Babble of a Distant Star

I love my mice so! Their wheel kept sticking this past week, so they kept doing backflips in it instead of running. It was so cute. *_* I wish I had a video to share.

I got them a new toy today. I only meant to go get them a new chew bar, but then I spent a long time at the pet store looking at the different treats and toys and I found out they make edible furniture for small animals. This is the most awesome idea ever, because I made them a little playhouse and I had to take it out again because they were chewing on it and I was really worried because of the glue.

They were so funny when I gave it to them. Persephone especially, was running through it and climbing in and out of the hole in the top and climbing up and leaping off of it and gnawing on it. I was sitting there for about half an hour watching them running around exploring their newly cleaned cage. (I got their wheel unstuck too.)

I really don't like cleaning their cage, but it's always worth it. After they've been in the travel carrier and they get back in they leap all around exploring, and they've got fresh bedding to arrange and a new toy to jump on/hide in/chew and new treats and cotton balls to line their nest with. I love watching them. Persephone is all over everything at once an Megumi is more reserved, watching and taking each thing slowly.

Okay... I shush now. But yay for my furry little sweeties! And I finally got an inspiration for part four of the plushie!Honda thing. I will go write before it gets away. ^_^ It requires a slight rewrite in the actually done part 5, but that is okay, because it will be awesome.

So I was planning to release two of the girls tomorrow, while they have a little time to get settled. (Yes, it's still warm enough that I'm not worried even in November. I never thought I'd be thankful for our pitiful winters here.)

Unfortunately, when I was trying to move the second girl from the main cage to the carrier she went whoosh right through my fingers. I tried to catch her, but she got under my bed and well, even if my room was clean, under the bed is a good refuge for a tiny thing like her.

I've set up live traps with some food in them. I really hope she can be caught before I go to release her sister.

Speaking of which, her sister is causing a scene trying to explore the carrier. First thing she did was dump all of her food in the water dish, and now it's all wet in there. (I need to give her some dry bedding, but I'm going to wait until she quits leaping about, landing in the dish, and splashing the walls.)

I'll tell you, this girl is one I have no qualms about releasing. I think she might even be faster than her momma (who, you'll remember was so fast that I wasn't sure she really existed).

So I'm only keeping Persephone, and... Megumi. <.< Yes, I know I swore I wouldn't name them, but... I did have permission to keep one daughter and all...

Megumi is a sweet thing. I can't really explain how I tell her apart from the others. Maybe I can't and I just think I can. I think she's the smallest, and she's always curled closest to Persephone. I think her fur is smoothest, too. She's a pretty little thing, and I just feel protective toward her since she seems to be the cadpig.

Funny story: Earlier one of the girls tried to run in the wheel with Persephone and she got going so fast that the little one was just going up and around with the wheel. When Persephone stopped, she was so dizzy that she was stumbling around and could barely walk straight enough to get out of the wheel. I shouldn't laugh, but it was pretty cute.

*crossing fingers that the live traps work*

Got a mamologist friend of my dad's to help me sex the mice. Turns out there are two males and three females. The males are in a seperate 'carrying cage' now. Also, he thinks they are Pinion mice, not deer mice (same genius, but their ear size to foot length ratio is apparently different...eee).

( cut for the depressing )

I gave the boys the original nest-box so that they have a bed and somewhere to hide. They've chewed a small hole in the base of it, and I can see one of them peeking out even as I write this. I know I only have actual permission to keep one of the girls, but I'm going to hang onto all three as long as I can, even if I can't find homes for them.

I just had to say something. I can't concentrate thinking about this, and I have a O.Chem exam tomorrow. Have to study. Can't cry anymore.

So the mouselings are now old enough to be out and about. Whenever Persephone leaves the nest to exercise or forage for fresh food and bedding they creep out and follow her. She has to keep breaking off what she's doing to grab them or herd them back up into the nest.

She seems less terrified of me. She darted past my hand twice when I reached in to give her fresh treats and some tissues to shred.

The mouselings are so sweet... and rather domesticated. The last is all my fault, I admit. Their nest is up in the tower now, so I can lift the roof and move the bedding to peek at them. Last time I did this three of them started sniffing up at my hand. They didn't seem interested when I offered them a cashew, but one of them let me pet his little head.

...I love them. I want to keep them all.

I only have permission to keep one daughter, though. I haven't gotten any responses to the pleading emails I sent out looking for homes for them. Mom would bring one to work, but they currently have mice and/or rats in their building, so even a quiet little mouseling would probably be rather unwelcome. (Dad said she should bring an empty cage and just say there's a mouse in it, and it would be the same. Ha! This is because they hide from him.)

Also, finally got off my butt and finished scanning chapter two... ^^; Yay?

Two of the mouselings have ventured outside their box. They are terribly sweet... I think it was okay to peek into the nest. Persephone has had a litter of six.

( further mouse talk )

In lighter news: Obviously I must sneak my dad's digital camera tomorrow and lie in wait for the mouselings, now that they are about and photographable. They are just too sweet with their pink little noses and their twitchy little whiskers and their teeny little paws. ^_^ *feels like a doting grandmother*

ETA: Found a guide on the internet for how to determine mouse sex. This should help. *crosses fingers*

I think I'm going with Persephone, with Cutie-P for a nick. -_-; I say, if I can affectionately call Ryu 'Persephone,' it doesn't have to be gender-specific. (Eat THAT all you female 'Sams'. XP)

( On a side note for Ryu... )

Should it be illegal to be so cute? Persephone gets running in his wheel so fast that it sends him spinning all the way around. I'm starting to think he's doing this on purpose. It looks like fun. Also, he jumps up onto the bar in the middle of the wheel and perches there. So cute...

Also, he keeps snagging the parched corn out of his mouse-mix food and putting it in the wheel, then running. The wheel is actually designed to let little things like that fall into this special waste tray so they don't bang around in there. Perhaps this is a comment about the food?

Every time my parents come in to see Persephone he goes shooting into his box to hide. They probably think I have the most boring pet ever. Silly parents. Well, I usually have to sit on my bed and study for an hour before he'll come out and go about his mouse antics. But hey! He no longer flees if I get up for a snack, and now if I sing along with my CD he doesn't even try to be invisible.

Also? I finally caught him actually drinking out of his waterbottle, instead of dashing by/away from it. ^_^ Yay! My furry little genius! (Shut up. I've been worrying about this for two days.)

I might have to borrow a digital camera and see if I can get pictures.

I just realized that this is possibly an inappropriate icon, but it is under my 'cute' catch-word. ^^; Ah well.

The mouse got caught in one of the live traps. (We found him when we got home this afternoon)

He's really, really cute. *squees slightly* Such a tiny little thing.

Right now we have him in an old cat litter tub with some food and water and a little cardboard box to hide in. He can really jump! (I'm no longer allowed to take the lid off and watch him because dad thinks he'll jump out.)

I kind of want to keep him. -_-; We asked around at my dad's office. One person said she would take a dead mouse to feed to her snakes, and another said she would take a dead mouse so she could study its bones. (Scientists... yeah.) No bids for a live mouse, though.

Right now we're waiting for mom to get home so she can meet our little tresspasser before we either set him free or buy him a tank. Hopefully our cat won't harrass him. I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to name him before we decide his fate.

Yeah... I get attatched way too easily.