Meet the mice of Edinburgh: the rodents who befriended the people they lived with

Edinburgh is the city of mice. The majority of flats have at least one mouse, learnt to be lived amongst. For some flats, they become part of the furniture and are welcomed with open arms (and open bin bags).

Make no mistake, no two mice are the same. In Edinburgh they all have their own stories, some happy, some sad – every flat seems to really get to know 'their mouse'.

Here are some of the gold star mice we've been told about:

Ebert

Ebert enjoyed a drink, loved a party. Living in a flat of seven people meant that he was more than comfortable in large social gatherings. Perhaps this confidence in these situations however is what led to his downfall.

It's rumoured that he had too much to drink at one of these parties, making him droopy and a bit slower than usual. He was later found, having been sat on from the start of the party until around 4am.

The funeral

The next morning, Ebert was on the sofa where one of the party-goers had been, his back clearly broken by a large bum. He was taken to the Meadows so he could run free. Sadly, he did not make the journey and the Meadows ended up being his final resting place, and still is to this day.

The memorial service was well-attended, with readings from his close relatives and some of his favourite hymns being sung. Rest in peace, Ebert.

Mr Mousie

"Mr Mousie (who must remain anonymous lest their namesake read the article) made his 6th appearance last night, christening the third of our five bedrooms. I have resolved to sleep with the light on for the foreseeable future and my flatmate is now sleeping on the sofa since she horrifyingly saw it jump from her bed, leaving a dropping behind.

"Meanwhile, another flatmate has declared war. Poison has been laid and traps have been set, baited with cheese, but so far it has been to no avail. We've decided that there is no choice but to befriend Mr Mousie and his friends, an effort that began last night when my flatmate offered for him to join her in watching First Dates."

Bernard (Bern, to close friends)

Bernard very quickly became a treasured member of one Marchmont flat, however his tenancy was short lived. Having been given some cheese, he was swiftly captured with a tray and some tuppaware and set free in the meadows. We wish him all the best with his future endeavours.

Harvey

Harvey isn't just a mouse, he's a mouse who commands the highest level of respect and care. Harvey wasn't found by his flatmates, he found them. He presents himself in the manner of a refined gentleman, and thus he is to be torn asunder by no mouse trap, or riddled with harmful poisons. Instead, his flatmates lure him out with Peppermint Oil, a luxury get away for a luxury mouse.

Alastair

Alastair has been described by his fellow flatmates as "cute", and he’s also been known to "not actually like cheese". His fate is as yet unknown as traps have not been purchased as of yet , but we are hopeful that he can build up a strong relationship with his flatmates and make this new living situation work, as unexpected as it might have been.

Horatio, Leonardo, D’Quavis and Paul

Nestled in the heart of Newtown live Horatio, Leonardo, D’Quavis and Paul. Four mice who despite initially being resented by their fellow tenants, have now become integral parts of the family.

Three days after moving in, while lounging about in the sitting room everyone saw one scuttle across the kitchen. Despite this throwing the flat into a frenzy, the mice proved illusive for the next few days. However, a few days ago, Nell, when taking her washing out of the machine made first contact with one of the mice: “One literally scurried across my toes, I could literally feel the mouse’s toenails on my feet.”

One resident Amelia now claps and shouts when entering the room to scare the mice away. However, while these mice are for the most part benevolent, their days are numbered. Poison traps have been laid, and soon Leonardo, Horatio, D’Quavis and Paul will be no more.

Stew

Stew had a happy life, living amongst his friends in one of his favourite cities. He spent his days working a job, but he worked too hard. His wife was always worried that he was working so hard, warning him that his job would be death of him. Eventually it was. Stew worked for Rentokill. RIP Stew.

Princess Ebert

"She lived in my room for a while and we actually developed a very strong friendship. I caught her with some Toblerone and made a little house for her in the meadows that she was not remotely interested in."

Stefano

"Stefano was first discovered when one of my flatmates came home drunk from a night out and sent us a grainy snapchat video of an empty floor letting us know we had a mouse. At first we didn't believe her and thought she was just pissed but then my other flatmate found him climbing up her bookshelf.

"He was pretty alright to be fair, he used to effectively monkey bar across the curtains and never really bothered us. We probably should have done something about him but he was so cute and really bloody difficult to catch.

"Stefano was a great climber and considering he'd hiked up four flights we kind of respected him. He kind of became the fifth flatmate."