Mouse or Shrew

campo

So recently I have heard some scratching noises around the house ( usually late at night ) so I set some traps

Note the traps I set were the catch and release type , the 1st night I caught something and released it , was black in colour and made a high pitch squeel when he was caught.

2nd night I caught another but when I released the culprit he was already dead, I had presumed he was caught early in the night and just died due to lack of oxygen

But my question is did I catch a mouse or a shrew (hoping not a baby rat)

They are black in colour, with a long snout and whiskers and I did not notice any eyes as their fur seems to be covering it

anyway any help be appreciated

Mickeroo

I could be way off but that looks like a rat to me.

campo

Mickeroo wrote: »

I could be way off but that looks like a rat to me.

I hope you are, it is only mouse size but it has an arched back and its snout looks too long for it to be a mouse hence my guess of shrew but my 2nd guess was a baby rat hence the reason I could not see eyes and why it died so fast

If anybody could confirm I be grateful, shrews and mouse I can just about deal with but if I have rats....

Desmo

campo wrote: »

I hope you are, it is only mouse size but it has an arched back and its snout looks too long for it to be a mouse hence my guess of shrew but my 2nd guess was a baby rat hence the reason I could not see eyes and why it died so fast

If anybody could confirm I be grateful, shrews and mouse I can just about deal with but if I have rats....

Don't panic; you do have rats; everyone does. They are all over the place.
I would have guessed shrew but I have not seen a real shrew for years and mickeroo could be right.

Mickeroo

Actually looking at it again maybe it is a shrew, the snout is very narrow and the ears are quite small. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in :P

campo

Desmo wrote: »

Don't panic; you do have rats; everyone does. They are all over the place.
I would have guessed shrew but I have not seen a real shrew for years and mickeroo could be right.

I was hoping it was a greater white toothed shrew (I think that what they are called , as I am in the Limerick are and hear we have an invasion of em )

Zoo4m8

You caught a shrew, completely harmless , mostly insect eater.. Stress will quickly kill shrews so if you could avoid trapping them unless you are around to quickly release...
There are various types of humane traps available, if you heard a squeak when the first shrew was caught maybe you need to change to another type?

You posted just ahead of me, looks very like a white toothed and Limerick is the place for them!

campo

Mickeroo wrote: »

Actually looking at it again maybe it is a shrew, the snout is very narrow and the ears are quite small. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in :P

When I saw your post saying Rat I started looking up hotels

campo

Zoo4m8 wrote: »

You caught a shrew, completely harmless , mostly insect eater.. Stress will quickly kill shrews so if you could avoid trapping them unless you are around to quickly release...
There are various types of humane traps available, if you heard a squeak when the first shrew was caught maybe you need to change to another type?

I heard the squeak when I released him, it seems they come out late at night when I am in bed so I don't know if I caught em till following day.

If they are shrews I will look into a safer and better trapping system

junospider

greater white toothed shrew.invasive species.should be killed,not released.

campo

junospider wrote: »

greater white toothed shrew.invasive species.should be killed,not released.

I feel better now that the little blite did not survive , how many would there normally be in a batch

I've caught two and while I sit here typing I can hear another one moving around , are they like mice where you could have 10 of the little feckers or would they be in smaller groups

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

junospider wrote: »

greater white toothed shrew.invasive species.should be killed,not released.

They are non-native, or accidentally introduced but they are most certainly not invasive.
They are a welcome addition to Ireland's impoverished small mammal fauna and another source of prey for our recovering raptor populations. Their impact on the overall environment is yet unknown but invasive they aren't.

junospider

You seem to be an expert on everything,John Lusby will tell you about their effect on the barn owl .The pygmy shrew is disappearing fast from wherever the white tooth has colonised.They are spreading like wildfire through the country and I have caught them here in kilkenny.

Pookat

Hi Campo,

I just came across this thread as I've been looking up shrews over the past few days since my dog caught something I didn't recognise. I took some pictures (I can't upload them here as I'm not a regular poster and they've changed the rules for posting pics!).

I sent them off to a Dr. of Zoology in UCD yesterday to confirm if it was a greater white toothed shrew (I also live in Co. Limerick). He is an expert on small mammals, and has been charting the invasive species.

You would know if it was a greater white toothed shrew as they have very prominent long white teeth that stick out. Also the colouring is not dark at all - it is more grey or reddish brown on the sides and back and a lighter more yellow colour underneath. The tail is also covered in light white hairs. The main giveaway apart from the long pointed snout is the teeth.

It's a pity I can't post the pics as you could compare them to what you caught! Also, another point to note is, if there were shrews in your house, you would definitely smell them. They have scent glands that release a very strong musky smell (sort of like a skunk) when they are frightened - it's a defense mechanism apparently, and that's why dogs and cats might catch and kill them but won't eat them as they don't like the smell. The birds of prey that hunt them don't have the same sense of smell so they'll happily eat them.

The chap that I was in contact with said that there was no need to do anything about them if you find the nest outside (usually in a ditch or overgrown field, not a house) just leave them be. They tend to die off in the autumn anyway.

Rats also have shorter pointed snouts - more pointed heads than a mouse, but a shrew's is like a long cone shape.

campo

Pookat wrote: »

Hi Campo,

I just came across this thread as I've been looking up shrews over the past few days since my dog caught something I didn't recognise. I took some pictures (I can't upload them here as I'm not a regular poster and they've changed the rules for posting pics!).

I sent them off to a Dr. of Zoology in UCD yesterday to confirm if it was a greater white toothed shrew (I also live in Co. Limerick). He is an expert on small mammals, and has been charting the invasive species.

You would know if it was a greater white toothed shrew as they have very prominent long white teeth that stick out. Also the colouring is not dark at all - it is more grey or reddish brown on the sides and back and a lighter more yellow colour underneath. The tail is also covered in light white hairs. The main giveaway apart from the long pointed snout is the teeth.

It's a pity I can't post the pics as you could compare them to what you caught! Also, another point to note is, if there were shrews in your house, you would definitely smell them. They have scent glands that release a very strong musky smell (sort of like a skunk) when they are frightened - it's a defense mechanism apparently, and that's why dogs and cats might catch and kill them but won't eat them as they don't like the smell. The birds of prey that hunt them don't have the same sense of smell so they'll happily eat them.

The chap that I was in contact with said that there was no need to do anything about them if you find the nest outside (usually in a ditch or overgrown field, not a house) just leave them be. They tend to die off in the autumn anyway.

Rats also have shorter pointed snouts - more pointed heads than a mouse, but a shrew's is like a long cone shape.

The ones I caught had a long white tooth already but were very much black in colour , but since then I have caught 4 more and these were more reddish brown in colour and much larger ( I am thinking the black ones were young shrews)

I actually caught another one last night and he is currently in a container, I will take some pics later so you can compare

Joeseph Balls

http://www.ucd.ie/news/2014/06JUN14/240614-Pygmy-shrew-population-in-Ireland-threatened-by-invasion-of-greater-white-toothed-shrew.html

Bit of reading on them there. A Dr. in UCD calling for them to be recognised as an invasive species.

Manuel

My dog (terrier cross) was out in the garage with me last night and he was going mental trying to sniff out a mouse. He's pretty impressive following a scent but he's always about half a minute behind the movements of his prey ... anyway I was helping him, moving stuff out of his way, lifting stuff up. At one stage I spotted what I thought as a small mouse run across the floor, so anyway we kept up the chase.

He finally coralled him into a corner and eventually caught him. When he was finished with him I realised that it was actually a shrew.

I felt bad then ...