Since the back end of September last year we have had an uninvited guest aboard MR, courtesy of Daisy. She sneaked past us both with a mouse that was still alive and then promptly let go of it. We tried to re-capture and release it with humane traps to no avail.
Strangely, it didn't break into any of our food supplies but lived it's life in our 'attic' between the roof lining and the boat roof - presumably it gained it's fluids from the condensation around the mushroom vents but goodness knows what it was eating, there's only insulation up there.
In fear for our electrics, we put out baited (in-humane) traps. It then continued to live very happily off of the bait we put in the traps (it had a preference for chocolate) without ever setting one off - even though G honed them to a fine trigger which went off if we so much as breathed when we went passed.
Not only was it now enjoying new food types, it was also eating our bin bags, kitchen and loo roll (which scarily sounds like nesting - please God don't let Daisy bring home another live one of the opposite sex), it was also keeping us awake at night, tap-dancing in clogs above our heads in the bedroom which led to Daisy stalking round and round the bed trampling my, trying to sleep, body underfoot.
Sadly, this could not go on as we didn't want to be arrested at customs for smuggling undeclared animals without passports. With much sadness, we purchased blocks of poison; compassionately choosing the chocolate ones in order that it might enjoy a last supper. These blocks are like big lego bricks: block to mouse ratio 2:1, and we unscrewed the vents in the saloon and bedroom ceilings, (removing the traps and their food source) and put a block by each, replacing the vent mesh covers.
Later that evening we were sat quietly in the saloon (no we hadn't had a row) without radio or TV on when the, now familiar, sound of a little mouse with clogs on started up. This was followed by gnawing sounds and then kerlump, kerlump, kerlump sounds followed as the block was dragged along the ceiling back towards the galley.
At 2.00am we were woken by the same sound effects in the bedroom ceiling ... and again at 3.30am and 6.00am. By this time Daisy was demented. I casually asked G if it said on the packet how long the poison took to work and whether it was going to die a long, slow, horrible death (I had fears that we might start hearing ever fainter squeaks for help), but he didn't know.
PS The sun has come out and there's a rather unpleasant smell permeating our boat
Strangely, it didn't break into any of our food supplies but lived it's life in our 'attic' between the roof lining and the boat roof - presumably it gained it's fluids from the condensation around the mushroom vents but goodness knows what it was eating, there's only insulation up there.
In fear for our electrics, we put out baited (in-humane) traps. It then continued to live very happily off of the bait we put in the traps (it had a preference for chocolate) without ever setting one off - even though G honed them to a fine trigger which went off if we so much as breathed when we went passed.
Not only was it now enjoying new food types, it was also eating our bin bags, kitchen and loo roll (which scarily sounds like nesting - please God don't let Daisy bring home another live one of the opposite sex), it was also keeping us awake at night, tap-dancing in clogs above our heads in the bedroom which led to Daisy stalking round and round the bed trampling my, trying to sleep, body underfoot.
Sadly, this could not go on as we didn't want to be arrested at customs for smuggling undeclared animals without passports. With much sadness, we purchased blocks of poison; compassionately choosing the chocolate ones in order that it might enjoy a last supper. These blocks are like big lego bricks: block to mouse ratio 2:1, and we unscrewed the vents in the saloon and bedroom ceilings, (removing the traps and their food source) and put a block by each, replacing the vent mesh covers.
Later that evening we were sat quietly in the saloon (no we hadn't had a row) without radio or TV on when the, now familiar, sound of a little mouse with clogs on started up. This was followed by gnawing sounds and then kerlump, kerlump, kerlump sounds followed as the block was dragged along the ceiling back towards the galley.
At 2.00am we were woken by the same sound effects in the bedroom ceiling ... and again at 3.30am and 6.00am. By this time Daisy was demented. I casually asked G if it said on the packet how long the poison took to work and whether it was going to die a long, slow, horrible death (I had fears that we might start hearing ever fainter squeaks for help), but he didn't know.
*************************************
Yesterday and all last night there was not a sound from the ceilings.
RIP my intrepid little stow-away
PS The sun has come out and there's a rather unpleasant smell permeating our boat
Oh dear!! I can foresee a ceiling panel or two coming down while you are in dry dock then!!!
ReplyDeletePip xxx
Sunday it will start to smell, Tuesday you will be looking to move house and by the following week it will all be back to normal.
ReplyDeleteDid the same thing in my house many years ago, but I think I got more than one mouse dead under the floorboards, had to move into another bedroom for about a month because of the smell!!!
ReplyDeleteBeardy Chas
No spare room and no spare house so it looks like the ceiling panels Pip
ReplyDeleteJill