A couple of years ago we had a cold winter and lots of field mice were helping themselves to all the apples we had stored in the cellar. One night, about twenty apples had been nibbled! Tamara set up her own humane trap system, involving large plastic bottles which tip upwards when a mouse goes inside to get some bait. It worked and we put them back in a field about a kilometre away. We just couldn't feed about five or six mice all winter.
Tobi, it is wonderful what you are doing for this mouse. As long as it just one and you are happy to feed it, then why not keep him over the winter? There are only two snags:
Are you sure it is just one mouse? (If there are two of the opposite gender....well, you know!).
Will s/he forget how to look after him/herself if fed long term? (I don't know the answer to that question - but probably over one winter s/he probably would still have enough survival skills in the wild).
I'm sure that you will reach the right decision. Maybe mousie will behave him/herself a bit better in future!
Tobi, it is wonderful what you are doing for this mouse. As long as it just one and you are happy to feed it, then why not keep him over the winter? There are only two snags:
Are you sure it is just one mouse? (If there are two of the opposite gender....well, you know!).
Will s/he forget how to look after him/herself if fed long term? (I don't know the answer to that question - but probably over one winter s/he probably would still have enough survival skills in the wild).
I'm sure that you will reach the right decision. Maybe mousie will behave him/herself a bit better in future!
