Worcestershire Record No. 5 Nov 1998 p. 19

A MOUSE IN YOUR HOUSE

The Mammal Society is launching a new questionnaire designed to help us learn more about which mice enter our homes and why. "A Mouse In Your House?" is short, straightforward and very simple to fill in. If you have any mice in your house, whatever the species, we would like you to take part.

The questionnaire has been inspired by The Mammal Society's National Yellow-Necked Mouse Survey where many people have been writing in to report having this species in their homes. The wood mouse is probably the commonest household intruder, although some of you will have identified other visitors such as the house mouse or yellow-necked mouse, particularly those of you with cats! We want to establish how common these species are in our homes, which houses they are most likely to occupy and whether or not patterns of house occupancy are similar across the country.

While the wood mouse and house mouse are found throughout Britain, the distribution of the yellow-necked mouse is an enduring enigma. Predominantly a woodland rodent, the yellow-necked mouse is found along the Welsh border, and in southern and south-eastern England. However, the species is noticeably absent from the far south-west, and from central and north areas. While the yellow-necked mouse is of particular interest (results from the national survey will be available next spring) the questionnaire will explore the importance of all three species and it is vital we have a good response from all areas of the county.

Maybe you see mice in your house, maybe your cat catches them, maybe you use the occasional snap trap in the kitchen, or maybe you catch them in live-traps and remove them. Whatever your experience with mice in your home, we would like you to fill in one of our questionnaires. Please send for a questionnaire to the address below enclosing a stamped addressed envelope.

A Mouse In Your House? The Mammal Society, 15 Cloisters House, 8 Battersea Park Road, London SW8 4BG