Man discovers a family of mice living in his backyard, builds them an epic village

Here at Ozzy Man Reviews, we’re not fooling anyone. All of you big cuddly b*stards know we really like our wildlife. On top of that, if you know us, you’ll know we don’t discriminate between Ozzy wildlife and the wildlife in other countries. So when we see someone else who’s absolutely down with conserving their local critters and making sure they’re happy as pigs in sh*t, we get a little bit excited and want to share the love. Cue Simon Dell, the photographer who built the dormice in his yard a house!

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

This is a bloody great little story and Dell’s photos are f**ken mint. As a photographer who has a pretty animal-friendly backyard, Dell was chilling the f**k out and trying to snap some photos of birds when he noticed “a very cute little house mouse standing up just like a meerkat in the fresh cut grass.”

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

He reckons he “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 had a cut in his ear and we called him George. I piled some small logs around a box as a home for the mouse and covered it with moss and straw to give him a little shelter.”

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

As you can see, Dell is a f**ken top bloke, so when he noticed the cats watching, he put up some wire fencing along the fence so there was no way the cats could get to the mouse.” He then “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.”

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

As you can tell from the photos, the set-up is bloody mint. Fortunately, Dell gave Bored Panda a detailed run-down of the set-up. Check this shit out:

“The first stage of the log pile was very easy and only took an hour or so to make. As more mice came the following days, however, I made changes, adding more rooms. The inside of the box structure has 2-3 ways in and out, so they can escape if need be. Over the weeks and months, the log pile village has been steadily growing.”

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

“I added more space and made it ready for a cold winter, giving the mice the best chance possible to survive. I have counted around 5 or more mice and the female, Mildred, is looking very pregnant so hoping we will have a large litter of baby mice around Christmas.”

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

“Knowing mice can have up to 14 babies, I could be building many more log pile rooms. But I have space and don’t mind living alongside such cute and very photogenic little critters.”

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

“The mice seem to love the log pile homes and wasted no time in moving in. They are wild animals so they still run if I get too close or move too fast but often I manage to sit down just a few feet away with a zoom lens and they seem happy to pop in and out for nuts or a seed.”

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

Credit: Simon Dell Photography

Final thought: This really looks like the set-up for a kids program or something from the world of The Wind in the Willows. What a f**ken top bloke, Simon is. Great work, Simon. This brewski’s for you!

Just in case you missed it, here’s one of Ozzy’s latest commentary videos…Ozzy Man Reviews: Parenting

H/T: BORED PANDA.