Just before the vine leaves began to fall, I noticed from the living room, something small and dark scurry between them on the large front window ledge outside. It wasn’t as tiny as the voles I’d seen in the yard before. Its ears were bigger and its tail was longer. It was a mouse! I later discovered that this one was of the Deer Mouse variety, infamous for its repuation as the carrier for the Hantavirus. Deer mice don’t become ill with the virus, but they can pass it on to humans. These mice are easily identified by their white underbelly, similar to deer. They can scale vertical surfaces and leap up to 10 inches. This one likely just climbed the house vine. It took some time settling into a corner but soon was asleep. By nightfall it was gone and I haven’t seen head or tail of it since.
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[…] guessing it was a Deer Mouse as it appeared to have a lighter underbelly. I’ve seen them before. It didn’t look like a vole, which is darker with a shorter […]
Had a cat who survived a long time as a homeless stray before deciding to ‘stay’. Even when food was supplied he continued to hunt–instinct and habit. Several times he brought these tiny deer mice as ‘gifts’.