I AM getting a mouse after all!

[BrainGirl]

Yep, another free one just popped up and I jumped at the chance. Wish me luck:p

[Colby and the Dwarfs]

Yay!!! We want pics ASAP.

[DrKMcK]

Good luck Braingirl. :-)

[BrainGirl]

I'm on my way out to pick him up within the hour. Pretty sure this one is going to work out:D

ETA: this might be exactly the same mouse. The owner didn't know how old he was and said he got him in exactly the same way that he was getting rid of him:-?

[Colby and the Dwarfs]

I'm on my way out to pick him up within the hour. Pretty sure this one is going to work out:D

ETA: this might be exactly the same mouse. The owner didn't know how old he was and said he got him in exactly the same way that he was getting rid of him:-?

Oh, I wasn't following the other mouse story, what happened there?

[BrainGirl]

Oh, I wasn't following the other mouse story, what happened there?

I made arrangements over the phone to meet someone to take the mouse they were giving away but she never showed up and stopped answering her phone or returning messages! I just checked and sure enough her ad is still up, including her telephone number. It was very strange!

So I'm back (finally) and I have a mouse. I don't know for how long, my landlady is terrified of rodents, especially ones with tails, and I'm quite sure she'd kick me out if she knew he was here. There's not much hope of her not finding out because she's very...persistent. To the point of ignoring laws governing renter/tenant relationships. But oh well, at least he's not snake food!

Actually, the young man who owned him was very nice and seems to have taken good care of him. His cage is a Habitrail Mini (is that suitable?) with a very cool water bottle. I didn't even realize it had a water bottle until I got him home and realized that his nice new bedding was suddenly soaked! It's the mushroom in the pics. You fill it with water and then pop it into the blue base. The mouse has to stick his head under the "leaves" and drink from the little pools there:)

For food I was given a little package of rabbit pellets and a package of chicken feed(?!) and his bedding is Critter Care Natural which is kind of like a cheaper version of Carefresh Natural. No seeds or treats of any kind. First thing I did when I got him settled was to put a few seeds in his cage. That seemed to really capture his interest. He's quite calm and didn't seem at all put out by the presence of a strange hand in his cage but I haven't held him yet. Don't want to push it:x

Sorry for the poor quality pics, the batteries in my camera were dead and I had to use my friend's camera again...and his batteries were nearly dead:p

[m00nbeam]

Wow looking good :-). What are you going to call him ?

[nibblet]

He's beautiful :D

[racinghamster]

YAY, you finally got a moose!!! :) I would hide him from your landlady though but you could always say he`s a Siberian hamster with a tail!!!!!

Now...the cage IS a tad small for even a single mouse, so perhaps a Zoozone 1 or a Mini Duna or a barred cage (with narrow bars) would be better, but saying that, it`s not the end of the world if he has to reside in this Habitrail. He seems to have a good solid wheel and if he gets out of cage times for cuddles and a wee run around with you, I can`t see it being an issue.

The main thing is making sure he`s secure! Is he definitely a male? The smell will tell you!! That`s not really fair on him though as they more than make up for their urine smell just by being fab little creatures and companions. x

Edited to add: I would give him a second water bottle attached to the bars on the ground floor as the fancy one may or may not be too reliable. I guess you will check that though. x

[JordiDL]

He's very nice! I hope you won't have any problems with your landlady, hide him! as racinghamster said, you can say he's a hamster with tail! Good luck!

[DrKMcK]

Welcome home little mousie :-D. I'm with racing hamster on the extra bottle. I like to check them and I can't see how you'd do that with the mushroom leaves in the way. An extra bottle can't hurt. All my hams have 2 just in case. Hide him for sure. He looks a nice size Braingirl. Looking forward to more of this new one. :-)

[Hamsterz4Life]

He's lovely, mice are so cute! I'm glad that you finally got a mouse.. I am looking forward to hearing and seeing more of this little guy! x

[Truffle]

He is just adorable :) I love mice, I had a trio some time ago (called Cheeky, Monkey and Trouble!)

Does he have a name yet? Please keep us updated. x

[BrainGirl]

Hehehe I haven't named him yet until I'm sure I'm keeping him. Actually, not at all certain he's a "he", shouldn't I be able to see his bits at a glance or are mice able to hide them well? He doesn't seem to smell at all either, but that could be because he's had 2 cage cleans in one day.

I don't know about the cage situation. I have a ZZ1 that's about to become available but my meshing job is terrible and I know for a fact that he would escape! I'd much rather he was in a cage or tank, a cage especially because I can hang climbing toys more easily.

