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!