This Old Mouse

As usual I worry about things that I am often told I should not worry about.



Usually Pudding would be the type of of mouse that would squirm and run away when I grab for her. Last night I noticed she was laying by herself and when I reached for her she just looked up, blinked and then put her head back down. I picked her up and she sniffed me for a second and then put her head back down and curled up, seemingly contented to go to sleep. She felt slightly cold, especially her tail. I offered her some bread crumbs which she sniffed and nibbled on for a second or two and then put down and went back to sleep. I noticed she appeared to be becoming greyer around her nose and parts of her face. I held her for awhile, worried and was told not to worry, as I let her snuggle and sleep.

Eventually I put her back in the cage hoping that she would crawl into one of the nests and snuggle in with some of her children. I looked in on her after a while and did find her in one of the sleeping areas, snuggling with one of the Quimby mouses and Dixie mouse, appearing to be contently asleep. I went to bed and tried not to worry that I would wake up the next day to find Pudding no long in this world.

In the morning I found Pudding contently snuggled up inside a tissue paper tube and greatly annoyed with me for waking her up. I placed some smaller dishes throughout the cages with an assortment of the yummy seeds and watched as she hustled her way in to grab some choice seeds away from her children and the other adult female.

Pudding appears to be holding her own very well. Trish has suspected Pudding may actually be the oldest of the adult mice and Pudding is starting to not only show her age, but, acting it in her seemingly wanting to be held and snuggled.