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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Horrible thing just happened

95 replies

Abitsickandshakey · 11/07/2021 21:35

Somehow, a little bird managed to get inside our flat today. Possibly through a vent or something.

It had been chirping for a while and I'd thought it was outside. Then saw it on the floor. Seemed like maybe it had hurt a wing because it wasn't fluttering in the air at all (growing up in our house, birds sometimes came into our conservatory and would flap about like mad) just hopping around.

Anyway, we closed the doors into the sitting room where it was to put on jeans to deal with it and i was looking up a local bird rescue place because I thought it was hurt - and we heard the snap of one of the mousetraps.

Obviously, it was dead.

We are kicking ourselves for not triggering the mousetrap in the room. Why the fuck didn't we do that before going in the next room???

I'd rather we didn't have the mousetraps at all, but we have a problem with mice getting into our food etc so we do need them. I don't like killing the mice either but not sure what else we can do there.

Honestly, I feel a little sick and upset. We were going to catch it, and bring it to the bird sanctuary. I was trying to talk to it and explain not to be afraid and we were going to try to help it and then it died because of our fucking mousetrap.

My mum is very seriously ill and getting results of a crucial scan tomorrow and my FIL died last week and I'm worried about MIL being alone now and if she'll be ok, and honestly this pointless death of a little living thing who was hurt is like salt in the wound.

I don't know, it underlines a feeling of complete helplessness perhaps. We had good intentions to help it, but we didn't act quickly enough and then it was too late.

Can I get a grip or a handhold please?

OP posts:
Original poster
Abitsickandshakey · 11/07/2021 23:34

I really don't like killing the mice. We do it because they eat through food stuffs and leave droppings all over the kitchen countertops, and I am immunocompromised. We don't live in the UK and nastier infections from rodents are more common here.

Our catch and release traps remain empty, they have been sitting there for about 9 months now.

OP posts:
leopardspotsdotdotdot · 11/07/2021 23:34

Why the Fuck is it ok to kill mice by snap traps but not birds?

Vile traps.

🤦🏻‍♀️

Catkin8 · 11/07/2021 23:35

@FlaminEckVera Are you seriously suggesting it's better to kill the mouse than release it? You do realise mice naturally live outdoors, surely?

Coronawireless · 11/07/2021 23:36

These sort of posts remind me of the sort of person I once heard say that if fish didn’t want to be caught they wouldn’t struggle and pull on the hook. They would relax and swim forward so the hook would slide out if their mouths.
A mouse of course would rather be killed (or badly injured) by a metal spring than be put outside.

Lavender24 · 11/07/2021 23:36

You feel "sick and upset" that a bird was killed by your mousetrap but you were going to inflict the same awful ending on a mouse? A mouse feels fear and pain just like that bird did. And what's with all the replies saying it's not OPs fault? It was literally her mousetraps. Please learn a lesson from this and get rid of those vile traps so you don't cause any more suffering.

Original poster
Abitsickandshakey · 11/07/2021 23:37

Ok so if no mouse will go near the catch and release traps what then?

OP posts:
thinkingaboutLangCleg · 11/07/2021 23:38

Sending love and hugs, OP. You’re hurting because you are kind and concerned. As others have said, the little bird’s quick death was probably for the best. Best wishes to you, Mum and MIL.

Coronawireless · 11/07/2021 23:38

@Coronawireless

These sort of posts remind me of the sort of person I once heard say that if fish didn’t want to be caught they wouldn’t struggle and pull on the hook. They would relax and swim forward so the hook would slide out if their mouths. A mouse of course would rather be killed (or badly injured) by a metal spring than be put outside.
I meant the sort of posts that imply the mouse would prefer to be killed than go outside.
catwithflowers · 11/07/2021 23:39

Good grief. We have just poisoned a family of rats that were in our garden and had tunnelled into the chicken run. Does that make us inhumane? Op, it was an unfortunate accident. Sorry you feel bad 🙁

SusannahSophia · 11/07/2021 23:40

TBH, I don’t see the difference between killing a bird and killing a mouse. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Fr0thandBubble · 11/07/2021 23:40

@ThisIsJeopardy

Very sad for the little bird. But no less sad than it would be for the mouse that the trap was intended for. I do find it a little odd that people should be distraught over one but seem indifferent to the other.

But sorry you're upset OP.

