im being over run with field mice.
im sure one was in my bedroom last night sniffing around. i have killed about 6 so far. i put traps everywhere. inside and outside. i probable have 20 traps set. i am using the standard mouse trap that you bait with peanut butter and set the spring trap.
this is what i think is going on. i have cleared some area back and changed the natural habitat slightly making more natural long grasses. maybe this is better habitat for mice. i am going to look into this more. also, there are three bird feeders around the area. the birds are messy and kick seeds out onto the ground for the mice to eat. i have noticed mice moving around below the bird feeders. i have also noticed an increase in the predators like owls and other small birds of prey. in addition to the birds i have also been seeing my weasel friend around.
i have seen this guy running around with mice hanging out of his mouth so i know he/she uses the area for a hunting grounds.
the problem is that the mice are breeding faster than the predators can control them. what should i do? i am somewhat worried about the mice bringing some nasty disease. should i continue trapping and killing the mice? get rid of the bird feeders? i like the birds around and i like to see the weasel. so im leaning towards keeping the bird feeders but maybe i should get rid of two of the feeders. should i get more cats? i got birds fucking everywhere lol
Poison is out, as the one cat i have left could eat a dead mouse. or some other animal like the weasel could also eat a poisoned mouse and then become poisoned themselves.
this is a good example of how humans can affect an area by just being there and possibly favoring one particular animal. deer have a similar thing going on in many places. no or few predators and a good food supply due to human agriculture.
im not sure what the breeding patterns are of mice. maybe this is just a short lived population explosion and things will go back to normal after i kill a few more. i'll report back later.
