# a rodent



## linn (Nov 19, 2010)

I was organizing my bee equipment this evening. I look up towards the drop ceiling of the garage. I see a grey and white rodent with a long tail scurry into the attic of the garage. I notice that part of the drop ceiling is chewed. The garage is where I keep my equipment. I have never had anything get into my equipment.


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

We had a nest of these in the insulation of our basement. I was able to snag them and relocate them using an improvised snare that I made.
Do you think it was one of these?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNtlMfrhbE4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gNRNxFsHwI


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## Dave Burrup (Jul 22, 2008)

Linn we need more information, like how big is it? Was the tail hairy or naked?
Dave


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## dixiebooks (Jun 21, 2010)

I keep most of my unused woodenware stored in a corn crib (like a small barn, basically, for you city folk) and routinely have to unstack and restack the equipment to get rid of nesting mice. Nasty varmints. I have a few snakes in the area and am always on the lookout for more to transplant in the corn crib.


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## linn (Nov 19, 2010)

The garage door is one of those manual garage doors from the 60s. The mechanism for the door goes high into the garage ceiling. There is a three corner cut out in the ceiling panel to allow for the metal gear of the garage workings. The rodent was grey and white a little round-bigger than a mouse but smaller than a full grown rat. It scurried into the ceiling panel hole and then must have run across the undersize of the ceiling panel. The "attic" of the garage is plywood on rafters. I think it moves too fast for a possum. It has fur but no hair on the tail. It looked like one half of the rodent was white and one half a light grey. I had been working in the garage for two hours and just happened to look up. The garage door does not meet the floor in one corner so there is a gap where the garage door meets the floor. There is a part on garage roof where a metal stove pipe went in. I think that was covered up when the roof was done. There are some farms around so maybe I could rent a corn crib if I need to.


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## crofter (May 5, 2011)

Could it be a weasel?


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## Dave Burrup (Jul 22, 2008)

Linn look up Deer Mouse. They are every where in the northern states.
Dave


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## linn (Nov 19, 2010)

It had the shape of a deer mouse but a deer mouse on steroids. It looked bigger than 3-5 inches. The deer mouse I have seen around here have been brown. It was going into a hole that was smaller than 5 inches. So, maybe looking up made it seem bigger.


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## tefer2 (Sep 13, 2009)

Red squirrel. They look grey this time of year.


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## Dave Burrup (Jul 22, 2008)

Immature deer mice are grey with white bellies. How about pack rat. Adults are tawny colored immature are grey. They have a hairy tail.


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## Vance G (Jan 6, 2011)

It could be a harvest mouse. They are my mouse of choice if I must get mice. They have the long tail that has only sparse hair. A handsome mouse grey or brown on top with white belly. They are big enough that I always think rat when I see them but the face is wrong. Harvest mice do things like fill hunting boots on an eight foot high shelf full of dogfood out of the bag on the floor or bird feeder supplies. They iradicate fairly easy. I just got some liguid poison concentrate in the farm store this summer and it wiped them out quick! You put it in a qt jar feeder that you use only for that or throw away after use. Use that poison only if you are a responsible adult who is smart enough to put it where the rodents travel but your cat or dog can't possibly get at it! If you are less sure of yourself, carpet bomb all travel areas along walls with glue traps. It is cruel but do not immediately throw away the trap with a fresh live mouse on it as they act as bait for more mice. I want rid of them anyway I can once I get them. If I wouldn't crap my pants too many times, I would keep a bullsnake for the purpose loose in my garage.


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## linn (Nov 19, 2010)

There are no bull snakes in this area. I used to see the milk snakes and the garter snakes in the grass and fields. I think the pesticides have wreaked the snake habitat-too bad. I am going to try and trap the rodent. I think it really is bigger than a mouse -much bigger. I am afraid to put poison down because of the cats. I really appreciate the neighborhood cats. Those neighborhood cats are always hunting and start early in the morning. "A cat is no match for a rat...;" I know that. I hope that it was the lateness of the hour that magnified this rodent image in my brain.


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## virginiawolf (Feb 18, 2011)

I still think it's an opossum or at least I hope it is and there may be more than one. The one at our house made a nest in the insulation in the rafters. I'm totally guessing but I hope if it is one you can get it out without hurting it. They look mean but I was able to catch 5 of them using a yardstick with a pocketbook strap made into a noose and I snagged them one a night for 5 days and released them in nearby woods. The babies were very cute. I never saw the mom. They totally do play possum. when I let them out of the laundry tub they fell over lifeless. Then like 15 seconds later they jumped up and went on their way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgQlnzLM9i0


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

I'm guessing a possum too. Get rid of it if you can.


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## biggraham610 (Jun 26, 2013)

baby Possum. Good luck.


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## linn (Nov 19, 2010)

I will take the humane approach that maybe it is a possum. I will not hurt it - if it is a possum. Right now I am going up in the garage attic and clear things out. It is a good excuse to get rid of things. I will get a good flashlight and see what is going on. I have a rat phobia so I might not be looking at this situation objectively.


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## linn (Nov 19, 2010)

Well, I went up in the garage attic. There is a light in the garage attic and I brought a flashlight. It was very clean. I found a few sunflower seed shells in one section. I found no nests. I took quite a few bags of fabric down and nothing was chewed. I will look again.


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