Mice stealing the bird food

[Geoff F]

I thought that the birds were eating a lot of fat balls and peanuts, especially at night. The feeding cages are hung up in large shrubs, about 5 ft from the ground. So last night I crept out with a torch and camera and found a mouse actually inside the fat ball cage. It didn't stop feeding while I was photographing it. Eventually I upended the feeder and shook the mouse out.

Is there anything I can do to prevent them returning? The cages are hanging from branches so the only way a mouse can get at them is by climbing up the trunk and along the branches then climbing down onto the feeders, no mean feat. I have now attached a length of strong monofilament line between the branches and feeders so they are hanging about 1 ft down and I was hoping that the smooth line might make climbing down difficult. Will try to go out and check later.

I don't mind a few crows and magpies taking some of the small bird food but I do object to paying good money to feed greedy mice and wood pigeons. I have overcome the pigeon problem with a redesigned bird table so hope I can cure the mouse problem.

Traps might work in the short term but mice will probably reappear again if they can get to the food. I could weld up a stainless steel pole and arms holder, a bit like the traditional parrot feeder, which would be too smooth to climb but I like the more natural look of hanging feeders amongst the shrubs.

So, any ideas?

ps. My elderly cat has become too slow and sleepy to catch mice anymore.

[galanthus]

cat catching it? j traps ? Noooooo !! Can't you let the poor little thing share the food for a little while to see it through winter ? We have some woodmice at the moment and put a little extra food out near where it feeds. They're lovely.

[naturelover]

I tell you what i wish i had Wood Mice,i think they are adorable,please dont kill them they get hungry too and its still wildlife.

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by Geoff F

Traps might work in the short term but mice will probably reappear again if they can get to the food. I could weld up a stainless steel pole and arms holder, a bit like the traditional parrot feeder, which would be too smooth to climb but I like the more natural look of hanging feeders amongst the shrubs.

What kind of mouse - if it's a Wood Mouse then even if you have a family of them the actual take of food will be pretty small. Also having a mouse around will attract some species of bee which colonise old mouse holes and actively seek out the mouse smell.

CM



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[jennyb]

I will swap your mice for my squirrels - then you really will have problem!

Jenny

[Kayleigh]

We used to have Wood Mice until we got a rat then they disappeared. But we got rid of the rat so hopefully it won't be too long before they return..The toads go down the mouse holes in the day time then climb out in the evening..

[badgerwatcher]

They're adorable! I watched one over several days doing acrobatics in the buddlia to reach a feeder. Unfortunately, so did a cat that seems to live in my garden, although discouraged by me with a water pistol. Anyway, haven't seen the mouse for a while.

[naturelover]

I yoused to use a water pistol on cats when i first had my avery,they soon got the message.

[tufftie]

Originally Posted by naturelover

I yoused to use a water pistol on cats when i first had my avery,they soon got the message.

LOl - my old cat got used to the water pistol and started batting the jet of water

On the thread subject - yeah, leave the woodmouse alone..you're lucky to have it and it wont take much.

[Geoff F]

I think there may have been more than one problem here. I didn't check the mouse ID, just assumed it was a common House Mouse. Since I dropped the feeders down a bit, hanging clear of the branches, I haven't had the problem of a feeder full of peanuts disappearing overnight but the photographed mouse was still there on the fat ball feeder.

I can tolerate one or two woodmice eating a little, but the way the nuts were disappearing was a bit too much. There are Grey Squirrels in the area but I've never seen them in my garden. so perhaps it is House Mice or something else that was responsible.

Originally I had the feeders on the bird table but something kept knocking it down and destroying the cages, possibly a Badger.

[naturelover]

Squirrels garantee,they will bite through anything for peanuts.