Bizarre mouse graveyard in wall

[gladiola]

A few days ago I noticed a scratching noise coming from inside a wall in the basement. I haven't noticed any mice droppings or evidence of mice since I've lived in this house (a little over a year), and the scratching noise just started a few days ago. The wall separates the main part of the basement from a storage closet where the oil tank is, and the side of the wall in the closet is just covered with insulation and not drywalled over. There is a gap between the ceiling and where the insulation starts, which is probably how the little guys probably fell in between the studs. I got my camera and stuck it through the gap and tried to take pictures of what was making the noise in there, and from the pictures I see what I think is some sort of pile of bodies (the zoom really isn't too good on my camera) in one corner of the space, and one living scratching guy.

I'm wondering how long they've been falling in and dying in there, and how did they all end up in one pile? There is no food down there, what is attracting them? Is it worth cutting a hole at the bottom of the insulation there so they can find their way out?

Thanks, gladiola

[Italian]

[m Ransley]

Mice can climb most anything but a smooth wall, any insulation or wood or interior wall construction they can climb, Id say the mouse just lives in the mouse graveyard in your walls and moves freelt out to eat, find the hole they enter.

[Tom G]

And the "pile of bodies" might be its sleeping litter.

[hallerb]

i found a dead mouse once had fallen and got its tail stuck.....

open the wall clean and fix as needed

[Tom The Great]

I am morbidly curious, can you post some photos of this great mouse grave yard?

thx,

tom @

[gladiola]

I knew someone would want to see the pictures! (sickos....heh heh, just kidding)

You'll have to use your imagination a little (the digital zoom on the camera is horrible), but I think the tails are obvious.

[m Ransley]

One wall looks smooth, that they could not climb, but the other wall look like insulation that they could climb, its not uncommon to have dead mice in walls.

[Tom The Great]

Nice! Oops, not a sicko, just commenting on making a succesful exploration of a hidden space, reminds me of those tiny robots they use to explore the pyramids on the Discovery Channel.

So, how do you plan on getting rid of the mice, live one first I would suggest. I don't think the dead ones are going to be moving soon.

later,

tom @

[Tom The Great]

Good observation on how the wall is a 'trap'.

As for uncommon, it is uncommon for peole who don't have mice. So the first line of defense, is to keep the mice out.

later,

tom @