18
August
2007
I’m pleased to report that Elliott foster had his neuter yesterday and that it went perfectly. 
He apparently came round and was eating, drinking and running around in such a short time that it was almost as if he hadn’t noticed - I however dislike the time in between dropping one of them off and hearing that they’re OK so much that I almost wonder if it was a worse experience for me than it was for him!
Anyway when we went back in this evening for his post op check the vet on duty happened to be my favourite one. They’re all great at my local branch but she’s just fabulous and natters away to the meeces just as she would a dog or cat. She picked Elliott up to check his op site (’come on monkey lets have a look at your boy bits’) and promptly exclaimed ‘Oh that looks beautiful’!! Now I’m really pleased with how clean and neat his little scars are but had to laugh, not sure there are many people that would describe a mouses recently operated on scrotum as beautiful!! 
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15
August
2007
I acquired a new foster boy Monday lunchtime after seeing a thread about him on the fancy-rats forum. He was to be homed on his own having proven to be extremely aggressive with other mice so after asking about any health problems I offered to have him here in order to be neutered and then (hopefully!) introduced to dutch foster. The lady who was looking after him kindly offered to bring him to me which was great, it’s always nice to meet another mouse person. 
There is some confusion over the new boys age, he’s been in rescue for 6 months and the person who handed him in said he was a year old at the time although its obvious at a glance that he’s nowhere near 18 months, not even a year now by my estimation! Anyway he is a gorgeous, healthy and active little guy who goes by the name of Elliott. I don’t name my foster mice to try and prevent myself becoming too attached to them but as he came with a name it seems a shame to drop it so he’ll be Elliott foster whilst he’s here. I plan to book him in for a check with my vet to discuss neutering later in the week.
Whilst we’re on the subject of fosters I had an update on lilac foster from his new foster home. Happily he and his hammie friend have been successfully introduced and now get on well and sleep together (bless!) and will be able to go up for homing very soon.
Finally I wanted to thank everyone who follows this blog and especially those of you who have sent me emails or added comments since I started it. I didn’t know whether people would be really be interested when I decided to add the mouse diaries to the site so the lovely comments, enquiries and condolences over the past few months have been very gratefully received, thank you!
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12
August
2007
My old girl Hazel passed away this morning. 
She was already full grown when she arrived here on 22nd March 2006 so she was fast approaching 2 if not already and has been looking elderly for a while now but even so I’m very sad to lose her. Sleep tight sweet girl. x
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3
August
2007
Well there really hasn’t been much to report here lately, which is either a good or a bad thing depending on how you look at it!! However since it has been ages since my last blog entry I thought I’d share with you some photos I took during tonights cleaning and play time.
^ Whisper
^ Ebony the sniffer-mouse!
^ Felix looking fab since his op
^ Dutch foster (on my shoulder)
^ And Grace and Hoggle now the best of friends and enjoying their new toy
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6
July
2007
It barely ever happens that everything runs smoothly here so when it does I like to make the most of it!! Since my last entry Lilac foster went off to pastures new as planned and just yesterday Grace moved in with Hoggle, also as planned. Gracie, given everything she’s been through, was very jumpy to begin with but Hoggle was the perfect gentleman and having had a whiffle in her general direction was quite happy to let her explore and settle in without bothering her further. Before long she had calmed right down, sitting still for Hogs to have a bit of a sniff and say hello and since then things have remained completely uneventful. They’re not sharing a bed as yet (they have only just met lol! ;)) but I have a feeling it won’t be long!
I’ve also had a bit of a re-organisation and have built myself a unit out of a surplus flat pack wardrobe to house my mouse cages. I’ve dubbed it Mousie towers and I’m rather pleased with it so I thought I’d share a pic with you all.
Once Dutch foster is homed Felix will rejoin the big group in the Freddy (bottom shelf) and the top shelf will be storage/space for fosters or a hospital cage. It’s certainly much better than having them scattered round the living room that’s for sure! Other than Mousie towers I have the rat cage over the far side of the room and the spiny tank on a unit in another corner….
….so all in all my living room now looks much more like a living room than a mouse house, just in time for me to decorate over the summer.
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21
June
2007
Well unfortunately things have been difficult here since my last entry due to one of my human babies being very poorly. Happily she is just about on the mend now so I thought it was about time for an update!
Felixs op scar has healed up beautifully and after a careful, week long intro he is now living with dutch foster. My foster boy was a bit uptight to begin with but settled just fine and now I’m gradually adding toys and things to their cage. It hasn’t caused any upset as yet, but then they’ve still no wheel at the moment so we shall see! I still don’t have a plan for dutch foster but at least if he’s not on his own that’s him sorted for the short term.
On a similar note Hoggle is now two weeks into his four week post neuter waiting time so just a fortnight left until he and Grace can be introduced. It won’t be a minute too soon for either party, Hoggle has taken to bar chewing since Bears death and Grace has now recovered fully from her unfortunate ordeal with my other spiny girls and is far too cooped up in her temporary cage. Really looking forward to them meeting.
