Mailbox Mice

Dandelion_@_

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You should know and consider that relocation doesn't work. When you remove just about any animal from its known territory and plop it somewhere else, they will almost always die a horrible painful death in one of many ways. Doesn't matter how wonderful the new territory seems to us, the animal doesn't know its way around. It doesn't know where food, shelter, and water can be found. That territory is also likely already occupied by a member of that species who will attack and kill or drive away the territorial intruder.

Our local DFW (Department of Fish and Wildlife) has done studies on this. Bears will travel up to 300 miles to return to their "home" territory, and most of them die trying. Coyotes will travel 25 miles. Even rattlesnakes will travel up to 3 miles trying to get home. If they are more than 3 miles from home, they usually get eaten, hit by a car, succumb to the elements without their familiar shelters, starve or die of dehydration, so said the researchers.

Mice in a new and unfamiliar place will almost certainly get picked off by a predator, and if not they will be relentlessly attacked by the resident mice and driven away. Same with ground squirrels and most other rodents...
I've read similar research on wild life, even chipmunks. I guess relocation at least gives the creature Darwin's chance. Even squashing a bug takes a toll for some of us. I liked your post about humane dispatch, freezing and feeding later, but of course that's not an option for everyone. 'Circle of life' is not for sissies like me ?
 

Tom

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I've read similar research on wild life, even chipmunks. I guess relocation at least gives the creature Darwin's chance. Even squashing a bug takes a toll for some of us. I liked your post about humane dispatch, freezing and feeding later, but of course that's not an option for everyone. 'Circle of life' is not for sissies like me ?
You are not alone. A large percentage of our society has grown up so separated from the natural world and reality. I did too, but for some reason I cannot explain, I've always craved some sort of connection to wildlife. I want to know and understand the real world beyond our human constructs. We buy our food in stores now. Someone else kills and butchers our meat, and someone else tends to the land and grows our fruits, nuts, and vegetables. We all take biology in high school, but most of us have grown up insulated, separated, and protected from the natural world. I think this is what draws many of us to keep an exotic pet, like a tortoise, in our home or yard.

Life and the natural ecosystems should be respected, revered, and protected. Many people don't understand that hunters, people who spend a lot of time out in the nature, understand it more, and do more to protect it than those who don't hunt. Pursuit, selection and taking of game ties a person's soul to nature in a way that people who don't do it don't understand.

I could go on for days, but its lunch time...
 

Dandelion_@_

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You are not alone. A large percentage of our society has grown up so separated from the natural world and reality. I did too, but for some reason I cannot explain, I've always craved some sort of connection to wildlife. I want to know and understand the real world beyond our human constructs. We buy our food in stores now. Someone else kills and butchers our meat, and someone else tends to the land and grows our fruits, nuts, and vegetables. We all take biology in high school, but most of us have grown up insulated, separated, and protected from the natural world. I think this is what draws many of us to keep an exotic pet, like a tortoise, in our home or yard.

Life and the natural ecosystems should be respected, revered, and protected. Many people don't understand that hunters, people who spend a lot of time out in the nature, understand it more, and do more to protect it than those who don't hunt. Pursuit, selection and taking of game ties a person's soul to nature in a way that people who don't do it don't understand.

I could go on for days, but its lunch time...
Yes, and not-yes (rather than no) - there are exploiters in every venture and it is their greed that taints the reputations of those you describe. I buy all my meats from pasturing farmers because I 'can't' hunt and I do revere the lives of the creatures I eat. Such a tricky balance, but worth it. Enjoy your lunch ;)
 

Tom

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Yes, and not-yes (rather than no) - there are exploiters in every venture and it is their greed that taints the reputations of those you describe. I buy all my meats from pasturing farmers because I 'can't' hunt and I do revere the lives of the creatures I eat. Such a tricky balance, but worth it. Enjoy your lunch ;)
You point of view makes sense to me, though I don't share it 100%.

I have a friend who is totally against factory farming and will only eat meat that is humanely hunted from the wild. We all see these issues differently, and I'm okay with that.
 

Cathie G

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Those babies were already dying. It was humane to end their situation quickly, and completely logical to make use of their demise to help another in the food chain.

I only have a tough time with this philosophy when I encounter a bear or big cat because then I'm the one on the menu. Then I'm not so ok with it.

But it IS a good thing to do with abandoned or hurt dying critters. I'd rather feed a tort than the insects wherever the carcasses might have been disposed of otherwise.
I do have to say that you are not on a bear's menu. They are omnivores. Yes they have mauled people but I'm wondering if the people became too frightened and made too much noise and movement. I've been face to face with 1 wild bear and happened upon 1 both in the wild. Neither attacked me. The second one didn't know I was there so I backed out of the situation very quietly and slowly. The first one knew I was there but didn't care because I'd fed it some donuts ?? I think we see and hear a lot of things on the news about how ready wild animals are to attack us. But most of them are more afraid of us and try to stay hidden mostly or we would hear about more attacks then we do.
 

