Horrible thing just happened

[Abitsickandshakey]

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?

You did more than most would or could to save that bird - i don't think it was possible. Bless you for how you feel now - many wouldn't give it a second thought. You are kind to animals and no doubt will be in the future - we can't always be perfect.

OP - ignore those banging on about mousetraps. I've had a mice problem, tried (3) humane traps for months - caught a few but could still hear lots scurrying about in my home. One night I was sat in the living room and they were blatantly running around the skirting boards, not bothered at all by the lights/tv/movement. In the end I had to put down poison and traps- it's shit and I do wish they'd be good little mice and kindly go into the humane trap but it's almost like they don't give a fuck about what I want them to do

Mice breed constantly - an injured bird caught in your home is unlikely to turn it into an aviary 🙄

Don't beat yourself up too much, it would've been quick and painless for the bird.

Sigh.

House mice are a particular species of mouse, different to wood mice and harvest mice etc. There isn't just one mouse species. Dumping an animal in the wrong habitat isn't such a "natural" thing to do.

House mice are adapted to live alongside humans and predominantly live in structures and settlements. Releasing one outdoors won't suddenly transform it into a harvest mouse that won't venture indoors.

They are also a public health risk and spread such lovely diseases as salmonella and Listeria. Mice can chew through both wood and plastic.

Horrid but a coup de grace. Put out of its misery. Make drinking plates outside with pebbles so other birds can drink and wash and heal your sorrow

That is sad but you didn’t mean it.
Maybe you can try less harmful mice traps they don’t like peppermint

Put down poison for the mice. We were inundated and the traps (humane or in humane) simply didn’t work fast enough.

Poison got rid of them in a week.

Come at me. I don’t care. I have young children. They weren’t living in fucking rodent droppings.

@GreatBigBird- I’m not denying that it is, and as a teenager in the early 80s, it shocked and upset me. What I’m illustrating is that since then, I have attempted to save birds which have flown into windows, or been caught by neighbours’ cats, and have never been successful. I suspect the vet knew the odds and killed them rapidly for this reason.

FFS, this wasn't the thread to come on and post about mouse traps. Really shit lack of empathy from some posters.

Hope you're okay OP.

Blimey are you thick or what? Mice can live outside you know. Drown in the rain? Freeze to death in the middle of summer? You’re 2 sandwiches short of a picnic

@FlaminEckVera The above is for you by the way

@malteserheist

Sigh.

House mice are a particular species of mouse, different to wood mice and harvest mice etc. There isn't just one mouse species. Dumping an animal in the wrong habitat isn't such a "natural" thing to do.

House mice are adapted to live alongside humans and predominantly live in structures and settlements. Releasing one outdoors won't suddenly transform it into a harvest mouse that won't venture indoors.

They are also a public health risk and spread such lovely diseases as salmonella and Listeria. Mice can chew through both wood and plastic.

They can find another “structure” to live in

I do hope all the people bleating about the mousetraps are at the very least vegetarian.

You poor thing, not your fault at all
Hope your mum is ok x

@lemonsandgingerbeer - Yep, my morals spread to my food choices too. I hope you also make humane choices too.

@Flumps44 to be entirely honest, I live in a place where I watch nature torture and consume itself every day. I watch animals do deeply painful things to other animals, for food and sometimes for status and sometimes for fun. Birth and death and rot here is constant and unforgiving and also beautiful in its own way.

Things are intentionally killed here much, much bigger than mice –and if they weren't killed, the imbalance in the ecosystem would impact all of us (and when I say 'us', I mean the non-human animals too).

My guess is that your definition of 'humane' is probably fairly culture-specific and different from mine, but yes, I tread lightly on the ground, as has my community for many many years. It's probably not what most people in the Organic aisle at Tescos would think of as 'humane' but we fit in quite securely to the rhythm and cycle of things here.

Thank you for your concern.

Just to add if a bird flies into a window and is motionless but still alive, they are often unharmed but in shock, if you can gently lift them into a box and cover it so they are in the dark, ideally with a dish of water, after a while they can recover, just make sure the box is outside before taking off the cover as it might fly out. We did this last week and i was sure it was going to die but DH who is a birdwatcher and rings birds said leave it and sure enough off it flew, took about an hour of quiet though and it sat on a fence looking shocked for another twenty mins before flying off.

[quote lemonsandgingerbeer]@Flumps44 to be entirely honest, I live in a place where I watch nature torture and consume itself every day. I watch animals do deeply painful things to other animals, for food and sometimes for status and sometimes for fun. Birth and death and rot here is constant and unforgiving and also beautiful in its own way.

Things are intentionally killed here much, much bigger than mice –and if they weren't killed, the imbalance in the ecosystem would impact all of us (and when I say 'us', I mean the non-human animals too).

My guess is that your definition of 'humane' is probably fairly culture-specific and different from mine, but yes, I tread lightly on the ground, as has my community for many many years. It's probably not what most people in the Organic aisle at Tescos would think of as 'humane' but we fit in quite securely to the rhythm and cycle of things here.

Thank you for your concern.[/quote]
Painful death in nature is really so natural and beautiful to watch.
Funny though how us humans use plenty of painkillers ourselves if anything goes wrong.

@lemonsandgingerbeer - Instead of trying to justify yourself, just answer no!
Whilst you’re talking about eco-systems, we are the species that have decimated many species intentionally, for our own selfish needs. Think you’re directing that at the wrong species.

The bird and the mice are obviously different situations though. Most people happily eat beef but probably wouldn't eat a pet dog - I say this as a vegetarian, but vegans would say I shouldn't eat eggs. Everyone has their personal line, and it's clear that op was upset because she'd grown attached to this little bird after a difficult time in her personal life.

You didn’t realise, OP. It was a complete accident and you were consciously acting kindly and trying to help. It’s not your fault at all - you could never have known a bird was somehow going to end up in your flat so you’d never have thought to bird proof it all. You were too busy thinking about getting help for it today.