Who are these night visitors?

[posie]

I put a bunch of bananas in the conservatory to wait for them to ripen,forgot for a week or so, and when I did go to bring them in, all there was left was a bunch of hollow skins.Also one complete Avacardo pear, same fate, skin left. lots of little bits eaten from apples,pears etc. The floor was covered in little scraps of skin and a few droppings. I cleared up the mess and put a feeding station down (large cardboard tray with shallow sides) with an apple, a pear and a banana.The banana went in two nights, then they went over to the apple. I put crumbled cocoanut biscuit down last night and that has gone .,also more of the apple. ...the droppings are dark coloured and tiny, and almost shiny,some no bigger than a pin-head, but a bit more oval.I left the light on for a while in hopes of getting a glimpse of them, but they outwit me.I would love to know what they are, but am loathe to trap them,temporarily of course, but that seems the only way to do it.Does anybody have any suggestions.......Posie...

[Picidae]

Could be mice droppings

http://media.freeola.com/images/user...mousedrop2.jpg

Cockroaches is another possibility - they are much smaller than mouse droppings and are blunt ended.

[posie]

Yes, mouse droppings, but the mouse droppings I have seen before have been a lot bigger, probably house mice, so which mouse does little tiny black shiny ones.Of course I know the colour could depend on current diet..Posie..

[artdemole]

Reckon they could be hose mouse..

[artdemole]

Sorry it should read house mouse...

[posie]

I forgot to say that they are coming in from outside through a little hole at corner of doorpost. I don't have any evidence of them being in the actual house, just in the built-on conservatory,when they come in to eat.I keep the door between house and conservatory closed at all times.

[vole-woman]

Wood mouse? Thy're into everything!

[PMG]

You would almost have to think mice - but why are the droppings so small and rounded? Have you sat up and watched or crept down in the dark and looked? I'd be sitting there waiting I think?!!!!

[posie]

Originally Posted by PMG

You would almost have to think mice - but why are the droppings so small and rounded? Have you sat up and watched or crept down in the dark and looked? I'd be sitting there waiting I think?!!!!

Yes, I'm desperate to see them, can view the feeding station through glazed door from utility room. against my feelings about wasting electricity, I have even left light on in conservatory, and peered loads and loads of times, but the dear little critters manage to outwit me, have never seen a thing, except ever diminishing food supply.Unfortunately PMG,I'm not able to upload photos of droppings for identification, so it's just a case of patience I'm afraid. the thing is that even if I see them, I won't know what type of mouse they are, as I'm not an expert. What I might do is fish out of storage the C.C. T.V.set-up that I used from the stable to the house when my mare had her foals, and have the screen by the computer here, the camera only works in light so I'll have to leave the light on but could put a lower watt bulb in.It's also got a video facility on it .Would take a bit of setting up, but it would be worth it, providing the little darlings don't smell a 'rat'... and bu**er off.

[vole-woman]

Or you could put a "Big Cheese" (live, humane) trap down this evening and wait till just after midnight to check it. Peanut butter's a good bait.