Thread: Mice. Heaps of bloody mice.

I've noticed a big increase in Mice and Rats over in HB, when I'm sitting camped in paddocks waiting for Rabbits you see them running around in the long grass and in the trees through the thermal.

I do wonder if your increase in Mice immediately after the decrease in Rats is related, perhaps they don't cohabitate well?

Originally Posted by Mintie

I do wonder if your increase in Mice immediately after the decrease in Rats is related, perhaps they don't cohabitate well?

Very good point, hadn’t thought of that.

When we first started getting mice, and still had rats, I noticed three or four trapped mice had been eaten in the traps. Could have been a rat, ferret, stoat, who knows. Once the rats were gone, that stopped, haven’t seen it since.

Then the one Staffy cottoned onto a ferret living under the house, and caught that. Who knows what else they catch - if I don’t intervene they’ll eat it. Rats they just gulp down the dirty buggers.

So yeah, now you mention it I think the mice might be thriving partly because their main predators were eliminated.

Originally Posted by Mintie

I've noticed a big increase in Mice and Rats over in HB, when I'm sitting camped in paddocks waiting for Rabbits you see them running around in the long grass and in the trees through the thermal.

I do wonder if your increase in Mice immediately after the decrease in Rats is related, perhaps they don't cohabitate well?

Nailed it there, if you have rats you do not have large numbers of mice as the rats force the mice out. They hate the competition apparently. Conversely, lots of mice = no rats. We have bait stations, refilled every 8 or so weeks and I have a handy way of knowing when they are due to be refilled - its called a cat. If he starts bringing rats in its time for more bait...

Originally Posted by Mintie

I've noticed a big increase in Mice and Rats over in HB, when I'm sitting camped in paddocks waiting for Rabbits you see them running around in the long grass and in the trees through the thermal.

I do wonder if your increase in Mice immediately after the decrease in Rats is related, perhaps they don't cohabitate well?

Yes when the tucker runs low your mice become rat tucker very quickly. So you mouse problem becomes a rat problem , which leads to a wiring problem!