Prepare yourself for one cheesy story. For one British man, his shed was a catch-all for things like bird feed, random bits and bobs you might need around the house. A perfectly fine space, even if it wasn’t always the tidiest of spots.

But apparently someone didn’t agree with that sentiment. Rodney Holbrook said that it all began when he noticed that the bird seed he kept in the shed was being moved to a new location – a pair of his shoes. “Something strange is going on here,” he said he thought at the time. So, like anyone would do, he set up a camera to catch the neat intruder during the night.

The following day when he reviewed his recording, he didn’t find a sneaky maid doing housework: he found a small mouse. Incredibly, Holbrook said, the tiny intruder spent most of the evening moving items that he had left out into a small box. A bit of decluttering, he joked.

The proper receptacle for Holbrook’s doodads, according to Tidy Mouse. Photo by Rodney Holbrook

Holbrook, who loves taking video of wildlife, said this has been going on for months. “To do it every night is unbelievable,” he said.

You think it’d get fed up.”

While Holbrook said the mouse typically works alone, occasionally he will bring along a few friends for the nightly cleanup. Gareth Davies, founder of Wales-based Pest and Property Solutions, said the mouse is likely just a hoarder who found a nice place to keep stuff. “They are very funny creatures, if I’m honest,” he said. “Mice are very inquisitive creatures, and they are hoarders. They love hoarding food and everything else. It’s in their nature; they are completely different to rats.”

Holbrook said that he has his own theories. “Maybe it’s just having a bit of fun,” he said. Or the mouse could be helping Holbrook as he recovers from prostate cancer. “Poor man, he’s so tired I’ll do it for him,” Holbrook joked about what the mouse might think.

Rodney Holbrook. Photo by Animal News Agency

Davies warned Holbrook that if he isn’t careful, he may end up with more tiny cleaners then he might like – mice, he said, “reproduce very quickly.” But Holbrook said he is more worried that “Tidy Mouse” as he has been named, will fall prey to other animals. “I spied a tawny owl in the tree the other day,” he said, worrying it would find his new friend.

The only downside is that while his wife, Linda, “loves” the mouse and “thinks it is really funny,” Holbrook said she is now too scared to go into the shed. A small price to pay for a tidy shed, I’d say. Watch below for a look at this tidy mouse and his clean shed.

Sources: Washington Post | The Guardian