Ms. Shrew drops in for a visit

Remember her? From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH"? One of my favorite books, just got it out at the library. Anyway.

Last weekend, while shoveling an elaborate "patio" outside the coop for our spoiled chickens, I found a little black rodent struggling in the snow. I thought it was a mole and ran inside to tell Dante to get his boots on and a box and come outside. We captured the poor thing, who was shivering and frantically trying to find it's tunnel, and brought it inside. Exhibit A:

Once we got a good look at it, we identified it as a short-tailed shrew. So we looked them up and built it a little habitat so it could stay with us for a while. Contrary to popular belief, moles and shrew are not menaces. Moles, in fact, do quite a service, aerating the soil and eating the larvae of many harmful insects. I can handle a couple of bumps in my lawn for that service. Moles DO NOT eat bulbs or the roots of plants. Ditto for shrews, tho they're wider diet means they eat some beneficial bugs too, but again, unless they're starving they don't touch plants and can be considered a gardener's friend.

Happier now in her habitat. She made a cool system of tunnels to get around even this tiny fishtank, and one lets out right where we drop in the mealworms, earthworms, and other bugs we got at the bait store.

Mushka was very interested in our guest the first day. Good thing she wasn't in the room when it got out and Dante and I had to recapture it.