The Mystery of the Tidied Shed

A man in Wales couldn't figure out why he kept waking up to a tidied-up shed. For about two months, Rodney Holbrook noticed something odd happening in his workspace. Items left out on his workbench would somehow end up neatly placed inside a nearby box by morning.

It didn't matter what objects were involved - clothespins, cups, corks, or screws all found their way into the box if left out overnight. This happened so often that Rodney decided to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Meet Welsh Tidy Mouse

Curious about his phantom helper, Rodney set up a camera in his shed. What he discovered was both surprising and adorable: a small mouse was responsible for the nightly cleanup!

Rodney aptly named his little assistant "Welsh Tidy Mouse." The footage showed the diligent rodent carefully picking up items and placing them in the box, one by one.

The Mouse's Real Motivation

While it might seem like the mouse simply enjoys keeping things tidy, Rodney believes there's another explanation. He noticed that Welsh Tidy Mouse appears to be using the box to store peanuts collected from nearby bird feeders.

The clever mouse then covers the peanut stash with the objects from the workbench, effectively hiding his food supply. This explains why the little cleaner is so dedicated to gathering items each night.

A Win-Win Arrangement

Rodney isn't bothered by his tiny housekeeper - in fact, he's quite pleased with the arrangement. Thanks to Welsh Tidy Mouse, who rarely misses a night of cleanup, Rodney doesn't have to worry about tidying his workbench as often.

Not the First Organized Mouse

As unusual as this story might sound, this isn't even Rodney's first encounter with an orderly rodent. Just a few years ago, his friend Steve experienced the same mysterious tidying in his own shed.

Rodney helped Steve set up a camera, and sure enough, they caught another mouse cleaner in action. Rodney wonders if this previous tidy mouse might be related to his current helper.

These organized mice challenge our understanding of rodent behavior and remind us that the animal world is full of surprises. For now, Welsh Tidy Mouse continues his nightly rounds, keeping one man's shed in Wales a little more organized than the average workspace.