The bottle is actually pretty easy to monitor, it's the same idea as a chick waterer, just in a cuter shape! There's a reservoir under the mushroom/bottle that the neck of the bottle sticks into. When the reservoir is full no more water flows out.

[kyrilliondaemon]

Some mice hide their bits well - the two boys we haven't got neutered aren't being neutered partially because even when their testicles are out they're still tiny lol. Our others were all more obvious when they were out though (which isnt all the time)

If you look underneath at his genitals (like with a ham) you should be able to compare to the pics here (http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/sexing.cfm) and get a good idea

[BrainGirl]

Yep, pretty sure it's a boy! LOL

I hope that he can have baby food like my hams because he just got a smidge. Seems pretty thrilled with the menu here, I guess chicken feed wasn't really his cup of tea:D

[kyrilliondaemon]

He can have baby food :)

[BrainGirl]

Oh good:) He seems very sweet, not really skittish and certainly not nippy! I went through my "toy box" and found a whole coconut shell with holes drilled all over that I'd bought ages ago. I decided I couldn't give it to any of my other animals when I realized some of the holes were too small and they'd likely get stuck. It's perfect for a mouse though and he's happily made his nest inside it!

[kyrilliondaemon]

I'm glad he's happy and that you seem to like him :) D'you know what's happening with him long term yet?

[racinghamster]

Oh, I`m sure he will enjoy the coconut shell! :) It would be lovely if you could keep him as you know you can always rely on any question/answers about mice on here if you need any assistance. Mice generally are easy little pets, even though they can be complex with their health sometimes. As long as his diet, his environment are kept simple, you shouldn`t have any real issues. x

[BrainGirl]

I'm glad he's happy and that you seem to like him :) D'you know what's happening with him long term yet?

Ha! I don't even know what's happening with me long term yet:p

Oh, I`m sure he will enjoy the coconut shell! :) It would be lovely if you could keep him as you know you can always rely on any question/answers about mice on here if you need any assistance. Mice generally are easy little pets, even though they can be complex with their health sometimes. As long as his diet, his environment are kept simple, you shouldn`t have any real issues. x

I'm going to be taking some donations to the local rescue soon, hopefully today. I'll be sure the ask the person that I know there what her opinion of the matter is. I'm sure she'll tell me to keep him but I do worry about my landlady finding out. She's usually nice, but she has some boundary issues...and absolutely hates rodents:(

[racinghamster]

I suppose to clear the air it might be wise to approach your landlady and say that the mouse had nowhere else to go or it would be put to sleep? (little white lie but hey-ho....) ;) If your landlady puts her foot down, then you can always give him to the rescue to rehome again. Would be a such a shame though, unless you can find a mouse lover to take him on. Shame we`re on opposite sides of the pond!

[BrainGirl]

I'm not even going to try to approach her. I'm starting to realize that she has some serious mental health issues and even without any upsets in her daily routine she has some pretty unpredictable behaviours. We had gotten along just fine but even though I have told her about my own health issues, last night she kept trying to get me to do some heavy work even though I was way past my energy limits. I kept saying no and she just kept pushing me to do it, like she thought I was joking. I finally just walked away. She's not in my good books at the moment and I don't feel like dealing with her. I did however speak to the person at the rescue and she said to send in a picture of the mouse with a description and they'd put him on their website. The fact that he's so friendly is a major point in favour of him finding a new home.

[BrainGirl]

...and my landlady has now disappeared:-? I've had to call a relative of hers who is going to call her husband. I don't know if I can stay here with all the bizarre behaviour.

In mouse news however, he's still very cute. I gave him one of the peanut butter dog cookies I have for my hams and I couldn't believe he could carry it! He's so tiny I thought for sure he'd just have to eat it in place:D

[racinghamster]

Are you renting in a complex BrainGirl or what? How easy would it be for you to move or relocate and keep Mr Mousie?!! If you were planning a move, I wouldn`t even mention the mouse and you could always hide him or ask a friend to keep him for a few days if you had a move planned?

[BrainGirl]

No, it's the lower half of a house. Easy enough for me to hide him.

In other news, she came back. I haven't spoken to her yet, though my friend did. I've just about had it with her behaviour. The first time we met she invited me out for dinner and declared us "best friends". She can't handle rejection at all and any refusal to do what she says can result in a breakdown and emotional outburst.

