My little foster mouse (who I'll probably keep)

by scaredymouse Fri 01 Jul 2016, 2:45 pm

This is Andy (name may be changed)

He belonged to a kid who didn't want him anymore, so the mom gave the mouse to the rescue. Sure, just throw him away because he isn't friendly, kid. awesome that you are teaching kids that pets are disposable, mom.

And for the record, he is perfectly friendly but doesn't like being handled just yet. He is very scared of being handled, I feel pretty confident that the kid dropped him or grabbed him a lot. He seems very scared of falling, is very nervous, and shakes in your hands. So other than just seeing what I was working with and putting him in his new tank, I'll let him be. He'll be happy here and I'm sure he'll warm up soon enough. Anyway, he's huge! And he has really thick, soft fur, and a cute face Smile

Here he is!

My little foster mouse (who I'll probably keep) Wp_20197

My little foster mouse (who I'll probably keep) Wp_20198

My little foster mouse (who I'll probably keep) Wp_20102

My little foster mouse (who I'll probably keep) Wp_20103

by Artistwolf Fri 01 Jul 2016, 2:52 pm

Aww!! He looks kinda fat Laughing

Poor little guy.

by Rodents rock! Fri 01 Jul 2016, 2:54 pm

I'm so happy you have him now! He is so cute!!! Enjoy! Looking forward to hear more as he settles in.

I totally agree with you - I've seen so many ads - like on Craigslist, where parents are looking for homes for pets their kids have - mice, guinea pigs, ... that they have lost interest in. That is teaching the kid that pets are disposable. When you get tired of them, just get rid of them. Makes me sick to know that the parents feel this way as well as the children. Instead of explaining to the child, that pets are forever and it's a responsibility that needs to be respected. But - their loss and your gain!! I'm glad he has a forever and caring home now.

by Peachy Fri 01 Jul 2016, 3:14 pm

What a plump little cutie! He'll have a blast with you. Smile

by CallaLily Fri 01 Jul 2016, 3:50 pm

He's a cutie.

by Artistwolf Fri 01 Jul 2016, 3:54 pm

I think that's not the only part of the problem... As someone who is a bit guilty of that myself (I mean, not as in "I'm bored of it" or "I won't take care of it" but yeah)—I think sometimes parents get pets for their kids when they're too young, or expect too much of their kids (eg. "well it's their pet so they can take care of it and I won't ever even look at it"). I don't know. It's a problem though.

by CAPSLOCK Fri 01 Jul 2016, 4:32 pm

He's an adorable little guy! I'd probably be nervous of being held too, if my main experiences were with a grabby 8 year old...

by MesaMouse Fri 01 Jul 2016, 4:41 pm

That is one big boy! So glad this sweet fella has found a safe haven with you.

In addition to Cordelia, my remaining senior mouse (almost 26 months old now), and the BooDog, I have four Purple Pincher hermit crabs and am continually horrified by the craigslist postings I see for hermits -- they're all along the lines of "not what we expected", "kids got bored quickly", "too much care involved for such a small creature" (also applies to rodent postings), "too expensive to properly take care of", etc. On the upside, at least people are trying to rehome these "disposable" pets rather than setting them free or callously leaving them behind when they move.

by CinnamonPearl Fri 01 Jul 2016, 4:59 pm

Welcome, Andy! He's a cute, chubby little guy. So what's the deal with fostering? Are you fostering him until someone adopts him, or is the shelter expecting him back at some point? My shelter lets out animals to be fostered for a certain period of time, so I'm kinda surprised they're letting you foster him forever. I'd think they'd have you foster him enough to get him tame and then take him back.

But anyway, yeah, the disposable pet thing is a huge problem. I'll admit I'm a little guilty of that with fish. But when I start to get bored of keeping aquariums, I prefer to just rehome the fish for free rather than start slacking and have something disastrous happen to them. It's a real problem I have Bad Day

.

But I'd never rehome a mouse if I didn't absolutely have to! With the woman who I'm taking Mr. Jingles from, she's rehoming him because her two year old daughter is throwing tantrums over the mouse, not because her son is bored. In fact, judging by her wording in her emails, it seems like her son is actively involved in mouse care, considering she talked over his rehoming with him before giving me the okay. It's not the greatest reason, but because I don't know the exact circumstances or how hard she tried or anything, I've decided to reserve judgment. But if she had just said "rehoming because my son is bored," I would judge like crazy.

by scaredymouse Fri 01 Jul 2016, 5:21 pm

Despite his anxiety being held, as you can see, he feels perfectly safe in his tank! That makes me happy. I've had a lot of scared little ones who just hide or run every time you walk by, so I'm happy that he seems happy.

