I miss Mortimer a lot and thought since I couldn't save him, I would get another mouse -- this one domesticated, who's supposed to be a pet -- and try to make up for not saving Mortimer. So today I was buying Nutriberries and lo and behold, there was ONE mouse for sale at the pet shop. They NEVER have mice, only hamsters and guinea pigs. I really had intended to ask a friend who has mice to feed her snake (UGH, I know they have to eat, too, but UGH) if I could have one of hers, but there was this little black and white mouse, so ...

I have installed him in Mortimer's former aquarium and provided him with food and a water bottle and a safe wheel (not the wire kind, plastic, nothing to catch his little tail or toes) and the little mouse house that Mortimer liked so much. He explored it thoroughly and rearranged the old socks I had in there and crawled under them for a nap. His name is Soon Henry Holstein (long, long story, he'll be "Henry" for everyday) and while he won't quite let me pet him, he's not really afraid of my hand. He sniffed it and didn't run away from it. I think we'll be friends in no time.

Hubby said, "He's BIG" but that's only because he's so much bigger than Mortimer was. I'll get a photo once he's settled in and willing to pose. I thought he needed a nap after all the excitement instead of me flashing my camera at him.

Of course, immediately after I got Henry settled I found one of the house mouses dead. Out of Henry's sight, I'm glad to say. Don't want to traumatize the poor dear.

This is how nice a husband I have. I came in bearing Henry in a box and hustling around getting him all set up and he watched this in silence for several minutes before he said, "Do you have a new pet?" in the same tone you'd say, "Do you have a new shirt?" and I had not consulted him. Of course, I usually don't, so he wasn't surprised by THAT.

More mouse stories...yay.

I was just waiting for you to show up with a new mousie...and I bet your hubby was too!

Congrats on Henry and we will look forward to pictures.

Maybe you can make a mouse maze and teach him to go through it.

Now that it's getting dark, Henry has come out of his little house and sampled his food and discovered the sock tunnel I made for Mortimer. I took an ankle sock and stuck a toilet paper roll in the opening and left the rest alone so it's a little mousie fort. One nice thing about a mouse is that almost anything can be a toy for them. You don't have to spend tons of cash on mouse toys. I peeked in on him a few minutes ago and he was running in and out of his sock tunnel.

sound cute ..will be waiting for a piccy...I miss my ratties....

Henry is still very nervous and if he sees us he runs off and hides in his house or his sock, so I can't get a photo yet. He turned over his food bowl today so he could sort through it and pick out what he likes and ignore the rest. He was sitting in the bowl to eat and I guess that got to be a problem. Do you know, we offered him a bit of cheese yesterday and he wouldn't eat it???? Doesn't he know mice are supposed to love cheese?

After work tonight I'll try taking his house and sock out long enough to get a photo of him. He won't like that, but it'll only be for a few minutes so he can't hide from my camera. I'm going to start trying to tame him tonight, too. He will stick his head out and let me chuck him under the chin but he won't climb on my hand yet.

I told my father-in-law at lunch yesterday that we have a pet mouse and his expression was priceless. He stopped right in the middle of a bite and said, "You have a MOUSE????" I said yes, and his name's Henry. He stared at me for a second or two and then said, "Well, THAT'S what every home needs." My mom, on the other hand, when I told her, said, "I KNEW you were going to get another mouse. You should build a room on just for your critters." My mom wouldn't be surprised if I told her we'd bought an elephant. She'd just ask what its name was.