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Me neither. And in the 13 years we've lived here, I must have caught hundreds of the little sods (*). The only time there's a mess is if I forget to check the traps regularly and either the stomach contents digests its way out through the mouse and leaves a little puddle, or the flies get there first.
(* Despite repeated and assiduous blocking up of gaps, wire mesh over vents and so forth, they *still* get in.)
But probaly not far enough. We used to take 'em down to the bottom of the padock, a good 200yds from the house, they'd come back in that night or the next. We now deport them up onto the fells (several miles from any habitation) they don't come back from there...
Trade you 20 mice a metre.
We can do our own mice, thanks.
But they're shorter than a metre ...
Mary
How do you know it was the same mouse coming back?
We got on first name terms...
Occasionally one will make a jump for freedom when being transfered from trap to holding cage. I skined the tail of one of the escapees catching it, I then saw it again for the next three days emptying the trap... It was this that really spurred us into the long distance deportation, which we started last winter. This year we've only caught about 4 maybe 5 and those where back in November. The first year here we lost count of the little beggers and where catching them right through from October to April.
I think even my big tom cat would have trouble getting them in through the cat flap if they were that big.
Colin Bignell
Field mice (brown, which is what our visitors are) non indigenous? Releasing of vermin, the web. Beggered if I can find an authorative reference now...
But may well help feed a family of stoats, weasels, several species of owl and other birds of prey, all of which we have up here.
In message , Markus Splenius writes
Of course there was a famous(e) website that had the ultimate use for a Henry vacuum, optical beam across the end of the hose and a tempting bait just inside, Mickey spies the bait, breaks the beam and Henry gives him his final suck into a half water filled collection bag.
In message , Mary Fisher writes
"Dave Liquorice" wrote | > If you use a catapult mousey is on (over) your land when | > released, but a good distance away when it lands. | But probaly not far enough. We used to take 'em down to the bottom of | the padock, a good 200yds from the house, they'd come back in that | night or the next.
Trebuchet?
If the g force in flight doesn't kill it, the impact on landing should.
Owain
Vermin and weed tend to be subjective words, just think of them as things living in places humans don't want them. The 1958 act specifies the taking of "small ground vermin" which doesn't exclude what we think of as mice or rats except for dormice and shrews. The only reference to releasing animals is in zoo regulations and wildlife and countryside act 1981, non indigenous is the only obvious prohibition, which could refer to black and brown rat, grey squirrel and rabbit. Ownership of land is not mentioned.
AJH
A rentokill operative told me the same story about the Bic pen... so holes in air bricks shouldnt present a problem for them.
Gerry
Are we allowed to have such an offensive weapon - as private, mice hosting householders that is?
Mary
Just purchase a subscription to the Sealed Knot and you can claim it is being built for use in historical enactments. With some ingenuity you could get Tony Robinson and some experts in to build it for you.
Peter
If they fit their heads through they can get through, since mice on the move are often young weanlings we are talking small heads here.
Peter
Which 1958 Act?
The WCA 1981 (as ammended) was the only authorative reference I could find last night. Nice outline here:
Not for the English Civil War you couldn't. Not that I'd want anything to do with that lot.
If I wanted a trebuchet I have access to far better qualified builders than the gnome. I don't rate his 'experts'. I and many of my fellows have been involved.
Hmm.
Mary
Touche, I am hoist with my head on your pike. Since we moved to Scotland and the kids have grown it has been some years since we last graced a re-enactment.
But surely if it only has to hurl miniature rodents the quality is immaterial? and if the work is free.....
Peter
It shows.
This is a d-i-y ng so you do it yourself if you wawnt one.
But believe me it wouldn't be 'free' if the gnome were involved. It would be as cheap as they could get because they use the 'glamour' of tv to try to persuade true (as well as poor) craftsmen to undercut their already modest costs. But someone would be paying for it, when it comes down to it it would be you.
Mary
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