Field mouse
As I returned this afternoon from collecting PG's car from yet another expensive visit to the garage(don't ask, yes it broke down again!) I was greeted with the sight of Ditto tormenting another small rodent.
I raced headlong from the car, probably an amusing sight, shouting prolifically and in a none too demure manner, in an effort to distract her..... as ever it was to no avail, she raced off with the small squealing creature firmly in her jaw.
Eventually, among the wet grass and mud I achieved capture and some vigorous shaking released the terrified animal, which stood shaking violently but stationery allowing me to scoop it up gently and rush it indoors.
It seemed somewhat worse for wear poor thing, soaking wet, cold and bleeding very slightly. A warm dry nest was hurriedly assembled in an old casserole dish, I couldn't find anything else that a small mouse might not be able to escape from, and I placed on top of a shelf in the warm bedroom, in a 'cat safe' position.
Despite my worries that too much damage may have been done and this mouse may be suffering I couldn't bring myself to 'finish it off' and hoped instead it would either recover, or at least would die in a warm dry environment instead of in the rain, soaked through.
Regular checks over the next few hours proved heartening, no more bleeding was evident and a dry, fuffy, squeaking mouse emerged full of life and trying desperately to scale the walls of the casserole dish!
Ditto was firmly shut in and we set off with dish in hand to release our little captive back into the great outdoors by torchlight, it clambered over the edge of the tipped dish into my hand and then scuttled off as fast as it's little legs would carry it, squeaking loudly, into the undergrowth..........oh happy day.
I considered taking a photograph to post here but was too concerned that the flash, after all it's days trauma, would frighten it again and so the first time I actually remembered to take a picture of something as it happened, I still didn't! The photo above is not mine!
10 Comments:
I think you must be my long lost twin sister. LOL!
Lisa
Astrantia: yup, soft buggers :o)
Lisa: I rekon so, what a pair! lol
" it clambered over the edge of the tipped dish into my hand and then scuttled off as fast as it's little legs would carry it, squeaking loudly, into the undergrowth.."
Where a fox ate it.
I did rescue a hedgehog from a McDonalds ice-cream container once, though. It was over three years ago, but my daughter still thinks I am a hero. She doesn't know the full story though, where I weighed up whether to try and cut it free or just run it over and finish it rather than have it starve to death. Mercy revailed and I did a very tricky piece of cutting with my sharp dissection scissors to set it free.
I ran over a snake in Queensland, but there was no way I was stopping to see if it was OK. I'm not totally stupid :-)
Alan...shhhhh about the fox, hehe. I won't tell your daughter you considered an alternative, I will preserve your hero status if you just don't mention foxes!
A snake?....hmmmm, mice don't threaten the same, I would perhaps be slightly less keen to deal with that :o/
Animals scare me! However, that was really sweet of you! Field mouse and a farm, you have the life girl!
"squeaking loudly... into the underbrush..." In mouse langauge that translates as "Hey everybody! I just found a real patsy with a comfy warm house for all 2,673,528 of us this winter! come on in.... dont worry bout the cat, she'll get full soon enough"
Check yer cassarole dishes. All of them. Right now.
Lol Magz.casserole dished all checked and thus far not inhabited, must check regularly! :o)
True Willow: Awwww, few animals are scary, they are certainly less scary than many people :o)
1.25am (approx) you posted this. Don't you ever go to bed, woman???
10.20 Jenny not 1.20 but no i don't and it could easily have been 1.20 hehe. I'm a 'night person', if I'm tired and not working I sleep for a couple of hours in the day!
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