Traveling Zoo

[goatgal]

One of my tires looked low, so I opened the trunk to look for the tire gauge and air pump. I lifted the cover over the spare tire and found what I needed as well as a bonus. Two mouse nests, made of insulation from somewhere in the car. My first reaction was amusement, to think that mice had been my passengers on every trip for the last season. My second reaction was not amusement, because if mice can get into the car, so can their primary predator in these parts...and the idea of traveling with mice and snakes is not among my road trip pleasures. MS gives me enough creepy crawly sensations without the worry that some could be caused by something other than my nerves!

[Peruzzot]

You had stowaways!!

One place I used to work at had several storage sheds. We stored all kinds of equipment in the sheds. We never swept or dusted in those sheds. The trails the vipers made let us know if they had been there recently or not. The viper ate the mice that liked to destroy our equipment. Fresh trails meant we had to be careful so we wouldn't get bit. Old trails generally meant we were probably safe unless it was cold out and then they might still be there just hadn't moved in awhile.

[Morllyn in reply to Peruzzot]

😲

[jimeka]

I would have hobbled a mile 🚶‍♀️

[Morllyn]

😲😳😬😆🐀🐍

[carolek572 CommunityAmbassador]

Yikes! We have that problem here and I shudder to think the damage that they do and we don't even know. My mother in law thinks that they are cute when she see them running around her kitchen, leaving their droppings everywhere ~ Yuck!

[Jesmcd2 CommunityAmbassador]

Least the snakes will eat the mice? 😁🤗💕🌠

[goatgal]

That's my concern...and then what? Suppose, during sandal season, a toe looks appealing??? And a hungry snake has poor eyesight?

I've always had a healthy respect for snakes. Long ago, my husband wanted to convince me that most snakes are harmless. He caught a beautiful green garden snake and brought it to show me. "Look," he said, "It's perfectly harmless. You can hold it." As he held it out to me, the snake bit him on the web between his thumb and first finger. The sweet, harmless little snake had very fine sharp teeth and was very difficult to detach. I learned a lesson, though not the one intended.

[kdali]

Yikes!!

[Butyoulooksowell]

Goatgal, that made me laugh so much! That happened when my father wanted to show us how harmless black snakes were, and that's EXACTLY where the black snake bit him! Hope you have some hungry kitties who live with you. We used to have a tortoiseshell Manx cat who awa the mightiest hunter you've ever met. She loved to eat them mousies, too, and would leave just the ears and the tail.

[falalalala]

They need to tip you for the rides.

[hairbrain4]

Yeah mice in the car isn't a good thing! They not only attract snakes but they will eat the wires in your car & it will short out. We are seeing a lot of snakes already this year. Had seen hardly any for the past couple of years. The last one was 4 years ago in the well house. The snakes around here are cottonmouth and copperheads.

[goatgal in reply to hairbrain4]

Most of the snakes here are blacksnakes and copperheads. Some people often see copperheads at their places; I haven't but I suppose that could change since I've seen garden and water snakes as well as hognose. Blacksnakes are numerous (and, in addition to small rodents, eat bird eggs, frogs, lizards, and other snakes) so that may be why I don't often see copperheads. Oddly, I've seen more snakes here in Virginia than I did living in rural Florida in the 60's.

[Sandydemop]

Talk about mice...my dog ate the remains of a dead one today. I’m very worried it was poisoned. Not that I want to trade mice for snakes mind you

[hairbrain4 in reply to Sandydemop]

I hope your dog didn't get sick.

[Sandydemop in reply to hairbrain4]

Thanks, she didn’t but my vet said to give her Vit K for the next 6 weeks just to make sure. Any of you know what the connection is?

[goatgal in reply to Sandydemop]

If a dog eats a dead rodent (and believe me, mine have eaten, gnawed on, and dragged home all sorts of dead and disgusting critters as well as bits and pieces), if the animal has been poisoned with something that caused internal bleeding (e.g. warfarin), he/she may ingest enough of the poison to suffer as well. Vitamin K is an anticoagulent found in the white part of citrus fruits and other fruits and vegetables. If you give Vitamin K to a pet that may have eaten a poisoned mouse or rat, the vitamin can strengthen the vein walls and inhibit any bleeding. Folks with varicose veins can also obtain benefits from this vitamin.

[hairbrain4 in reply to goatgal]

I was going to say the same thing! When you have a lot of pets out in the country you learn things like that.

[rjoneslaw]

wow

[Sandydemop]

Thanks for clarifying. I hop to never need this info again. The whole thing is disgusting. I can’t believe I let her lick me after that