Alty
Feb 17, 2012, 12:23 PM
Hi everyone,
We currently have a mouse problem in our home, which we've been doing our best to deal with. The entire neighborhood (we are behind a huge field) has been dealing with mouse issues all winter.
Well, last night my son comes running upstairs to tell me that he saw a white mouse, but it didn't look like a mouse. Bigger, longer, skinny, and the head looked like a small ferret.
I didn't believe him. I figured he was just seeing things. But, I ended up putting up a mouse trap where he had seen this strange mouse, right by our gas fireplace.
This morning my son informs me that we caught a mouse, and that the little white mouse was sniffing it.
So I came downstairs to investigate. Well, the mouse, including the trap, were gone! I could hear the trap rattling in the fireplace. I pulled off the bottom vent and sure enough, there's the little weasel trying to get the mouse out of the trap.
I did some research, and I know what this little guy is. It's called a Least weasel. They're very common here, although I've never seen one. They're small, only 8 inches long fully grown. They are wonderful predators, eating mainly mice, voles, and other rodents, but, and here's where I'm worried, they have been known to eat rabbits and birds. They can bring down a rabbit 5 times their size. I have 4 rabbits that fit that description, and I have a bird!
I don't want to kill this little guy. First, I hate even killing the mice, and I don't find them at all cute. But this little guy is adorable, and if he wants to eat the mice he's welcome to them, and welcome here. But I'm afraid that he's going to go after one of the rabbits, or the bird.
Any advice? I don't think catching him and releasing him is possible. Even if I did, he got in once, he can get in again, or some of his friends.
I'm at a loss. The kids want to catch him and keep him. I don't agree with that. This is a wild animal, and a carnivore. It will never be tame enough that I'll feel comfortable handling him or letting the kids handle him. If I can guarantee that he'll stay away from my rabbits and bird, he can stay, but I need something to guarantee that.
Open to all suggestion.
Here's a picture of the little guy.
Redirect Notice (http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=least+weasel+winter&start=15&num=10&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&biw=1024&bih=602&tbm=isch&tbnid=8v9rPu5dd_cBaM:&imgrefurl=http://mintyandpeaches.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/peaches-christmas-wishlist/&docid=-laHDZabSu-gLM&imgurl=http://mintyandpeaches.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/least-weasel-in-winter.jpg%253Fw%253D529%2526h%253D396&w=529&h=396&ei=WKg-T7mWOejz0gGItfS0Bw&zoom=1)
We currently have a mouse problem in our home, which we've been doing our best to deal with. The entire neighborhood (we are behind a huge field) has been dealing with mouse issues all winter.
Well, last night my son comes running upstairs to tell me that he saw a white mouse, but it didn't look like a mouse. Bigger, longer, skinny, and the head looked like a small ferret.
I didn't believe him. I figured he was just seeing things. But, I ended up putting up a mouse trap where he had seen this strange mouse, right by our gas fireplace.
This morning my son informs me that we caught a mouse, and that the little white mouse was sniffing it.
So I came downstairs to investigate. Well, the mouse, including the trap, were gone! I could hear the trap rattling in the fireplace. I pulled off the bottom vent and sure enough, there's the little weasel trying to get the mouse out of the trap.
I did some research, and I know what this little guy is. It's called a Least weasel. They're very common here, although I've never seen one. They're small, only 8 inches long fully grown. They are wonderful predators, eating mainly mice, voles, and other rodents, but, and here's where I'm worried, they have been known to eat rabbits and birds. They can bring down a rabbit 5 times their size. I have 4 rabbits that fit that description, and I have a bird!
I don't want to kill this little guy. First, I hate even killing the mice, and I don't find them at all cute. But this little guy is adorable, and if he wants to eat the mice he's welcome to them, and welcome here. But I'm afraid that he's going to go after one of the rabbits, or the bird.
Any advice? I don't think catching him and releasing him is possible. Even if I did, he got in once, he can get in again, or some of his friends.
I'm at a loss. The kids want to catch him and keep him. I don't agree with that. This is a wild animal, and a carnivore. It will never be tame enough that I'll feel comfortable handling him or letting the kids handle him. If I can guarantee that he'll stay away from my rabbits and bird, he can stay, but I need something to guarantee that.
Open to all suggestion.
Here's a picture of the little guy.
Redirect Notice (http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=least+weasel+winter&start=15&num=10&um=1&hl=en&safe=off&biw=1024&bih=602&tbm=isch&tbnid=8v9rPu5dd_cBaM:&imgrefurl=http://mintyandpeaches.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/peaches-christmas-wishlist/&docid=-laHDZabSu-gLM&imgurl=http://mintyandpeaches.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/least-weasel-in-winter.jpg%253Fw%253D529%2526h%253D396&w=529&h=396&ei=WKg-T7mWOejz0gGItfS0Bw&zoom=1)