Real Meeces

This was Amelia. She was named for Amelia Earhart because of her adventurous spirit. She was the least handlable of our mice. I guess she just always wanted to be on the go... and go she did. She's gone on to the Great Wheel in the sky.

Bessy was named because she resembles a cow. She produced many many cow colored babies as well. Very pretty markings, aren't they? She didn't have a remarkable personality, in fact, she excelled at blending in. But I miss her just the same.

This is Timmy. Timmy is female. So why is she named Timmy you may ask. Timmy was named for the South Park character. (Hey, it's my house... I don't have to be sensitive and politically correct there.) Timmy was ill shortly after she was weaned, and I think she may have sustained some brain damage due to a high fever. In any case, she became a permanent resident because it just didn't seem right to feed a developmentally disabled mouse to a fully functioning predatory snake.

Smokey is the ultimate mommy... the other mice we have are daughters or grandaughters of this mouse. She had such an even temperment and calm disposition, we decided to hold on to her. It was a wise decision. She became very ill recently, and it was a long battle. She was determined to hold on, but in the end, we decided her quality of life was just getting too poor. Tenacity did more damage than good, so we had to put her down. She's very missed.

My favorite mouse, Dusty. Dusty was from Smokey's first litter, and if anything has an even more mellow disposition. Unfortunately, because she's not at all afraid of humans, sometimes it can be difficult to work around her. Cleaning the mouse tank becomes more... interesting when she decides to help. And she decides to help often. She's gained a considerable amount of weight since this picture was taken... she looks like she swallowed another mouse. She's about twice this size now, and she waddles.

Tweak came to us through some unusual circumstances. He was supposed to be lunch for Monty. But Monty wasn't hungry, because it was nearing winter, and he was getting ready to semi-hibernate. (That's Tweak actually sleeping on Monty in the picture to the left) So we tried to feed him to George... but George was going into a semi-hibernation as well. So we fished him out of George's tank and threw him in with Elvis... who was getting ready to shed, so couldn't see him. We decided after a week in three different snake tanks, Tweak had earned the right to live. And he's become such a great little pet... he's responsive and inquisitive, and he loves rice krispies. I'm glad he didn't get eaten.

Forum Critters

Meet Hystrix the hedgehog. He lives with Bluetopaz and Lucky. Hystrix sort of followed Lucky home and just never left. But I don't think Mom minds too much. :)

This is the prairie dog that lives with Nydiva. He's a very social little thing, and will happily chat with you when you come to visit, even if you can't understand what he's saying. But if you're going for tea, you might want to watch your cookies... Nydiva says he's got a terrible sweet tooth.

Finally! We get to see the rats on something other than a "Wanted: Dead or Dying" poster. :) This spiffy little guy is Maurice. He dressed up just for the occasion.

Roberta, not wanting to be left out of the festivities, pulled out this lovely gown. Personally, I think she's trying to impress Maurice, but she looks pretty either way.

Nobody really knows who this is. This is the last rat that was sent on a recon mission to Mania's domain. This is how he came back. None of the other rats remember his name and the only thing you can get out of him is a rather soggy "Dbdgdbbdgfff."