I'm having a meltdown

[Finesse]

over a house mouse.

we were seeing some nibbles in things we left on the counter so we put out 4 humane mouse traps, IF YOU DONT USE THEM YOU REALLY SHOULD

they have little hatch doors and are on a teeter totter and when the mouse steps in to get the food, the weight transfers and the door falls down. anyway, I heard a noise and thought it was my dog chewing something he shouldn't so I went to investigate and I found one of the traps had a mousie in it!

he or she wouldn't come out of the trap so I put him (?) still inside the trap in a cardboard box and waited, and sure enough he (I'm calling it a he) came out. I totally lost it. I literally could only look at him for like 3 seconds because he was too stinking cute. and he was chattering his teeth and scritching around and he stood up and put his little feet on the side of the box and looked at me. and then he went into a corner of the box and I put down two grapes and a cracker and some peanut butter and some water in the lid of a jar and a paper towel in case he wants to sleep somewhere soft. and just watched him a little bit. I left a note for the other people in the house to leave him in the box so I can take some nice pictures of him tomorrow. I just read that house mice live in families though so I don't want to separate him from his family am I overthinking this? lol

I didn't think seeing a little tiny house mouse would be so significant! I dont know what it is but I just think all animals, esp ones that want to share our living space, are so important and even a TINY little creature is worthy of respect and dignity... can you imagine being a mouse and finding something yummy to eat and being excited to chow down because you probably spend 90% of your life looking for food and then all of a sudden you are trapped in a pitch black box where you can barely turn around and you have no idea what's going to happen to you? I can't...

I dont believe in god but if I did I would have counted this as a sign or some kind of divine experience lol. I think the mouse is probably more connected to a higher power than humans are, we are so out of touch with the natural world and so focused on our iphone screens...

do I sound totally insane? lol... suffice to say he is really cute and it's good for the soul to see a house mouse. I felt like sharing

[MrAtom]

What do you plan on doing with him if you don't want to separate him from his family?

Also, no. You're not crazy. Or if you are, we're mutually crazy in the same way. One time, I heard a "donk!" outside when I was working on a project in the garage. I thought it was this rude squirrel that would always throw pinecones at my car for fun (He wasn't even eating them! It was entirely for fun! What a jerk.) and I thought I was going to have to yell at him again, but instead I see a large cat chasing a little baby blue bird, too little to fly. I shooed away the cat and brought him inside, nursed him back to health. Bluebirds live in families too, and won't really survive on their own, so I tried to find his family's nest, but I couldn't. So now, he's got a cage and he lives happily with me. I never understood why people liked pet birds, but when you raise them from a baby, they're very personable animals. He loves to be petted, has a lot of personality, and I even potty-trained him. He is definitely meltdown-inducing. Animals are awesome

[LittleRedNinjette]

I'm with you! I would feel the same. Little guy is so freaking cute!!!!

My boyfriend save one from the golf clubhouse and now has a little shop friend that he leaves food out for here and there.

[Rifleman]

not to worry, I'll come get him and take him to that big farm in the country where he can romp and play and have a full and happy mouse life...

My grand parents have a camp in the woods of Canada... we would play cards and listen to the traps snap... I'd hear one and jump up... and my gramps would say, "not yet, wait for the other two"

and be advised, that box is about as secure as a screen door on Ft. Knox to a mouse.

[CC Cowboy]

Remember the Bubonic plague!

[subxero]

you are over thinking it

It is nice you use a humane trap, but just make sure you take the mouse far far away otherwise it will just come right back.

So little bit about mice.

No they don't live in families, there can be a mating pair but once the babies are 3-4wks old they get the boot. Females can get along ok but obviously mature males will fight each other.

Food for thought. A female mouse can have a litter of pups every 3wks if conditions are right. That litter can be anywhere from 1-18 pups, 6 probably being more common.

Female mice reach reproductive age at around 7-8wks

Do the math, it is very easy for your mouse problem to become a mouse infestation if conditions are right.

Next, they are dirty. The literally crap and pee everywhere they go, particularly the males....everywhere. They are rodents so it is possible for them to carry and transmit rabies and other diseases. They harbor parasites, some of which can be zoonotic (transferable to other animal species, like humans)

They can be destructive, they can chew up lots of things, tear the insulation out of your walls among other things.

Cute that they are, I do not want them in my house in anyway shape or form. If you want a pet mouse get domestic mouse from a pet shop. I tend to like the rats better personally, they tend to be a little more intelligent. (i think someone on the forum has a rat? One of the ladies here? maybe Nevadawolf?)

Hamsters and Guinea Pigs are nice as well, you can generally find free Guinea pigs on Craigslist

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by subxero

(i think someone on the forum has a rat? One of the ladies here? maybe Nevadawolf?)

Close, but not quite. The other Teri, @LittleRedNinjette, has the adorable rats.

As cute as the little mousey is, I agree with taking him out to field far from homes. He's born into the wild and belongs there to make his own way.

If you want a pet mouse, get one that is born to be a pet. They'll be used to relying on humans and you'll have have better information on their health and any shots given/needed to protect them and you from diseases.

