Entombed

by Rebecca Dmytryk

It was about 7:30 PM when we heard some intermittent rustling noises coming from inside the wall next to our patio door. The cats were mesmerized, but Duane and I thought nothing of it - it was probably a rat or mouse - nothing alarming or unusual, as we live in an older house in the country.

The next morning, however, we could still hear sounds emanating from the wall, but now the noises were more frequent and repetitive. After listening closely to the pattern, we decided it sounded like a small animal jumping up and landing, again and again. The animal must be stuck.

We brought out the borescope for a closer inspection, and sure enough, we saw hair and whiskers - a little mouse was trapped in the wall... and it was not the first to be entombed. The scope also revealed twisted skeletal remains of other rodents to fall into this pocket.

To the rescue! Duane cut a hole in the wall. I donned gloves and started fishing around in the pocket.

At first, I didn't feel anything warm and furry and alive. The mouse had burrowed under the dry carcasses to hide. I pulled out about a dozen mummified corpse before reaching the animal. Once in the palm of my hand, I raised the mouse to safety. It was a female deer mouse.

The mouse looked in good shape, even though it had been trapped in the wall for a good 12 hours - and, that night the temperature outside dropped into the thirties. 

We placed the little mouse into a container with a large towel for it to hide in. We also provider her a tiny platter of food - seeds, fruits and veggies - a banquet.

We released her just outside that evening.

Mummified remains of rodents found inside the wall.

I think our experience can be a lesson for everyone. When you hear sounds in a wall, pay special attention to the time of day and duration, and listen closely for any pattern that might indicate an animal is trapped.