He's had it rough. And then even after he was surrendered, he's been bounced around. The first rescue he was at was a cat rescue.... so the poor little guy was surrounded by cats licking their lips, then he went to the rabbit rescue and then to me!

He is totally chubby, I wonder what he was being fed. The kid was probably feeding him garbage. I hope he stays fat eating healthy food. So far, he eats everything I've put in front of him. When he got home, he got some live worms, coconut, rice krispies, a millet spray, and flaxseeds, in addition to the regular seed mix. He's a big fan of all of it!

Mesa, you are totally right, though. At least little Andy wasn't dumped outside to fend for himself or dropped off at the shelter, where he would no doubt be neglected. Mice are so smart, I'm sure he's been lonely Sad

Cinna, the rabbit rescue I got him from can't keep him there. she runs the rescue out of her home, and really hands her hands full with all the rabbits and guinea pigs she has there. so she fosters out small animals. that means she pays for vet care, if need be, but I care for him otherwise. then they try to find a home for him but using petfinder or their website. so technically, i'm only temporarily fostering him... but it's not likely he will find a home, so that's why I say i'm fostering him forever. it could also turn out that I fall in love with him and I tell her she can't have him back. Plus we don't know how old he is, which is also not a great selling point. He's obviously a big healthy boy and a full adult. My guess is that he's between 6-12 months old.

Side note: I held a bunny for the first time yesterday. I got to hold the sweetest little bun that just melted into my lap for an hour. So soft and floofy and sweet. The only reason people are overlooking the bunny is because he has "creepy" red eyes. The woman who runs the rescue is so funny. One time a kid said that red eyes were creepy around her and she told him that she thought blue eyes were creepy (kid had blue eyes). Funny. To me there is no difference saying that about an animal that if you told someone you didn't want to be their friend because they had blonde hair. It's absurd!

by CinnamonPearl Fri 01 Jul 2016, 5:34 pm

Ooooh, okay! Well, that's a shame, but at least he has a home with you. And the free vet care is a plus, but if it were me, I would just adopt him down the road so the rescue could save its money.

Boy, you're really taking on a lot of pets these days. Does it ever feel exhausting? I know for sure I'd never be able to handle your pet workload; I'm already getting intimidated at the prospect of having two tanks.

by scaredymouse Fri 01 Jul 2016, 5:46 pm

She's actually pretty awesome. He have already worked out a lot of details. I imagine this isn't the last little animal she's going to bring me! And i'll probably need to go back and visit that bunny. look how floofy! he had the tiniest black ears and a little black nose and so.much.white.floof!

My little foster mouse (who I'll probably keep) Wp_20104

My little foster mouse (who I'll probably keep) Wp_20104

by Bandit Cat Fri 01 Jul 2016, 6:04 pm

I don't understand why people can turn down an animal just because of their appearance. Red eyes really aren't that creepy, black cats are just as sweet, and you can have a dog with 3 legs. All that matters is that you love them, and they'll love you back. Anyways, Andy is so cute! He is so lucky that he is being cared for by you now. He has the good life now. Smile

by River Fri 01 Jul 2016, 7:27 pm

Bandit has a great point! Three of my pets are albino - two of the rabbits, and Graham - and I think it's beautiful. The eyes are so enrapturing, and white fur is stunning!
While it wasn't my dog, my father once had a three-legged dog called Captain - short for Captain Three Legs. He was the sweetest boy! Of course, he wasn't born with it - he went missing for a month or so and came back with three legs, and I guess the nickname 'captain three legs' just stuck and got shortened somewhere along the way. With proper care, he lived a long life - I miss him tons!

Man, he's so chubby as well! He certainly doesn't look like an Andy, at least, not to me. Maybe he acts like one, though. Sucks that the kid just 'didn't want' him anymore. At least he'll go somewhere where he'll be loved dearly, instead of being disregarded out of ignorance. He looks lovely.

I'd bet he's been mishandled. Kids tend to chase their pets around the cage until they get a hold on them. Bound to scare the wits out of him. He'll come around.

What a sweet face he has as well. Lovely.

by MouseLover Fri 01 Jul 2016, 8:34 pm

My goodness, Andy is so cute! I don't think he looks too fat, he's certainly well-fed though Laughing

Just look at that fur! I think he looks super healthy!

Poor little thing. There are a lot of good reasons for rehoming (the owner has health issues for example) but I do get annoyed at the amount of pets who are rehomed because someone has changed their mind or gotten bored, and I also think it's a bad message to teach your kids. It's so often the small animals too, as if they're not as deserving of a forever home.

Well I'm glad he's not nervous in his tank Smile

He looks like he'll be very happy in there! Oh and I like the name Andy... it reminds me of Toy Story lol.

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