Tom

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I do have to say that you are not on a bear's menu. They are omnivores. Yes they have mauled people but I'm wondering if the people became too frightened and made too much noise and movement. I've been face to face with 1 wild bear and happened upon 1 both in the wild. Neither attacked me. The second one didn't know I was there so I backed out of the situation very quietly and slowly. The first one knew I was there but didn't care because I'd fed it some donuts ?? I think we see and hear a lot of things on the news about how ready wild animals are to attack us. But most of them are more afraid of us and try to stay hidden mostly or we would hear about more attacks then we do.
Check out "The Malibu Artist" on YT. Get ready for a serious eye opener. I was in that water nearly every day as a teen ager. I wonder...
 

Cathie G

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Check out "The Malibu Artist" on YT. Get ready for a serious eye opener. I was in that water nearly every day as a teen ager. I wonder...
Ok ?
 

Cathie G

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Check out "The Malibu Artist" on YT. Get ready for a serious eye opener. I was in that water nearly every day as a teen ager. I wonder...
It was good. And so truthful about the wild. I've actually seen on the news lately that you are less likely to be attacked by a shark on the west coast. I can't remember why. But really even when you hear about it more often other places what does that really mean. At least researchers are trying to figure it out.
 

willee638

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Absolutely true. I feed live insects to my animals daily that I breed from my own colonies, and I've fed lots of live fish and shrimps to my fish in years past. I've offered live rodents only in cases where a snake refused all other attempts at feeding and was literally starving itself to death, but then switched to pre-killed prey as quickly as possible.

My point is to minimize suffering on the prey animals or on pest species that need to be eradicated. At my ranch we are constantly killing off problem pests, and we make every attempt to do it humanely. If live food is necessary for one reason or another, I have no problem with it at all. I'm pretty sure Jaimie's tort would still have eaten the pinkies if they were dead. I think he should have stomped the mom too. On the occasion that I happen to find a rodent nest on my ranch, I attempt to immediately kill all of them in whatever way I can. Its got to be done, but it can be done quickly to minimize suffering. This is how I see the matter.
My red foot was caught munching on a dead adult mouse but I didn't allow it, other ate a live slug & earth worm. I thought of buying some live meal worms & crickets, but if they happen to find invertebrates in fields that's what they'll eat.
 

Yvonne G

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I wrapped the base of the mailbox with tin all the way around, for about 18 inches, which I'm assuming will render it too difficult for mice to climb (or at least hard enough that they seek out softer targets....

Jamie
Axle grease would work too.
 

Tom

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It was good. And so truthful about the wild. I've actually seen on the news lately that you are less likely to be attacked by a shark on the west coast. I can't remember why. But really even when you hear about it more often other places what does that really mean. At least researchers are trying to figure it out.
Has to do with the species involved. The most dangerous shark in the world is the oceanic white tip. They are distributed worldwide, mostly pelagic, and seldom encountered near the coasts. These are the ones that eat people off of sinking ships in the middle of the ocean. Second is the bull shark. Quick to bite just about anything and they occur widely on the east coast and in the carribean. Great whites would be third. They seldom bite humans, but when they do the damage is horrendous.

There were so many times when I just felt like something was wrong when I was in the water. I'd quickly put someone else between me and open water and boogie back to shore post haste. Now I know why I felt that way so often. I was not alone out there.
 

Cathie G

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Has to do with the species involved. The most dangerous shark in the world is the oceanic white tip. They are distributed worldwide, mostly pelagic, and seldom encountered near the coasts. These are the ones that eat people off of sinking ships in the middle of the ocean. Second is the bull shark. Quick to bite just about anything and they occur widely on the east coast and in the carribean. Great whites would be third. They seldom bite humans, but when they do the damage is horrendous.

There were so many times when I just felt like something was wrong when I was in the water. I'd quickly put someone else between me and open water and boogie back to shore post haste. Now I know why I felt that way so often. I was not alone out there.
I know what you mean about that feeling. Even though mostly we're safe it doesn't pay to be stupid. I was living in a wildlife sanctuary and used to seeing and being around wild animals. I know what it's like when you first come face to face with a large wild animal though, even if they are living in captivity. The fear is so great it's hard to keep standing. They're still wild and They are not pets. ?
 

Dandelion_@_

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You point of view makes sense to me, though I don't share it 100%.

I have a friend who is totally against factory farming and will only eat meat that is humanely hunted from the wild. We all see these issues differently, and I'm okay with that.
I do have to say that you are not on a bear's menu. They are omnivores. Yes they have mauled people but I'm wondering if the people became too frightened and made too much noise and movement. I've been face to face with 1 wild bear and happened upon 1 both in the wild. Neither attacked me. The second one didn't know I was there so I backed out of the situation very quietly and slowly. The first one knew I was there but didn't care because I'd fed it some donuts ?? I think we see and hear a lot of things on the news about how ready wild animals are to attack us. But most of them are more afraid of us and try to stay hidden mostly or we would hear about more attacks then we do.
Depends on what species of bear, I think
 

Blackdog1714

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I know what you mean about that feeling. Even though mostly we're safe it doesn't pay to be stupid. I was living in a wildlife sanctuary and used to seeing and being around wild animals. I know what it's like when you first come face to face with a large wild animal though, even if they are living in captivity. The fear is so great it's hard to keep standing. They're still wild and They are not pets. ?
I live in the city at see it all! The James River runs from. The blue ridge mountains to Richmond so everything follows it! Black bears, coyotes, otters etc! People are so enthralled they forget they are wild animals!
 

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