...of mice and men...

...or if you prefer: a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury...

Battle has begun at RCB Towers, between the most and second-most (or third-most, depending on your view of the dolphins) intelligent lifeforms on this planet.

It all began with the discovery of characteristic droppings on the kitchen counter and in the undersink cupboard, and also inside (!) the toaster. Electronic traps were baited and set; successful developments were awaited. Come the morning, more droppings here and there, including in the toaster, but also a blinking light on one trap. Success! ... No. False alarm. The bait had gotten onto the metal plates, and caused a malfunction.

Traps cleaned and re-baited, this time with peanut butter, and re-set. Another morning, another blinking light. Success! ... No. Another false alarm, but this time with a twist. Another trap malfunction; probably my fault for not setting it quite correctly. A mouse had quite clearly entered the trap, had a look at the peanut butter, and then somehow exited again, having first shown its utter contempt for my efforts at catching it by leaving, perfectly placed on top of the peanut butter bait, one dropping.

Oh the shame of it! Insulted by a mouse!

Peanut butter was perfectly acceptable to Winnipeg mice; when some got into my house there, I was able to eliminate them rather quickly. St. Catharines mice would appear to be snootier. Also more acrobatic, what with climbing into and out of, a toaster.

Traps cleaned out and new bait installed: toasted breadcrumbs, and some chocolate. It/they have shown a liking for toast, so hopefully this will work. So far it's been a bit of a walkover for the mouse/mice.

RCB

 

Ta. I shall keep that in mind if the current temptations prove to be less tempting than desired.

RCB

 

Never! I shall fight them in the cupboards, I shall fight them on the countertops, I shall fight them in the dark corners of the cellar...I shall never surrender!

(But I'd take a draw -- they agree to stay outside, and I agree to leave them alone.)

RCB

 

Remember this old bit of doggerel: "The problem with a satellite / Is where to put the cat at night" ? Not to mention, what to do with it when one heads off travelling. I'd need a Rent-a-Cat rather than a permanent master. One of the across-the-back-fence neighbours has (or has had) a pair of cats, which have been known to treat my garden as theirs, but I haven't seen them out and about lately.

Now those are good questions, B65, very good questions indeed. As such they deserve the full, fair, and frank answer which I am about to give. ..... Yes!

RCB

 

My enigmatism was no match for your perspicacity. In other words...yes. The mouse -- I believe it is only one -- emerges now and again to leave a dropping or two in various places, and then heads back to its hideyhole, no doubt with a smug smile on its face.

Curses and other naughty words!

RCB

 

And so the situation remained, until about 15 minutes ago. Mouse appears, has some toast, or tomato, or apple, or wooden spoon (!), and disappears again, for days or even weeks on end. As my electronic traps had all been ignored, on Saturday I bought some old-fashioned snap-traps, baited them with Dorset Drum cheddar, and awaited developments. And yes, there were developments...today I saw that the mouse had managed to nick the cheese off all the traps, without getting caught itself.

Small furry rodent with a cheese fixation several gazillion, RCB nil.

No more cheddar in the house, so rebaited with peanut butter and apple pieces, and yet again awaited developments. Snap! Clatter! RCB goes to investigate, and finds a mouse that has ceased to be, has gone to join the choir invisible, has snuffed it... T]he old ways are still the best. But what do you do with a corpse at 0030 in the morning? Bury it in the garden, of course... Well, no, not quite -- far too dark out there, and the neighbours might get suspicious. So I just moved it with trap outside, and will bury it tomorrow.

RCB