Mice?

MichaelL

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Today I went to the tortoise enclosure and I saw a mouse scurry across into one of the little caves filled with dried grass, that my tortoises use sometimes to burrow into. There are numerous toads in the enclosure and black racers love to come in the enclosure too, to hunt the toads or even bask. They love it because it's open, sunny, and there are many little hides/burrows to hunt for toads or take refuge in. Neither the toads nor black racers cause a problem to the tortoises.

However, do mice? I know that rodents can gnaw on tortoises but isn't that usually during brumation when the tortoises can't respond? And aren't the rats the ones that cause damage? Should I try to get rid of it? It's also possible the mouse was making a nest of some sort in the cave. I shuffled the dried grass around and it ran away, but it may come back. Thanks for any input.
 

KarenSoCal

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Actually, I'm tending to disagree with Chubbs on this one.

Most of us have dealt with mice in our houses or garages now and then. I'm sure the first time a trap snaps (or closes in the case of Have-a-Heart traps), the mouse runs for its life. But we also know that they will come back and steal the bait despite the previous scare.

I think it's well within the capabilities of a mouse to figure out the a tort has no protection. The tort pulls his head in and covers his face with his 'arms' and is motionless. It's a perfect opportunity for a mouse to chomp those 'arms'.

I wouldn't risk it...I'd strongly encourage that mouse to move on.
 

MichaelL

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Actually, I'm tending to disagree with Chubbs on this one.

Most of us have dealt with mice in our houses or garages now and then. I'm sure the first time a trap snaps (or closes in the case of Have-a-Heart traps), the mouse runs for its life. But we also know that they will come back and steal the bait despite the previous scare.

I think it's well within the capabilities of a mouse to figure out the a tort has no protection. The tort pulls his head in and covers his face with his 'arms' and is motionless. It's a perfect opportunity for a mouse to chomp those 'arms'.

I wouldn't risk it...I'd strongly encourage that mouse to move on.
Okay thank you.. I'll see if it comes back and find a way to get rid of it.
 

ZenHerper

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The racers are there for the other two prey species. Eliminate the mice and toads and the snakes will move on of their own accord.

I'd leave non-venomous snakes be as an Indicator of your success with the vermin.

Anyone who has watched a season of Alone knows how hard mice are to get rid of when they've decided they like your homr building skills...they're finding your set up Too Ideal in terms of available food and sheltered nesting sites.

You could ask friends for buckets of used cat litter to place in cups on the outside of the perimeter walls...
 

MichaelL

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The racers are there for the other two prey species. Eliminate the mice and toads and the snakes will move on of their own accord.

I'd leave non-venomous snakes be as an Indicator of your success with the vermin.

Anyone who has watched a season of Alone knows how hard mice are to get rid of when they've decided they like your homr building skills...they're finding your set up Too Ideal in terms of available food and sheltered nesting sites.

You could ask friends for buckets of used cat litter to place in cups on the outside of the perimeter walls...
Yep.. you are very right. I love that show by the way haha. Just saw the mouse again on the food tray. It's not a small one either. Gonna have to do that and set traps.
 

KarenSoCal

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You could ask friends for buckets of used cat litter to place in cups on the outside of the perimeter walls...
Is that supposed to keep mice away? Around here, even having cats doesn't stop them from coming in.

I haven't had any come into my house, but my friend has a bunch of them...and she has 3 cats!
 

ZenHerper

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Is that supposed to keep mice away? Around here, even having cats doesn't stop them from coming in.

I haven't had any come into my house, but my friend has a bunch of them...and she has 3 cats!
Sometimes I think it depends on the species of mouse...like I wonder if Mus Musculus (house mice) is on balance more intrepid about house predator urine. And if field mice would be more inclined to move home.

But the interaction is quite complex...it was recently (2015) reported that baby mice (Mus musculus) growing up in a cat environment will habituate to the odor of cat urine (and not leave the house/yard). They still get the full stress response of living in close proximity to a predator (so maybe their lives are shortened?), but they will stay.

Urine marking techniques are short term. You have to hit 'em hard to get adult animals to flee the property, and do it on a punctuated schedule. Don't leave cat urine on the ground where it can become part of the ecology.
 

Maggie3fan

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Since moving from the "big city" in Calif to rural Oregon with a buncha turtles and tortoises etc. I have had battles over the years with rats (living under my house and making chewing noises) mice, voles, skunks (living under the tort shed), raccoons, feral cats, house cats, moles, gophers, foxes and cougars...I have found that the smell of peppermint will chase away gophers, ants won't cross a line of cinnamon, and moth balls will make rats and raccoons leave. But they all come back, and cinnamon is too expensive to pour around on the ground...the guy who delivers my monthly medications, told his boss, who called the Benton County sheriffs, who came out to see (or rather smell) the (believed) toxic level of the smell of moth balls covering me and my house. The delivery guy was afraid that I was living in a toxic haze of moth balls. Serious...lol
 

William Lee Kohler

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Since moving from the "big city" in Calif to rural Oregon with a buncha turtles and tortoises etc. I have had battles over the years with rats (living under my house and making chewing noises) mice, voles, skunks (living under the tort shed), raccoons, feral cats, house cats, moles, gophers, foxes and cougars...I have found that the smell of peppermint will chase away gophers, ants won't cross a line of cinnamon, and moth balls will make rats and raccoons leave. But they all come back, and cinnamon is too expensive to pour around on the ground...the guy who delivers my monthly medications, told his boss, who called the Benton County sheriffs, who came out to see (or rather smell) the (believed) toxic level of the smell of moth balls covering me and my house. The delivery guy was afraid that I was living in a toxic haze of moth balls. Serious...lol

WELL????? What was the verdict? I'm sure we all want to know.
 

MichaelL

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And the culprit has been caught! I lifted up the watering can next to my tortoise enclosure and he was right there. I put some gloves on and after a little bit of chasing him around the area, he was cornered, and I grabbed him. He kept biting the glove, was scared he'd get through to my skin. I did kill him rather than relocate him; I wasn't sure if they come back to certain areas and I didn't want to have to deal with this problem again. Not fully sure of the species; it may even be a rat. If anyone is good at identifying rodents, the help would be great. I'm thinking Hispid Cotton Rat?

IMG_6158.JPGIMG_6157.JPGIMG_6156.JPG
 

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