Exactly this. There are other ways of controlling mice in your house. It makes no sense to me to feel bad about causing the death of one animal in the course of intentionally trying to kill another.
Albgo · 11/07/2021 23:43

@ThisIsJeopardy

Very sad for the little bird. But no less sad than it would be for the mouse that the trap was intended for. I do find it a little odd that people should be distraught over one but seem indifferent to the other.

But sorry you're upset OP.

Exactly my thoughts.
Albgo · 11/07/2021 23:47

@catwithflowers

Good grief. We have just poisoned a family of rats that were in our garden and had tunnelled into the chicken run. Does that make us inhumane? Op, it was an unfortunate accident. Sorry you feel bad 🙁
Yes, yes it does. Very much so.
BlueCupOrangeCup · 11/07/2021 23:51

You're right to use mousetraps OP. I'm immune compromised too and I understand your reasons. Some won't or can't understand as they are not in our shoes. Don't worry about them.

Generally speaking birds in your house want to get out and try to get out. Mice in your home do not want to get out. that's the difference.

Anyway, sorry that you are going through so much. It sounds really really hard. The bird did nit suffer and its suffering in the wild while injured would have been brutal and slow. In an indirect way, you saved it from that. Xxx

Perching · 11/07/2021 23:59

@Justtobeclear how do you put the birds to sleep? I have over time delivered many injured animals to our local vets (they are great) but have had feedback that a few had to be euthanised, amongst others a magnificent grass snake and I just wondered by what method?

OP the little bird was unlikely to survive anyway. I found out what the survival rate of birds rescued from cats were as an example - it is very very small, they are fragile little things. Best wishes with everything else going on x

ForeverSausages · 12/07/2021 00:02

@ThisIsJeopardy

Very sad for the little bird. But no less sad than it would be for the mouse that the trap was intended for. I do find it a little odd that people should be distraught over one but seem indifferent to the other.

But sorry you're upset OP.

Agreed.

How are the mice getting into your food OP? My friend had a mice problem and we had to essentially put all her food (at least what was accessible to the mice) in plastic tubs. Once you get rid of their food source, they'll quickly move on.

Marianicka · 12/07/2021 00:02

But you kill mice in exactly the same horrible way? Mousetraps aren't always a clean kill, they trap tails and legs and leave mice in agony, unable to get away.
Block the holes, put away foodstuffs and they'll disappear.

OppsUpsSide · 12/07/2021 00:04

Oh OP I’m sorry, you tried but sometimes life just sucks really really badly.
Bereavement makes everything go of kilter Flowers

Flumps44 · 12/07/2021 00:05

@catwithflowers

Good grief. We have just poisoned a family of rats that were in our garden and had tunnelled into the chicken run. Does that make us inhumane? Op, it was an unfortunate accident. Sorry you feel bad 🙁
Off course it makes you inhumane, to purposely poison and kill a living animal.
Imissmoominmama · 12/07/2021 00:05

@Abitsickandshakey- I did work experience at a vets (admittedly a long time ago), and they would often just bash wild birds brought in by kids with a broom. I thought that was terrible until I tried to save a few myself. My only successful save was a baby pigeon- they’re made of sterner stuff than the little ones.

Staffy1 · 12/07/2021 00:10

For the mice, you can get machines that plug in and emit a noise too high for us to hear, but unbearable for a mouse, that will keep them away. They can also be trapped humanely as people have said, and plenty of mice live outdoors and manage to survive.

Staffy1 · 12/07/2021 00:14

And just to add, I’m not having a go at you OP, but traps are not always an instant painless death. We had a rat problem when we first moved into our house. A pest control person put traps down under the floor boards and unfortunately it caught the poor rat badly. I will never get over listening to it shrieking and dragging the trap around for what seemed like ages.

houmousexpert · 12/07/2021 00:17

@Flumps44

So you kill mice but feel bad that you killed a bird? That makes sense!
Exactly 🙄
OppsUpsSide · 12/07/2021 00:21

Yea killing mice in your home is different to killing a wild bird, it doesn’t take an awful lot to figure it out.

GreatBigBird · 12/07/2021 00:27

[quote Imissmoominmama]@Abitsickandshakey- I did work experience at a vets (admittedly a long time ago), and they would often just bash wild birds brought in by kids with a broom. I thought that was terrible until I tried to save a few myself. My only successful save was a baby pigeon- they’re made of sterner stuff than the little ones.[/quote]
Well that is incredibly bad practice Hmm

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