I finally trapped the latest mouse to be raiding the aviary for birdseed. I’m using a “live trap,” but I found the mouse dead. The most likely culprit, I suppose, was hypothermia, though there was no frost on the patio chairs and the rooftops this morning. The official low on the local weather report was 37°F, but we do tend to run cool here on winter mornings.
I suspect hypothermia, in part, because the trap is not insulated. Hard to say.
I trap in the aviary with some urgency because mice fatten up in there and sometimes get caught in the wire mesh, leading to what seems to be a gruesome death. Before I figured out this was going on, I’d wonder why we heard squeaking coming from the aviary. I have a bucket trap outside the aviary as well, to stop mice from entering the aviary in the first place. My low point was when I killed a mouse while trying to free it from the 10mm mesh. The memory still makes my eyes well up.
These mice are at peace. I grieve on their behalf.
I’m aware of the absurdity, but absurdity is cold comfort.
It occurs to me that the peanut butter that I use for bait could have been the culprit. Maybe a nut allergy, or possibly choking (I don't dilute the peanut butter or provide water in the small live trap).