And finally the gorgeous lilac foster is off to pastures new….to move in with a lonely hamster! Options for what to do with him have been totally restricted due to both his failed neuter and the fact he now won’t even be nice to another boy on neutral ground! I remembered the fabby Sproggie14 mentioning the success she’d had with mice and dwarf hammies living together so that’s where he’s going in a final attempt to avoid him living his life alone. This will mean that in a couple of weeks time I shan’t have any lone meeces here which is always my aim. Lets just hope it all goes to plan lol!
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7
June
2007
Well Felix’s lump removal and Hoggle’s neuter were postponed from Monday until today so I have just spent another morning pacing around anxiously, even more so than usual after what happened with lilac foster last week! Happily though I have just got off the phone from the vets who have reported that both boys are absolutely fine! I am able to pick them up anytime after 3pm but as I have an appointment for Fanulla/Lucy at 10 past 6 I shall collect them at the same time. Will be very glad to have them both safe and sound, shall update later.
Update: Well everyone is home and settled now. Felix apparently lost quite a lot of blood during his surgery, enough to really concern them but he then amazed everyone by bouncing back really quickly and now you wouldn’t even know if it wasn’t for the scar down his chest! Hoggle’s neuter went beautifully which is fab but based on this evening I think it may prove trickier to get his 5 days of baytril into him lol!
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4
June
2007
I always hate having mice living on their own no matter how short a time its for so with currently 4 meeces in their own cages I’m spending a fair amount of time coming up with ways of keeping them amused. Last night they all seemed bored and were mostly languishing in their beds so I decided to make up some treat tubes for them to play with. A treat tube is just a toilet roll tube that I put a few treats in, stuff both ends tightly with newspaper and then punch a small hole through one side of (so the mice smell can the treats and gives them a start to get their teeth into). Sometimes I hang them from the roof of the cage but last night I just popped them in to see what they did with them.
Within seconds twitchy noses appeared from beds (well all except Hoggle who wasn’t coming out of his wooden house for anyone!) and it wasn’t long before all I could hear were the sounds of cardboard and newspaper being shredded! Grace was very lady like and calmly tore strips of cardboard off, Dutch foster tried to dig his way in the end whilst Lilac foster - now totally recovered from last week - tore his to bits and looked suitably smug when he discovered what was hidden inside. All in all I’d say they were a hit!
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31
May
2007
Today was the day Lilac foster was booked in for his neuter. I was there with him for when they opened at 8.30 (actually I was early but the receptionist took pity on us and opened early so me the kids and I weren’t stood out waiting in the rain!) as per usual, signed the consent forms, had his health check and came home. As usual they said to ring around midday to see how he was doing.
As always when any of the meeces are in for any sort of op I spent the morning feeling generally nervous and unsettled, I must have been feeling particularly off today though as I even did the ironing!! Anyway when the phone rang around 10.30 I jumped out of my skin convinced something awful had happened but fortunately it wasn’t the vets. When it rang again an hour later though it was. Apparently lilac foster was put under fine but just as they were about to start the operation he developed a nosebleed! They abandoned the op immediately and brought him round, he was under less than 5 mins in total but the nurse said he really scared her. When they phoned they said I couldn’t pick him up until after 3 as they wanted him in observation until then but I was so worried I couldn’t help but keep phoning to see how he was. I had a long chat with the nurse when I collected him too (I was there bang on 3 as you can imagine!) and we both said we’ve never heard of this ever happening before. Very worrying and upsetting.
We’re home now and I have Lilac foster sleeping in his carry tank next to me. He seems a little dopey but is eating and drinking so that’s good. I’ve got a weeks worth of Baytril for him incase its a respiratory problem that caused the bleeding but basically its going to be keep a very close eye on him for a few days. I have a feeling my anxious day will be an anxious night too……
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29
May
2007
I’m considering if it might actually be cheaper and easier for me to move into the vet surgery lol! I was down there with no less than 5 meeces this morning, will be there again for lilac foster’s neuter on Thursday and again Monday for Felix to have a lump removal and possibly Hoggle to be neutered too. My exotic specialist unfortunately wasn’t in today to discuss it but after talking it over with the vet she said to book him in and if for any reason the exotics vet doesn’t want to go ahead she’ll call me. She said she doesn’t see why it would present anymore of a risk than for a fancy mouse though which is good.
Benji’s skin had flared again after previously clearing up so now we are going to bath it with iodine a few times a day, which is also how we’re treating the inflamed polyps than have appeared in Fanulla/Lucy’s ears. She also has to wear a collar to stop her scratching them but they’re having to order in one to fit her so I won’t have that until Thursday. Never had to have a mouse wear one before so that’ll be a new experience for the both of us!
Also very sadly I had Charlie PTS this morning. I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet to be honest. I am pleased that the vet was happy with my suggestion for him to be allowed to go whilst still in his doughnut bed as he has adored that thing since the day he got sent it (fan mail from someone who’d followed a thread about him on the Fancy-rats forum) and so it seemed very fitting. I decided a long time ago that I’d bury him in when it was his time as it just couldn’t ever belong to anyone else. Its going to be difficult to bury him later, he’s been such a big part of my life for the past 18 months, my gorgeous Charlie-bear. Here are some pictures of him from his younger days.
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