Spider-Mouse!

February 24th, 2008 by lynnylchan under Humour and Pets

15th February 2008

Tim, my 5-week-old boy mouse, is apparently quite the acrobat.

I got both mice new “outside boxes” - open boxes where they can run about and watch me watch them - as well as a new cage setup for Tim. The boxes are practically escape-proof because they’re plastic, smooth, and the toys in the cage aren’t high enough to serve as platforms to the edge of the box.

Or so I thought.

A visitor put one of Tim’s toys in an upright position, allowing the little mousie a higher platform from which to survey the world. It appears that this increased height allowed Tim to somehow escape from his box and get into Darcy’s cage, because I heard squeaking from them last night and was utterly astounded to see both mice in the same cage. I removed Tim and went back to work.

30 minutes later, he was back in. Again I removed him, and retired for the night.

Guess who went for a sleep-over at Darcy’s place during the night.

I turned the toy back into a horizontal position. I left it as it is in the hopes of catching Tim in the act, but since I can’t be watching them all the time, I decided to play it safe and end his escapades. Looking at the toy and the height of the box, you’d think he couldn’t have jumped that high. And I doubt that he climbed up the outside of the tubes, because they’re way too smooth and slippery and he’s no gecko.

But as I learned last night, underestimate Tim at your own peril.

Update: 22nd February 2008

I awoke this morning to pick up on some motion in the corner of my eye. I turned to my right, where my guitar bag is, and saw a mouse running down the black fabric.

To say I was shocked may be a bit of an underestimation. So the first thing I did this morning was chase a tiny 6-week-old mousie around the room. Eventually he went into his little box, and I returned him to his cage. He immediately went to his water bottle and drank for a good long while.

I don’t know how long he was outside, but I hope he learned a lesson. There’s nothing out there for him to eat or drink, so he’s much better off inside the cage. Certainly he didn’t try escaping again for the rest of the day, but maybe he was just way too tired.

Just to make sure, though, I covered his open box so he can’t jump out any more. What shall he do next? I have no idea.