rodent – BIG

Got mice? Desperate times call for wildly desperate rodent-proofing. We ran four extreme strategies past the experts to find out if these wacky moves could actually work. (The answers will surprise you.)

1. Install a live owl
Or some other wild predator. A weasel. A family of martens. A snake. Maybe all of them at the same time.

Would it work? Sure would. “The presence of a predator in the cabin would deter mice from seeking refuge in the first place,” says Tom Sullivan, a professor emeritus of wildlife ecology and conservation at UBC.

Feasible-o-meter says Low. You might just be trading one bad roommate for another, possibly worse, roommate—one that regurgitates all the time and, by the way, isn’t actually that wise.

Cottage Q&A: Where did all the mice go?

2. Ditch the cottage; build a concrete bunker

The rest of the lake will hate you, but when the Doomsday Clock strikes midnight—vindicated!

Would it work? Well, yes. It’s not likely that mice could gnaw through a concrete wall, says Gary Ure of Second Nature Wildlife Management in Gananoque, Ont. Unfortunately, they could gnaw through everything else. So a windowless, doorless bunker, with no plumbing, electricity, or air supply, would really be the way to go.

Feasible-o-meter says Low. You’d never get a permit. (Pfft. Building officials.)

6 secrets to successful mouse trapping

3. Source tons of cats. No, wait. Source tons of cat urine
And spray it all over the place. Gather used kitty litter in decorative bowls, and set them out like potpourri.

Would it work? Not reliably. “Mice may avoid predator odours for a while, but longevity and consistency of repellency has so far eluded us,” says Sullivan. “I have worked on this problem for many years.”

Feasible-o-meter says Medium. Because the man’s not giving up: “I still think the idea has great potential,” says Sullivan.

Cottage Q&A: How do I keep mice out of my ATV?

4. Establish a decoy building
You’ve heard of the Decoy Wallet, right?

Would it work? Yes. If your somewhat mouse-proofed cottage is beside one that is not mouse-proofed at all, the mice will go for the easier target. Mice are opportunistic, says Ure. “They’re like us. Or maybe we’re like them.”

Feasible-o-meter says High. But only if your close neighbours are the laziest humans on earth.

Build it, fix it, get it done!

Get Dockside DIY, for tips on how to maintain your cottage…and then some

Unless you’re very familiar with plains-dwelling animals, you’d probably never peg the Richardson’s ground squirrel as a relative of the red squirrel or the grey squirrel. These mammals look much more like gophers or small prairie dogs. And they behave more like both: “ground squirrel” is an incredibly apt common name given how much of their lives these critters spend underground! (It’s a lot—see below.)

Ground squirrels vs. tree squirrels

The species was named after the Scottish naturalist Sir John Richardson. Looks-wise, they have larger bodies but much smaller tails than their tree squirrel relatives. (Tree squirrels need bushy tails to help with balance.) A ground squirrel’s skinny tail is almost constantly twitching, like a tiny whip—it’s one reason why they’re nicknamed “flickertails.” Their ears, meanwhile, are so flat that they appear mashed into either side of the head.

When do they hibernate?

The Richardson’s ground squirrel spends up to eight months hibernating. Adults emerge from their dens—in Canada, dug into open meadows and plains in the prairie provinces—between February and March. They return underground by mid-June at the latest. Juvenile squirrels spend a little less time in hibernation—between five and seven months. But even when the squirrels are not hibernating, they’re still only aboveground for eight to 10 hours of the day. An individual Richardson’s ground squirrel spends a mere 15 per cent of its existence on the surface. (Imagine living 85 per cent of your life in the basement.)

Ground squirrel dens provide digs for other prairie dwellers

Richardson’s ground squirrel burrows play an important role in the lives of other denning creatures. Mice, voles, burrowing owls, badgers—they enlarge the holes to suit their bigger bodies—plus salamanders and invertebrates repurpose empty dens. Even bumblebees nest in ground squirrel homes.

When do ground squirrels reproduce?

Squirrels mate soon after they emerge from hibernation in early spring. Females all give birth around the same time, so the population explodes all at once. But it can crash just as quickly: mortality is especially high with this species, thanks to prairie predators such as hawks, falcons, eagles, weasels, and rattlesnakes. About 50 to 70 per cent of babies don’t live long enough to reproduce (at about a year old). Despite this, it’s common to spot both adults and babies in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta—at least, it’s more common to spot them than it is to spot other grassland mammals. They’re bold, and will happily approach people, looking for handouts. Cheeky!