Man Found Mice in His Garden — So He Built Them a Place to Stay

Nature lovers are encouraged to turn their outdoor spaces into havens for local creatures by creating small wildlife habitats. You’ll often find it easy to make this happen for cute little birds, butterflies, and bumblebees.

Yet UK photographer Simon Dell decided to take things a step further by making some mice feel right at home. He did it by building them their own tiny village. Yes, we know that mice are rodents, but they can be cute, right?

Unlike many of us who would have been searching for ways to get rid of garden mice, he was game to welcome them without any tricks, traps, or repellent.

After watching them frolic around in his garden, Dell carved out a comfy space for the mouse family to protect them from predators. It is thoughtful, unique, and undeniably adorable!

Like something out of a storybook, he crafted them a log house that is surrounded by wood, moss, and other foliage. The house features a doorway and there is also a playground outside. Look closely and you’ll notice the miniature props that include a shovel, ladder, and table. He also decorates the abode with holiday ornaments!

When he’s out, Dell takes the time to collect food for his friends, whom he has named George, Mildred, and Mini (the baby). He leaves berries, apples, and nuts for them to nibble on and snaps photos of them when outdoors. For an added touch, sometimes he’ll even set up plates and utensils for their meals. It sort of reminds you of those fairy houses that people build and place in their yards.

As someone who spent a lot of time photographing birds, it wasn’t far-fetched for Dell to find mice to be enchanting animal subjects. But he was also very concerned that the family would be attacked by neighboring cats, so why not give them a home and some security?

As mentioned earlier, wildlife habitats are nothing new. Online, you can find instructions on how to build bee hotels, hedgehog huts, and your basic birdhouse. But people like Dell often make their structures into imaginative, charming places for their animal friends to live.

While it is usually discouraged to turn wild mice and rats into “pets”, we suppose it is better to have them live contently outside as opposed to roaming freely in your house. As cute as they are, their presence can cause illness.

Dell has an extensive portfolio online that includes pictures of his mousy companions as well as other wildlife and scenes in nature.

If you’ve never seen a mouse up close and personal or the only place you’d rather see them is in a trap, you could be swayed by these cute images. Check out the video below from the BBC to hear what inspired Dell’s creation and to see how much the mice love their digs.

Would you do something like this for mice in your garden? What do you think of this man’s gesture? Do you have a wildlife habitat in your yard?