Party Animals

The trouble started when I ordered a big bag of Wildlife Snack Jax
to feed backyard birds and squirrels. I stored in a cupboard close to the back door.
This is a bad place to store rodent food.
Weeks ago I noticed some had spilled out. I opened the cupboard to find:

1. Spilled Wildlife Snack Jax
2. A hole chewed in the bag.

Someone was eating in!
I cleaned up, put the rest of the food in a sturdier bag, and forgot about it.
Then I returned from a holiday trip: More cracked corn on the kitchen floor. Then I opened the cupboard.
It was trashed! They'd thrown a mouse frat party. Cracked corn, peanut shells and assorted nuts covered everything. They thanked me for the free food by relieving themselves on my wine bottles, one champagne bottle (a former collectors item) and a bottle of amaretto. Wisely, they'd fled the scene of the crime.
As I swept, scrubbed and disinfected, notions of sticky tape and mousetraps suddenly seemed like a good idea. So did dynamite and nuclear weapons. This was war!
Of course, I wimped out and used a different strategy: No more wildlife food until I find a mouse proof container. It seems to be working.
If they come back I'll use a havahart trap.
Or maybe I'll line the cupboard with sawdust and install a hamster wheel.