A mouse got caught on camera tidying up a man’s garden shed and it’s completely adorable
When the cat’s away, the mice will play — or so they say. But what about when the garden shed owner is away? Well, apparently, in that case, the mice will tidy up the workspace for the next day!
According to ITV News, when Stephen McKears of Gloucestershire couldn’t figure out why his tools kept winding up in a box after he’d left them out overnight, he installed a camera to see what was going on. In doing so, he discovered a friendly, tidy little mouse that comes into his garden shed and tidies up.
Moving shiny odds and ends into a container, the mouse works to get McKears’ workspace a little more organized. Luckily for all of us, his efforts were caught on camera. The video was posted to the ITV News Twitter account and has racked up over five million views:
A mouse has been captured tidying up bits and bobs in a pensioner's shed.
Stephen McKears from Gloucestershire says he couldn't understand how small metal items were returning to their box every night.
So he set up a special night-time camera to find out 🐭 📹 pic.twitter.com/Gn1gvhTown
— ITV News Central (@ITVCentral) March 19, 2019
It’s safe to say this little mouse has stolen the hearts of many online.
Twitter user @ElliotKane wrote, “Adorable mouse. Hope it gets properly rewarded with cheese for all its hard work.”
Adorable mouse. Hope it gets properly rewarded with cheese for all its hard work.
— Elliot Kane (@ElliotKane) March 19, 2019
Some would even like to hire this mouse to help them clean their house! Twitter user @geordie77A7X joked, “Is that mouse available next week for a general tidy up and some light hoovering.”
https://twitter.com/geordie77A7X/status/1108125013453008896
And Twitter user @Anna_Mazz compared the mouse to Marie Kondo for its tidying skills:
It’s mouse Marie Kondo.
— Anna Mazzola (@Anna_Mazz) March 19, 2019
According to Victor Pest, it’s not uncommon for mice to “hoard” or “collect” shiny things. So what looks like “cleaning” could really be more of an urge to keep items it finds “attractive” all in one place.
And since mice form nests out of items it finds — including wood scraps, fabric and more — the mouse in the video could also be interested in using these items to build a nest. One mouse owner supported this theory when noting in a blog post that their pet collected both food and “things to build with.”
So the tasks performed in the video are likely less about keeping a garden shed tidy for a human friend and more about some kind of hoarding urge the mouse has.
But it certainly is sweet to think that this mouse wanted to lend a helping hand. Because seriously — how adorable?