If you give a mouse a cookie

We keep all of our bird seed in the back mud room, and discovered that a little something was nibbling at the bag and dragging bird seed around. We also discovered that there was a hole in the foot board we failed to plug up.

The other morning I went out the mud room to water and saw tail quickly scurry through the hole. Now each morning, I have been silently peeking into the mud room to see if Mr. Mousey is still there. Sure enough, EVERY morning, he is there, nibbling away- it is actually kind of a cute in a disease filled animal sort of way. We need to get a cover for our bird seed box, but also need to figure out if we can keep him out, period. We have been trying to stuff the hole with tin foil, but are apparently not doing a good enough job because he keeps getting in. I almost want to continue leaving out the bird seed to see if we have succeeded in plugging the hole. He hasn't come inside the house, thanks to some excellent guard kitties, but now I am afraid that if we get rid of the seed he might get hungry and stupid and try to, and I don't want my cats carrying around a dead mouse!

But you know what they say, if you give a mouse a cookie, he will ask for a glass of milk. What if he decides to bring the rest of his mousey friends into the mud room?

I don't want to trap him because I have seen his mousey face and he likes to hang out with me when I garden (I am not making this up! Every time I have been gardening, I have come across him and he just sits back and watches!).

So, this weekend I think we are going to replace the foot board of the door and see if that keeps him outside. If that doesn't work I will have to build him his own mouse house so he stops coming into mine! Just kidding, but hopefully it doesn't come to that!