NIMH, woohoo! I came close to naming him Jonathan Frisby, but he just looks like a Ralph to me.
I’m going to take him to a vet on my upcoming day off, and also swing by the pet store and get him a wheel. No wire wheels - cleanliness aside, I don’t want his long tail getting caught in it and broken.
It’s his second day in our household, and so far, he seems content. One cat has noticed him, and I allow her to sniff and peek, but monitor her closely, and take her away after a few minutes. She has made no aggressive moves, she only seems curious to see what that thing moving in the cage is. I will never leave Ralph unattended with the cats around. Ralph doesn’t seem bothered at all by the presence of a cat or two.
I think… for reasons too long to get into right now, since I have to get to work in a few minutes, that Ralph might actually be blind. Smell and hearing seem fine, but he really doesn’t seem to see anything. More on that later - perhaps after the vet visit.
Ohhh, cute little mousie! I had pet mice when I was a kid. I still look at all the meeces whenever I go to the pet store, but our cats would have Something To Say if I brought one home!
Put Ralph in the (dry) bathtub when you clean his cage – he won’t be able to escape from there, and there’s lots of room to run around. I gave them mouse chow for food, with the occasional treat of lettuce or apple or other produce. They’re pretty easy to care for – I had mine when I was only 10 years old, and they were so much fun.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that. Most strains of albino mice go blind progressively after their first couple of months. Doesn’t seem to slow them up much, since most mouse navigation is done by nose.
I had a huge “AHA!” moment about where the Rats of NIMH came from when I was about 20. :smack:
Mrs. Frisbee and the Rats of NIMH was a Newberry-award-winning YA novel about super-intelligent rats (the mouse name “Jonathan Fisbee” mentioned elsewhere in the thread also refers to this book).
The book was later made into a repugnant, albeit popular, animated movie.
Ralph has a clean bill of health, and also a fancy new cage. He seems to like to chew on wood, but hasn’t much of a taste for plastic, and so far, so good. It has a wheel, things to climb, holes to hide in, and lots of room. He appears to be smitten, if a mouse can appear so.
Those of you who can use YouTube, here’s a short clip of Ralph doing mouse-y things in his new home: Squeek!
Also, he is, indeed, blind. My husband thinks he’s just the coolest little bugger in the world, and now has a soft spot for wittle meece. He also feels bad that he’s all by himself, as, after reading up on our new lil’ buddy, we know he might like a companion.
So, a few questions, before we dive in and get Ralph a companion: Is his being blind going to present a dominance problem if we introduce a “brother” mouse? Would it be better to get another albino mouse, or would a mouse of any colour be fine? We would be sure to do the “neutral ground” during introductions; how long does it usually take for them to warm up to each other (if they are going to at all)? Should we keep the spare cage in case they need to be separated? Can mice kill each other, or do they just wrestle?
Introducing another boy mouse can be danergous. Male mice can kill each other during fights for dominance. (Penis bitting is a very common behavior. Nasty, nasty business, that. ) In my experience, only brothers from the same litter get long, so I recommend that Ralph remain single.
Ah, just what I was afraid of. Well, Ralph seems like he’s happy enough to me; doesn’t appear to be pining away for companionship, playing the harmonica, or singing the blues. I gave him a large wooden insert from a box, and he seems so pleased he doesn’t know what to do with himself. He chews and gnaws and falls asleep inside of it, wakes up and does it some more. I really don’t think he’d like to share it. Unless, of course, it was a lady mouse. But that’s not going to happen. Sorry, Ralphie. You can keep your bits (yes, yes, I see them, you’re “relaxed”, I’m impressed), you just can’t use them. Unless it’s solo. And then keep it to yourself.
Yes, I concur, more mouse video is needed. Can you set up a 24 hour webcam, please? I was dying to see what awaited him in the Yellow Tower of Mousy Fun.
It may be strain dependent - hell, what isn’t strain dependent. My Black Six’s never did this, but the BALB’s I’m working with now do a lot of cock-chomping. Even the female breeders do it. Ok, ok, there’s is more than one way to tell a guy he’s a lousy lay.
Anastasaeon, I just noticed that your cage has a wire grid at the bottom. I’ve always read that you should take out the wire bottoms in the cages for hamsters and mice. It’s supposed to be bad for their feet, and also they like to burrow in the bedding. Any other opinions on this?
) In my experience, only brothers from the same litter get long, so I recommend that Ralph remain single.
