Wildlife Photographer Discovers Tidy Mouse Organizing His Shed
Rodney Holbrook, a wildlife photographer in Wales discovered a diligent rodent, dubbed “Welsh Tidy Mouse,” tidying up his shed each night. The mouse’s meticulous organization of small items into a tray captured on camera, highlighting its hoarding instincts.
By Beth Snider · January 9, 2024
In the town of Builth Wells, Wales, a 75-year-old wildlife photographer named Rodney Holbrook stumbled upon an unexpected mystery within the confines of his tool shed. What initially began as a quest to solve the puzzle of mysteriously missing items, turned into a heartwarming discovery of a diligent rodent custodian.
The saga began when he noticed bird food that was stored in the shed ending up in unexpected places, like in an old pair of shoes. Determined to uncover the culprit behind these nightly escapades, Holbrook set up a camera in his shed. To his surprise, he captured footage of a mouse making nightly visits to tidy up the space.
The mouse, fondly dubbed “Welsh Tidy Mouse,” diligently rounds up small items left out in the shed and places them into a small tray on the shelf. Holbrook revealed that the mouse works solo most of the time but is occasionally joined by one or two companions. This nightly ritual involves neatly organizing items, including nails, cable ties, nuts, bolts, and small tools into the small tray.
Holbrook shared that the mouse’s cleaning routine happens “every night without fail.” As a result, he has adopted a laissez-faire approach to shed maintenance, allowing the industrious rodent to take charge. “I don’t bother to tidy up now; I leave things out of the box, and they put it back in its place by the morning,”
Gareth Davies, founder of Wales-based Pest and Property Solutions, explained that mice are natural hoarders. Their inquisitive nature leads them to collect and hide various objects, creating organized stashes within their environments.
This charming tale of the Welsh Tidy Mouse echoes a similar incident in 2019 when a mouse in Bristol, England, gained international attention for tidying up a man’s shed. Holbrook, familiar with the viral video, expressed his disbelief that a similar phenomenon occurred in Builth Wells years later.