Wildlife writer Jane Adams’ nocturnal visitors lead her on a quest to outsmart a quartet of attic mice in a whimsical tale of persistence
As summer fades and an autumn chill sets in, I lie in bed, listening to the steady rain against the window as I fall asleep. But there is something else … I can hear a faint but unmistakable noise.
Something is tap-dancing in the attic.
The following morning I investigate, half expecting to find a troupe of tiny Fred Astaires. Instead, I find a mound of chewed-up paper and, to confirm the identity of my new visitors, a scattering of mouse droppings.
In all the time we’ve lived here, we’ve never had mice in the attic. There’s no food stored up there, and it would be a significant climb for such small creatures. So, why are they there?
I’ve frequently seen mouse burrows under the flowerbeds in the garden – I can only assume all the recent rain flooded their nests, pushing them to find refuge in our nice, dry attic.
Sadly, they couldn’t stay. I set six Longworth small mammal traps. These lure mice with sunflower seeds, and once they trip a small door, it closes behind them, keeping them safe and unharmed with food and a safe place to spend the night.
The next morning, the traps are full. Four small wood mice with large, doleful eyes stare up at me. I gently release them behind the garden shed, hoping that’s the end of the night-time dance routines.
It isn’t.
That night, the tap-tapping is even louder, and by morning, the traps are full again.
Four days later, despite my persistence, I have now relocated thirteen mice. I wonder if our attic is overrun with rodents.
(Yes, I know. It took me a while to catch on)
Finally, I mark each captured mouse on the neck with a dab of animal-friendly marker. In the morning, each cheerful captive bears a purple mark – we’re not overrun, we’ve just been playing hide and seek with the same persistent quartet.
This time I drive the four mice to a small, sheltered wood three miles away from my nice warm dry house, and carefully release them. At last, the final curtain has fallen on their nocturnal performances … until the next encore, anyway.
Wood mice facts
- Defensive tails: wood mice can shed the end of their tail if threatened by predators. Unfortunately, the tail doesn’t grow back.
- Super-sperm: Male wood mice produce sperm in chains, creating a “sperm train” that swims faster, improving their chances of successful reproduction.
- Signposts: To help with navigation, wood mice place small objects like leaves and twigs around their environment. Humans are the only other animal that does this.
- Varied diet: Wood mice eat a wide range of foods, from fungi and berries to seeds and insects.
- Night life: Mainly nocturnal, wood mice may come out during the day in the summer months. They are skilled climbers, and
- build complex burrows and nests either underground or in tree stumps.
- Distribution: European wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) inhabit Britain, Ireland, Europe and northern Africa.
- In southern England, we also have its close relative, the yellow-necked mouse (Apodemus flavicollis), which is larger and has a yellow collar.
- Home: The wood mouse is happy in a variety of habitats, from woodland and gardens and to fields and even sand dunes.
- Short life: Typically, wood mice live for just three to four months. It’s quite rare for them to survive from one summer to the next.
- Garden helpers: Wood mice can be beneficial to gardens by eating pests. Their forgotten food stores also help trees and shrubs spread naturally.
