(no subject)
My grandmice are adorable.
They're the size and colour of those erasers that fit over the tops of pencils. They have tiny flailing limbs and big dark circles for eyes . . . like baby birds. They squeak. None of the mice I've owned so far have squeaked, except Cheeky when I picked her up. That was a loud, indignant protest-squeak. These are baby-squeaks, with the same complaints as all babies. "I'm hungry! I'm cold! When's mommy coming back? FEED ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!" It amuses me to no end that they sound exactly like my plastic rat, who squeaks when you squeeze him. (Oh, hey- do certain rodents reading this realize that mice are dwarf rats? And that they only require about one hour of feeding/cleaning/maintenence per week? And that they're the cheapest pets imaginable? Just saying.)
Stormcloud's a good mommy, I think. And Minerva's being a wonderful co-parent. Both of the times I checked in on them, Minnie was covering the trembling tiny bodies with, ah, qers (still not convinced she's a he, but I'll try to get a vet to determine Minerva's sex ASAP) and just generally seeing to them while mom gets some more food. The site recommends high-protein foods for the lactating mom, so we gave them a bunch more sunflower and pumpkin seeds. We'll move the nest at the end of the week so the toddling babies don't escape. (The mouse cage we're using has bars a half inch apart . . . easy for wee mice to squeeze out of.) It'll be so cool to watch their coats come in. If Minnie's the father, they'll be mostly whites, blacks, and piebalds. If a house mouse was the father . . . who knows what they'll look like! I can't wait 'til they get old enough to handle. Luckily, that's only a few days away.
They're the size and colour of those erasers that fit over the tops of pencils. They have tiny flailing limbs and big dark circles for eyes . . . like baby birds. They squeak. None of the mice I've owned so far have squeaked, except Cheeky when I picked her up. That was a loud, indignant protest-squeak. These are baby-squeaks, with the same complaints as all babies. "I'm hungry! I'm cold! When's mommy coming back? FEED ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!" It amuses me to no end that they sound exactly like my plastic rat, who squeaks when you squeeze him. (Oh, hey- do certain rodents reading this realize that mice are dwarf rats? And that they only require about one hour of feeding/cleaning/maintenence per week? And that they're the cheapest pets imaginable? Just saying.)
Stormcloud's a good mommy, I think. And Minerva's being a wonderful co-parent. Both of the times I checked in on them, Minnie was covering the trembling tiny bodies with, ah, qers (still not convinced she's a he, but I'll try to get a vet to determine Minerva's sex ASAP) and just generally seeing to them while mom gets some more food. The site recommends high-protein foods for the lactating mom, so we gave them a bunch more sunflower and pumpkin seeds. We'll move the nest at the end of the week so the toddling babies don't escape. (The mouse cage we're using has bars a half inch apart . . . easy for wee mice to squeeze out of.) It'll be so cool to watch their coats come in. If Minnie's the father, they'll be mostly whites, blacks, and piebalds. If a house mouse was the father . . . who knows what they'll look like! I can't wait 'til they get old enough to handle. Luckily, that's only a few days away.