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Post by Debbie on Feb 21, 2015 17:02:46 GMT -1
I promise to get a pic of this later for you all  this morning I was tidying up and poking around our front porch. We don't use that door much, and the previous owners had left some pretty decorations including a momma duck and her duckling ~ in realistic plastic. They are adorable together and life sized, but all grey. Well, as I tipped up the knocked over swan decoration behind it, I noted toothmarks on the duckling. I picked it up for a closer look and it appears the house mink had mistaken the decoration for the real deal! It's got tiny mink toothmarks all over the head and bill, including part of the bill being gnawed off in frustration, and a few toothmarks on the momma duck's head for good measure. I am SO glad I wasn't nearby to witness the mink's frustration. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from laughing and looking at the toothmarks, I'd say that was one seriously frustrated mink |
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Post by Debbie on Feb 21, 2015 18:52:48 GMT -1
Poor lil duckies... that mink has some serious biting strength! |
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Post by harveydales on Feb 21, 2015 20:04:16 GMT -1
lol that mink must have been quite traumatised by these tough ducks!
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Post by dalesnfellfan on Feb 22, 2015 13:20:45 GMT -1
I would love to have that, I bet that was one cross mink.
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Post by Blackshadow Dales on Feb 22, 2015 17:05:00 GMT -1
Your right Debbie those are pretty decorations! Your mink thinks so as well, pretty tasty!
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Post by valerie n scout on Feb 22, 2015 17:55:47 GMT -1
Ha ha ha silly mink !
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Post by yanny on Feb 22, 2015 19:51:14 GMT -1
Wow is the mink like a pet then?
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Post by Debbie on Feb 22, 2015 20:14:02 GMT -1
The mink is completely wild, and one of our native mink. I refer to her as our housemink only because she comes and goes as she pleases, and that includes going pretty much anywhere in the house. I did purchase those long doorstoppers and put them under the doors to our bedrooms and for the boys' room. Knock on wood, I've never seen her bother Mister and Oogway, but I do know she's snuck into my own bedroom at nights when I've had the door open. Thankfully she's just snoopy, never messy and knock on wood, she's never bitten. However, I'm smart enough to fully realize she's completely wild. I have no desire to pet her, nor corner her/capture her. *this is all for anyone lurking on the internet thinking 'Ah cool, she's totally a pet!' Nope, not at all, she's simply a wild animal that I recognize can fit through extremely small spaces. I don't think we could keep her out of the house even if we wanted as she can fit into very tiny spaces. The upside is that she's extremely neat and clean, and her presence in our home means any and all rodents pack up and have nothing to do with us. They are very destructive and horribly messy, so I'm pretty happy to have her around ...editing to add, I usually don't even see her. Although she's bold as brass (and I say she because they are like ferrets, the boys are big and she's very tiny and slinky), I think I've seen her around maybe a total of five times since we moved in 18 months ago. She's wicked fast, like greased lightning, so we simply enjoy the few times we get a visit from her. I sincerely doubt my camera could get a pic of her, even if it was on sports mode. They're kinda like watching a ferret who's had three energy drinks  |
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Post by yanny on Feb 22, 2015 20:59:04 GMT -1
That's so cool. I knew they were like ferrets which is why I thought she may be a pet, but I think the fact that she's wild but free to come in your house is fantastic! Do you ever hear her rustling around at night? I think my parents would wake up if they heard a mink wandering about. I wouldn't; I'm a really heavy sleeper! I'd love to be like you with wild animals near the house and coming inside etc. must be amazing  |
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Post by zeldalithgow on Feb 23, 2015 11:07:52 GMT -1
Oh poor duckies |
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Post by Debbie on Feb 23, 2015 17:49:39 GMT -1
Most of the time we've seen her in the daytime, but I've heard her twice at night. I usually sleep like the dead too. The one memory of her, I thought she was nose to nose with me. I didn't fully wake up, only heard a soft "Uff!" and then I promptly fell back asleep.
The other night time event, Eldon was away from home for a business trip, so I wasn't sleeping well at all. I'd finally dozed off around midnight when I heard some animal scrabbling inside the wall next to the bed. At first I thought it was a rat, but then I heard very soft uff uff uffs. I've had pet rats and I've also had rats that lived in the house when we were in Guatemala, and the noises were distinctly not rat, but sounded very much like the mink, which sounds a lot like our pet ferrets used to only much softer volume.
When I talked to her, I could hear her scramble a bit in the wall, and get closer to where I was talking. Then I heard a flump! a soft ufff, and I think she promptly fell fast asleep next to me. I'm not fond of the fact she was in the wall, but there's little I can do about that. At least she does much less damage than a rodent will.
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this morning I was tidying up and poking around our front porch. We don't use that door much, and the previous owners had left some pretty decorations including a momma duck and her duckling ~ in realistic plastic. They are adorable together and life sized, but all grey. Well, as I tipped up the knocked over swan decoration behind it, I noted toothmarks on the duckling. 
