Mice are definitely not everybody’s cup of tea when they get up close and personal. For some they’re good pets, but for many others, they’re pests that chew everything in sight and then poop everywhere else.
But it’s hard to deny that mice can be absolutely adorable, at least through a camera’s lens. So maybe it’s not surprising that photographer Simon Dell saw an opportunity when he found a family of mice living in his garden.
Simon says that he discovered George the mouse one day when he was cutting his lawn and saw something moving in the grass.
“I pointed my camera at the ground and was shocked but very happy to see a very cute little house mouse standing up just like a meerkat in the fresh cut grass,” he told Bored Panda.
“I knew instantly he was a star and ran back inside to get a couple of peanuts to put down for him.”
“Sitting there, waiting, it was only minutes before he came back out for the treats,” he said.
“It was at that point I thought I would give the little mouse a shelter and safe place to hide and feed.”
Simon mentioned that he had previous experience photographing “cute” wildlife, and was excited about finding a new star.
So, Simon decided he’d give his little star the star treatment and build him a magical log village.
And as much as it’s a home straight out of a story book, it’s also a wonderful set piece for Simon to take pics of George, Mildred, and their child, Mini.
“I decided to build them a home as I wanted to give them a safe place in the garden and not fall prey to cats or other animals.”
“Also, as I was feeding the mice, it was the right thing to do as I would feel it was my fault getting them to come out if they became prey,” he explained.
It took some doing to get them accustomed to their new home, of course.
Mainly it involved feeding them nuts and berries and apples, but it worked. “The mice are very trusting and know I mean them no harm,” he told The Daily Mail .
Now George and Mildred and Mini are quite content to call the log pile village home and will participate in Simon’s photo shoots.
Although, again, it often takes some enticement with nut, berries, and various other forms of food. And you really can’t argue with the results!
It seems like a pretty good exchange for a safe, warm, dry place to sleep and food delivered right to your tiny door.
Simon regularly gives updates on the lives and goings-on of George, Mildred, and Mini on a Facebook page he made just for them, called George the Mouse in log pile house .
He’s keeping these little cuties healthy, too — feeding them an all-natural mix.
“The food I give them is usually all natural. I pick or collect berries, nuts, and fruits that grow wild just over the road in the Shire Brook Valley Local Nature Reserve.”
Clearly the log pile house has been expanded upon over time, and now it’s a full blown village.
For three little inhabitants, it’s well appointed, too. There are motorbikes, bicycles, little saws and tables and mugs and plates, wheelbarrows and shovels, and usually some seasonal additions to make it nice and festive.
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And Simon isn’t even done adding to the village.
This is a Hobbit-themed house he’s thinking of adding to the village. “Just a mock up and still not happy with the look but sure the mice will love it once finished,” Simon wrote on Facebook.
He is not only preparing for, but excited to house even more mice than the current few he has in his small village.
“Knowing mice can have up to 14 babies, I could be building many more log pile rooms,” he said. “But I have space and don’t mind living alongside such cute and very photogenic little critters.”
The level of detail that Simon has designated to his project is quite impressive.
Not only has he housed and fed these little critters, but he has slowly built up a stockpile of little tools and nicknacks for posing purposes.
Looks like mice and humans have found a way to live in harmony!
Let’s hope this odd, yet extremely cute collaboration continues to grow. Maybe one day we will see an entire mouse town from Simon.
