Wild mice CAN be intelligent, curious, and they do enjoy learning.
Nearly three decades ago, I worked in a small makeshift lab. It was located at the back of a parking lot. The lot wasn’t fenced, and edged a cornfield.
This lab was used only during the summer for processing samples involved in construction of highways and bridges.
When I took charge, a lot of cleaning was necessary before I could begin.
I could not open the top right drawer in the metal desk. I finally forced it far enough to see a lot of nesting material was jammed into it.
Somebody had wintered there.
I dug away at it bit by bit.
By the end of the day my lab was swept, the desk held only office supplies, and my bulletin board had its first comic strip.
When I got to work the next day, a mouse dropped to the floor from somewhere in my desk when I opened the door. He ran under the door of a storage closet.
Over the rest of the week I would see the little stinker come under the outside door, run through my lab, and under the door of the storage closet.
I decided to set up an obstacle course which would slow him down and allow me to catch him.
I thought being tossed out by a human would intimidate him enough to make him stay away.
The obstacle course worked. I got him. I lifted him to face level as I carried him out to the cornfield and scolded him. He looked right at my face.
The next day he was back. This time he was ready for my course, and got through it too quick.
The next day, I made changes. He came in, I got him.
THAT continued, I made changes, out he’d go.
One day, I felt crappy. I was sitting at my desk, waiting for samples to process.
All the sudden, I heard, “squeak squeak squeak.” I turn around, there he is, against the wall, three feet past the outside door. He was on hind legs, little whiskers twitching. I scowled at him to get out, and he did! He took his own self to the corn that day.
The next day, he gleefully tried his luck with my newest course, got caught, scolded, and carried out.
Little effer kept me and himself amused all summer.