Is a mouse destroying the ivy on my house?

[joanneclareyoung69@gmail.]

For months I have wondered what is causing some of my ivy on my house to die.
Then today whilst looking out the window i saw a mouse climbing in the ivy and plucking off the leaves of the ivy!
Is it possible that this is what is ruining the ivy. And is it possible for the ivy to recover?

 

[Marck]

Greetings, welcome to the Forums.

What kind of Ivy and what kind of mouse? Is this English Ivy (Hedera helix)? Is the Mouse a common House Mouse (Mus musculus) or could it be something else, such as a Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius)?

What curious behavior. Is the mouse eating the Ivy? That seems unlikely. Perhaps it is clearing a path or using the leaves as bedding. Ivy is normally quite vigorous, and it would take many mice pulling leaves to cause a noticable decline. What are the growing conditions of the Ivy?

 

[joanneclareyoung69@gmail.]

 

[joanneclareyoung69@gmail.]

Hi, i hope you can see from pics...it quite a big mouse....maybe i have mistaken it for little rat??
I think its either english or irish ivy...and has been insitu on the house for 20 plus years and always grown quite vigorously. We have had a drainage problem and my initial thoughts was that the ivy was waterlogged. But then i saw the little blighter brazenly plucking off the leaves and running off. Thank you for any insight or advice

 

[joanneclareyoung69@gmail.]

Greetings, welcome to the Forums.

What kind of Ivy and what kind of mouse? Is this English Ivy (Hedera helix)? Is the Mouse a common House Mouse (Mus musculus) or could it be something else, such as a Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius)?

What curious behavior. Is the mouse eating the Ivy? That seems unlikely. Perhaps it is clearing a path or using the leaves as bedding. ivy is normally quite vigorous, and it would take many mice pulling leaves to cause a noticable decline. What are the growing conditions of the Ivy?

I just googled tje hazel dormouse...definitely not this little cutie

 

[Oliver Buckle]

That looks like a vole rather than a mouse to me. They are plant eaters and you are probably not seeing the whole population by any means.

 

[Marck]

Yes, some cultivar of English Ivy (Hedera helix).
I believe this rodent might be a Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus). They don't normally eat leaves. It may be building a nest. Still, do investigate the base of the plant for gnawing and burrowing. Voles can gnaw roots, but don't think the vole is a major culprit in the Ivy's decline. Poor drainage and possibly also self-shading seem more likely factors.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I think Marck is US based, dormice are not common, you need a licence to handle them in GB and you wouldn't be able to get rid of them legally. Not such a problem with voles. They can easily have population explosions in favourable conditions, but they are also very short lived, so the problem may not last.

 

[Marck]

Yes, I only considered the Hazel Dormouse from the written description, before the photographs were shown. Dormice will live in thickets and viny hedgerows, so an ivied wall in the country seemed a possibility.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I thought a field vole, Marck, but I think they are pretty similar to the bank vole. They are plant eaters and they like to nibble the surface bark around stems which would do much more damage than eating leaves, but ivy does surprise me, not what I would think of as palatable. I do think that if they are visible like that it is probable there are a lot more that are not being seen. They are normally shy.

 

[joanneclareyoung69@gmail.]

Thank you for replies, very helpful.
What can I do about this problem??
I love the ivy on my house and its going to look a fright if it all dies off. Thank you

 

[Marck]

First, confirm that voles are the major problem. Examining the base of the vines for gnawing or burrowing would be the way.
If the voles are a serious threat, then all the methods used for rodent control are there to consider. Filling in a burrow might make them move away, but after that there are traps and poisons. The latter should be a last resort, as poisons can have other effects on the environment.

 

[joanneclareyoung69@gmail.]

Thank you! Yes I will have a good look around tomorrow. I am hoping I can manage the rodents, sort my drainage problem and the ivy will recover. Thanks agsin.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Googling 'vole repellent, home made' gives a good few, seems they don't like things with castor oil in. I always prefer getting things to move on rather than slaughtering them if I can.

 

[cntrlwagdnr]

It's more like the ivy is destroying your house!