Prisoner Transport Tube

I found a snack food tin that was lying around, which seemed that it would make a pretty good mouse transportation system. I added some air holes, then scooped up the little guy with as little water as I could manage.

Prisoner Ready For Transport

The mouse isn’t actually going nuclear in the first pic, it’s just the flash reflecting off the silvered interior. The second pic I took by holding the tube directly under the kitchen light so I didn’t need the flash.

Anyhoo, I have heard various opinions on how far away you need to release a mouse to stop it getting back, ranging from a quarter to a full mile; however, I had a bus to catch. There’s a stream with a bridge over it just before the car park where I catch the bus in to work, so I thought that might be an okay place. It’s five minutes walk away, which is no doubt not nearly far enough, but if I catch him (or any more), I’ve got a place a mile down the road I can walk to.

Didn’t think to get a shot of the release point, but here’s the last view I had of him…

Free at last!

Looking for the Apple Store in Glasgow...

I was looking for the Apple Store in Glasgow, to get some doodads for my iPod touch. I walked up and down the street I don’t know how many times…

Mouse

This is a mouse that was annoying me, by scrabbling about right underneath my bed at night when I was trying to sleep. I cunningly trapped him by having a bathtub that he couldn’t climb out of. Actually, I’m not sure how he got into the bathtub in the first place – I’m pretty sure there’s no mouse-navigable path. Anyway, once he was in the bathtub, I captured him (using the lid of a CD-cake, much as you would use a glass to trap a fly) and transported him to a wooded area, where I released him onto a fast food burger container. I thought that might ease his transition from a man-made world to a natural one. However, he was quite shy, and I never really got a good shot of him.

Spud Harvest

I harvested some of my spuds – the first of the three planters. I’ve been neglecting them shamefully, and the plants are basically dead, so it was time. Plus, I cunningly managed to leave my freezer door open, which meant I had to suddenly cook a whole bunch of food, and adding potatoes to the mix seemed a good idea. I think some of them were trying to sprout, as they had odd little manky bits on their skins, but some swift peeler action soon dealt with that. I’ve used about half of this pile in a stew, which should last me a few days. I have now eaten one of the stew portions, and the potatoes were quite tasty!