Mouse Mystery

[scoutcub]

Sooo....getting some firewood from the attached garage the other day, and saw the little mouse scurrying out of the woodpile into the toybox.....
set up some traps, and got him last night. Set him by the garage door so I could remove him to outside this morning.

This morning, went to remove him, but.....he was not where I put him last nite....my brain wasn't working at 100% with no coffee yet, but was racking my brain trying to think of if I moved him.....
After closer inspection of surrounding area, I found him moved about 3 feet away behind a shovel, partially chewed on. Checked the other traps I had set, and found ANOTHER small mouse in a double trap I had set. I had only seen one, and thought there was only one.
Soo....I know mice are omnivores, but will they eat their own if hungry enough? Or a rat? But I believe rats are also omnivores, and no signs of such in the small garage I have.....no other animals (that I know of) are living in the garage.....
And....how could they get in there in the first place? I'm assuming if I leave the garage door up for an extended period of time, with the very cold weather, they would be sneaking in....the door is closed 99% of the time.

Any ideas??

 

[MossRoad]

Was there a full moon.... Weremouse! :shocked:

 

[blackie65]

there is rarely just one mouse.

 

[MoKelly]

There is never only ONE mouse. If you see one, there are many more.

MoKelly

 

[DennisArrow]

Looks like you have some new neighborS.......A family perhaps so far and yes, mice are definately carnivors with little regard to the niceties of a funeral for their family members.......
Your woodpile in the garage offers LOTS of opportunities for rodents.......great food source: bark, seeds, insects, and cambium.......Great dry/warm environment......For me, I just got back from the feed store where I bought 2 boxes of bait to put out for the ones that have discovered my Airstream this winter......

For me, poison is effective as we use it in the barn, under the house, in the feed shed, and NOW in the Airstream........Yes, cats also work..........God bless.....Dennis

 

[dodge man]

I have had them get injured and trapped but not killed, and drag themselves away, and not been able to find the trap. It is obvious by your picture that is not the case. If it was a cat or something, it would be more chewed up. I'm pretty sure it looked like some kind of animal was chewing on it but I don't have any ideas what.

 

[blackie65]

Not one to tell others how to do things. But wood in the attached garage, although quite handy, is very inviting to critters of all kinds. Might want to consider a storage rack you can cover outside or maybe haul wood more frequently, Good exercise . I also am not a big fan of cats but I sure do appreciate their hunting skills.

 

[blackie65]

This might help your situation. It's called a bucket repeater.

http://www.woodtoyfun.com/sitebuilder/images/P1010025-486x369.jpg

 

[dooleysm]

Mice will absolutely eat their own in a trap. It happened several times at our house before I got the problem under control.

 

[podagrower]

I almost always have a rat trap set "just in case" one happens to wander by. One morning my wife tells me that my dog had dragged the trap out from under the trailer, and was growling at her when she took it away. When I left about 30 minutes later and it was light, I took a better look.

The only thing worse than finding a dead rat in the trap, is finding 1/2 a dead rat.