[Finesse]

Oh no I don't want to keep him as a pet. I was going to go down to the park two blocks away where there's a nice patch of woods and a big field. But I don't have to do that, as he seems to have escaped during the night I wonder if he will learn from his ordeal in the trap or if I will find him there again tonight. And yeah they do **** and piss everywhere, so I agree it's not good to have him running around the house but judging by his precocious nature he will be back for more peanut butter tonight lol

[LittleRedNinjette]

Yes, i'm the crazy rat girl.

Wild mice should stay wild and @subxero is correct that he'll be best off released in a field (park works too) or in a barn/farm.

I have had Rats, Hamsters, Guinea Pigs, Rabbits, Mice and Gerbils. all of both genders except the Pig. By far the best pet was the female rats. Next would be the male rats. I have 2 males now (Frodo and Twitch). The mice are cute and can be very loving too but i was always afraid of crushing the little guys.

[csmith12]

I am afraid this falls into the bucket, "if you love something, set it free". Preferably far away.

[Worldtraveller]

Originally Posted by csmith12

I am afraid this falls into the bucket, "if you love something, set it free". Preferably far away.

This.


...and get a cat.

[LittleRedNinjette]

^^ Ha! My cats are afraid of the rats!

[Finesse]

this reminds me of the mouse and the motorcycle! did anyone read that book as a kid? ralph s mouse?

[LittleRedNinjette]

Originally Posted by Finesse

this reminds me of the mouse and the motorcycle! did anyone read that book as a kid? ralph s mouse?

YES!

[MrAtom]

Originally Posted by Finesse

this reminds me of the mouse and the motorcycle! did anyone read that book as a kid? ralph s mouse?

absolutely! I was biting my nails when he got the aspirin haha. The most suspenseful moment in the history of childrens' literature.

[Rifleman]

yes, isn't that Beverly Cleary...

that, and Flowers for Algernon.

But I got all my street smarts and sass from Joel Chandler Harris and the stories of Brer' Rabbit and de Tar baby.

[NevadaWolf]

Flowers for Algernon was a depressing book.

[alex.s]

cook and eat it. it's the only way

[Worldtraveller]

Originally Posted by LittleRedNinjette

^^ Ha! My cats are afraid of the rats!

Mice and rats are quite different in many ways.

My cat, the sweetest, most spoiled, lovable little fluffball....is quite the mouser!

[csmith12]

[LittleRedNinjette]

Nope, mine didn't like the mice i had either. Colt have somthing to do with the cats sticking their noses too close to the cage... *chomp*

[Racer x]

Thank you for caring. Every creature on earth has a right to live. Killing things just because they dare to come near you is wrong.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by Racer x

Thank you for caring. Every creature on earth has a right to live. Killing things just because they dare to come near you is wrong.

From here...

"Every living thing on this planet has a right to live just as much as you do. From the largest whale, to the smallest frog that sits on the road."

[ally99]

He's adorable! I try for the humane traps too. The worst are the sticky ones.

[choneofakind]

Call me heartless, but I don't believe in humane traps. They never work for us.


Get the ones that actually work:
SNAP! done.

[ally99]

Admittedly, that one is preferable to those torturous sticky traps.

[LittleRedNinjette]

Originally Posted by ally99

He's adorable! I try for the humane traps too. The worst are the sticky ones.

I rescued a mouse off one of those once at work. the tiniest little bit of a solvent gets them off.

[indomie]

funny thread =)!

[choneofakind]

The sticky paper is terrible. The mouse sits there and screams for hours until it dies. Humane?! My butt.

[LittleRedNinjette]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

The sticky paper is terrible. The mouse sits there and screams for hours until it dies. Humane?! My butt.

i sabotage the ones at work.

[spooph]

Good on you for having a heart! Humane traps all the way - We've had cannibal mice though on the big ones, that's nasty.... Glad you got the single-serve ones, much better...

Just like RacerX said, every living creature deserves to live, as long as it's in the right place.... Now if only we can get this human infestation under control...

[Worldtraveller]

Originally Posted by spooph

Now if only we can get this human infestation under control...

[alex.s]

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by LittleRedNinjette

I rescued a mouse off one of those once at work. the tiniest little bit of a solvent gets them off.

A cap full of gas and a match!

[Rifleman]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

The sticky paper is terrible. The mouse sits there and screams for hours until it dies. Humane?! My butt.

just so you know... the "glue traps" are not for humane purposes...

they are use in areas where 1. vermin must be controlled and 2. poison baits could be accessed by humans or animals.

Something like a child day care, or school cafeteria, where food stuffs exist and where baits could get moved to where people or live stock is.

those glue traps are anything but humane.

[allanoue]

Live traps are forgotten and that is not humane. Ask me how I know.
So I got this.


Works great

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by allanoue

Live traps are forgotten and that is not human. Ask me how I know.
So I got this.


Works great

I wanna stick my finger in your thingy


Cute mouse, catch him an take him far away where he can romp an play an live his life. That's kinda how my family got the skunks, groundhogs, ducks, some coons, a few pigs, and all sorts of pets folks get bored in the country an like to have scenery and friends around, some inside some outside

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBravo

I wanna stick my finger in your thingy

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Get your mind outa the gutter... I wanna stick my finger in that trap an see how good is its zap

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by LittleRedNinjette

^^ Ha! My cats are afraid of the rats!

My cat was lazy as hell, and 40 odd lbs. He would just sit there and watch them do their thing. If they messed with his food he'd pounce if not he did nothing. It was very easy to see what his priorities were