A Long Tale

We have certainly been given the run around lately at one of our clients villa! For two months I have been doing the usual weekly property checks to find a few mouse droppings by the fridge each visit. The droppings were so few that I came to the conclusion he must be a confirmed bachelor as there weren’t enough droppings for any more mice. Very odd as they don’t usually live alone.

Even though there was only one mouse, he needed to go. However, he didn’t touch poison, avoided the pest controller’s trap and continued to leave me his little presents each week. Possible entry and exit points were inspected and we came to the conclusion that he must have run through the back door whilst it was open. 

Last week I came with two team members and an endoscope to look in the back and under the fridge where we suspected he was hiding. There was certainly signs of someone making themselves comfortable in the back of the fridge where the mechanical bits are. We then pulled the fridge out and unscrewed the cover on the back. The little fella got spooked and ran out from inside the back of the fridge, realized it was just three silly humans then ran back in. We saw him clearly but he wasn’t who we thought he was….mouse was not a mouse….mouse was a shrew! Now it made sense that he lived alone. Shrews do live alone. They also don’t eat mouse poison. They eat bugs and beetles. 

He still needed to go! Banging on the fridge wasn’t going to scare him out, trust me, we tried. We had another plan, tip him out! We lifted the big American fridge backwards and rested it on chairs. Then we waited…and waited. Declaring mission aborted I got the team members to lift the fridge whilst I pulled out the first chair. Guess who was sat on the chair? Yes, little shrew! Little shrew just sat still whilst we carried him on his throne out to the end of the garden where he could get back to hunting bugs.

Result -

• Happy Shrew

• Very happy villa owners

• No more droppings.