Willie Nillie

by EverythingAnimal Wed 10 Feb 2021, 5:30 pm

Thought I'd throw some pics of Willie here, he's really a beautiful mouse! I had never seen anything like him when I saw him in the pet shop. He was with about 10-15 other males at the store (many of which were also very pretty) and two weeks later all of the mice were gone. They were labeled "pet only" but mice were out of stock at petco so everyone who uses live feeders, including the employees, got them from there... I feel bad for the other mice, Willie can be glad that his fancy colors saved his life. I've had one albino female in the past, I think everyone with mice should get at least one albino one at some point since they're more likely to become snake food than the fancy looking ones.

He loves his popsicle stick house, but I can't get him to use his wheel! He'll run on a saucer but not a normal wheel. He didn't have a wheel at the shop so maybe it'll take a while for him to "get" it.

by SarahAdams Wed 10 Feb 2021, 6:13 pm

Willie is indeed a very handsome boy! I'm glad he came home with you. My mice adore their wheels to the point of addiction, so hopefully, Willie will catch on to his!

by MerciToujoursMaPetiteBoop Wed 10 Feb 2021, 7:39 pm

When I decided to take in a mouse, I intended to adopt one boy. My sources were limited to a few nearby pet stores, some of which posted signs saying that their small rodents were for sale as pets, not as food. One sold feeders out of its stock room, though. I happened to overhear such a transaction initiated one day, so I knew about it.

I understand that people have reptiles as pets and love them. I love reptiles too, VERY much. I also know about the "rodent mill" trade that supplies live and frozen food for reptilian pets. Whichever way I decided to go in selecting a mouse, I knew I would have guilt on my conscience. But adopting a feeder I would also have one little saved soul that would not have to face the terror that had been its destiny.

My little April was in one of four tanks of PEW girls designated to be reptile food when I showed up at the pet store that Sunday morning. I didn't have the fortitude to select one to save over all the others -- she just happened to be the one who stepped forward in the tank the clerk reached into. That felt bad enough, "rescuing" only one, but as April's personality bloomed I'd feel horrible to remember all the other little lost individual personalities that didn't get the same chance she did.

Six weeks later I took April back into the store for a "visit" when I wanted to shop a bit. The people there, one after another, were absolutely delighted to see her. Another clerk (not the one who had picked her up out of the tank and handed her to me the first day) told me what a wonderful thing it was to see one of those little mousies again, because they all knew what happened to the vast majority of them, and it really pained them to hand over a little mouse to a person buying it as live prey.

by Peachy Wed 10 Feb 2021, 7:44 pm

Willie is so handsome! I was surprised how quickly mice figured out the saucer wheel, but I’ve seen the opposite too... mice who refuse to use a wheel unless it’s mesh. lol

My PEWs have more often than not been uber sweet. Shame they’re so commonly labeled “feeder.”

by Dee67 Sun 14 Feb 2021, 2:50 am

Willie is a very fancy fancy mouse Love

very handsome and obviously lucky. My Figgy wouldn't or didn't know how to use his 2 wheels for over 1 month. Then one night, in the middle of the night, I heard a strange sound and sure enough there he was trundling along. Once he caught on he never stopped until the day I cleaned the wheels. He was pretty upset with me and it took him a week to get back on again, silly dude Wink