[racinghamster]

In that case, I would distance myself and just say sorry, I can do this or that as I`m going out or your busy with other stuff. Just act polite or ignorant! She can`t kick off with you if you, `do the right thing`. But she sounds like a wolf in sheep`s clothing to me. I would be looking for a new place! x

[BrainGirl]

I'm going to speak to the guy handling the unit today. He knows what she's like and distrusts her completely. I'm more concerned at the moment with her vulnerability and the fact that a couple of people she says are from her church who seem to have latched onto her. They're telling her very strange things about herself and I'm worried that they've got far too much of a hold over her for her own safety. It's the kind of a situation where it's worth fearing that she'd sign over her house to them or something.

[racinghamster]

Christ....literally! If she`s been hoodwinked by religion then I would definitely worry! She sounds very confused or easily led. So who actually owns the tenancy? Her or the other guy?

[BrainGirl]

She does:-?

[racinghamster]

I have a forum friend in Canada who keeps gerbils and she used to live in a complex until she and her mother managed to move to a house they are buying. I remember her saying the complex wasn`t a nice place to be and she often mentioned `landlords` and their refusals or slowness to do anything fast. What are your options of moving somewhere better BrainGirl if that`s an option?

[BrainGirl]

Not very good if I'm honest. I can move back to my old place but those landlords really are slumlords and take absolute ages to get anything done, mostly I think because they try to do it on the cheap and get friends and relatives to do the work:-? The place is a hazard thanks to some seriously shoddy work that's been done.

This is a nice place and things get taken care of quickly, it's just dealing with the mood swings of the owner. Apparently we're doing a good job in that department because we haven't been chased out like the last people! Just found out the truth about that yesterday... I'll tell you more in a PM if you're interested:)

[racinghamster]

If your current place seems better looked after and `she` is the only issue, maybe only deal with her if you have to? How often do you actually speak to her or have to speak to her due to rent or other matters? Does she just knock on your door and demand to come in? Or does she leave you alone mostly?

[BrainGirl]

Leaves us alone mostly, it's just when she's in a certain mood. She doesn't have to deal with anything about the rent really, she just lives here. But she's lonely and she wants to be friendly. Plus we share the yard and garden so there's that. I'd like to stay!

[racinghamster]

Well if it was me, I would just answer back if she speaks to you to be polite but don`t get involved in conversations if you feel it will turn negatively. If you want to avoid chat, just smile and say sorry, have to go I`m waiting on a telephone call or your busy doing something. Don`t even mention your animals. x

[BrainGirl]

I don't any more. When we first moved in she met my chinchillas and I brought the youngest out thinking she'd be less intimidated by a smaller, cuter one. First thing she did was grab her by the scruff of the neck and try to lift her out of my arms! Her explanation was that kittens are lifted by their mothers like that. Thing is that kittens have extra skin just for that. Chinchillas don't. I haven't let her near my animals since. I mean, who takes liberties like that with a stranger's pet?!

[racinghamster]

I know who`s neck I`d be scruffing in that case!! No, I would definitely steer clear of her and even if she wants access to your house/rooms, don`t allow her to touch any of your animals. They are NOT her property, end of. I would deal with her strictly professionally and keep yourself right. Look at your rights of tenancy (not sure how landlords work over there) because believe it or not, you have rights. And if your pets were allowed when you moved in, I would be looking back over any paperwork you signed at that time in case there are any discrepancies. If you have it in writing, she can`t say otherwise. x

[BrainGirl]

I know, but she caused major problems and forced the last tenants out. Nothing was ever proved but she was suspected of shutting the power off and doing other things like that. The problems stopped once she got moved to the upper suite and no longer had access to the house utility panel.

[racinghamster]

"When she got moved to the upper suite"....By whom? Isn`t she the landlord? I`m totally confuzzled now!

[BrainGirl]

"When she got moved to the upper suite"....By whom? Isn`t she the landlord? I`m totally confuzzled now!

She owns it with her hubby, who has taken to leaving for years at a time because he can't deal with her. I think he convinced her to move upstairs by telling her the lower suite rents at a cheaper price than the upper and it would be easier to rent that one. Most tenants leave very quickly because from what I've been able to discover she torments the ones she doesn't like. At least by being upstairs she doesn't have access to the electrical panel!

[racinghamster]

You sure you don`t live in Bate`s motel!!!!!!! :mad: She sounds like a nightmare! She obviously isn`t all there, if you know what I mean....I doubt I`d be staying there if I could find something else. Life is tedious enough without having the stress of the landlady from hell! She`s not doing herself any favours chasing tenants away with her odd behaviour.

[BrainGirl]

LOL! Sometimes I do worry about that... But no, I think we'll be fine. Both of us have experience with people with mental health issues and my friend actually has some training in dealing with it.

[racinghamster]

Just as well... I would take little to do with her though unless it was something of an emergency with the property. x