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Field Mice

Rupert4Rupert4 Posts: 2
in Wildlife gardening

I have a colony of field mice in my compost bin. Should I be encouraging them to leave or stay. Are they likely to damage nearby parsnips which are still in the ground?

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  • Hortum-cretaeHortum-cretae Posts: 979

    Probably not as they're primarily seed, fruits and green vegetable matter eaters. However, should weather conditions become severe they may try a nibble. Not a high risk. 

    H-C

  • Rupert4Rupert4 Posts: 2

    Thank you. They'll have to move when I want to empty the bin (mainly grass cuttings and horse manure)next autumn. It's interesting that they haven't moved into the two adjacent bins (one all horse manure and the other this years fallen leaves). They only turned up about four weeks ago and have made a nest at the top of the bin and several bolt holes where they can get further down if necessary.

  • BrexiteerBrexiteer Posts: 955
    We get them coming into our garage in winter off the field. The occasional one gets into the house every now and then but I ain't got a clue how because it's a relatively new build and I can't see any gaps or small holes. We don't mind them in the garage really as it's only used as a glorified shed we just leave them alone 
  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    edited October 2019
    pansyface said:

    I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I CAN FORGIVE THEM JUST ABOUT ANYTHING.

    Me too. I've got some under our summerhouse. I just think they're lovely and they don't come into the house. I even give them a few sunflower seeds. My husband thinks I'm mad. Plus they eat snails. Always snail shells around their home. 
  • BrexiteerBrexiteer Posts: 955
    We don't see them much in the day only at night if the outside light comes on then you find them in the bird feeders
  • Crazyfroglady...and.now.newts.Crazyfroglady...and.now.newts. Posts: 80
    Bijdezee said:
    pansyface said:

    I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I CAN FORGIVE THEM JUST ABOUT ANYTHING.

    Me too. I've got some under our summerhouse. I just think they're lovely and they don't come into the house. I even give them a few sunflower seeds. My husband thinks I'm mad. Plus they eat snails. Always snail shells around their home. 
    Yep we are the same look at there faces! We have a family living in our garage I keep seeing them on our wildlife camera pinching the dry hedgehog food, and pulling the the flower heads off the marigolds.🤣
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    I love having them around although I did have to forgive these 2 for destroying the inside of this bird box and giving me fleas when I tried to clean it. :#


    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • BrexiteerBrexiteer Posts: 955
    wild edges said:
    I love having them around although I did have to forgive these 2 for destroying the inside of this bird box and giving me fleas when I tried to clean it. :#


    😢😢 didn't you leave them alone 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Very sweet @wild edges. You do need to keep the bird boxes clean though, they’ll soon find another home. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
     I found them like that in the Autumn and left them to it for the winter since the birds didn't need the box. By spring though the box was filthy and took a lot of cleaning for the nesting season so I won't be letting it happen again. :|
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
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