Old Girls on Parade

"We work so hard at being pretty..."

"There had better be treats when we are done..."

Ms. Curly, "The Chubby Brown Mouse"

Quimby, "Little Quimby," Ms. Quimby, if you're nasty...

Humphrey's Last Cuddle

Humphrey

I took Humphrey out a couple of nights ago and he was at first low and slow. But he perked up, almost to the level he was at when he was in his manic phases. I took Humphrey out in his ball and he rolled around the house, occasionally running up on my feet and looking up at me with his dark chocolate eyes before he rolled away.

This morning I took him out and he was very, low. He just barely perked up while I cuddled with him. I put him in the upper level of his home and he munched down on a yogurt cheerio before looking for a corner to bury himself him. He eventually waddled back down to his favorite corner and tucked himself in.

This evening he was the lowest ever. Humprey just barely responded to being picked up and touched. He was over all limp, his legs on one side slightly curled up and he was cool to the touch. His breathing was shallow and at times he would twitch. We heated up a pad for him to lay on while we kept an eye on him. I sat with him and for awhile I kept him tucked in on my chest under my shirt and then moved him to the pad. I stayed with him, stroking his fur while softly whispering to him. Humphrey started jerking with forced sigh like breaths, making a whimpering noise with each exhale with his mouth open. His eyes where wide and I held him in his last moment, whispering to him that I was so sorry that I was not a better 'daddy' and that he was my 'fuzzy little boy.' I looked into his eyes and I could swear he was looking right back at me up to the moment the life left them.

I put Humphrey down on a napkin as I prepared his burial cloth. I gave him some treats for his journey and wrapped him up, preparing him for cold storage before taking him to be with the rest of the rodent family.

Rats Understand Cause and Effect

Trish found this about how rats understand much more than many thought...

Busy Hamster...

Busy sleeping a lot these days. I am a little worried about him not moving around or getting enough water. He has built up quite the little throne of food and treats that also serves as his bed. I try to coax him out for a cuddle and a brushing or even some time in the adventure ball. The one good thing is he is gaining some weight.

More on the snake and hamster...

Colbert Report: Craziest F*%king Thing I've Ever Heard

Some Mouseygirls

I don't like to stress the little old ladies out. But they seem to need to squirm and fuss and it can be really hard to take decent pictures of them even when they are relaxed. And I would rather not put them under bright lights.

But these three of the four mouseygirls settled just long enough to stop and give me their pained looks as I tried to coax them into more pictures. The poor old girl on the left is starting to show her age, especially when I hold her and she snuggles right into my hand. The middle girl is the youngest and seemingly healthiest of the four and she can be very independent from the rest. The one on the right is the chubby mouse who can get around very quickly when she wants to.

MIT researcher explains how rats think...

...[more treats would be nice]

After running a maze, rats mentally replay their actions - but backward, like a film played in reverse, a researcher at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT reports Feb. 12 in the advance online edition of Nature.

"She said it would be OK" ..."Yeah!"

A little bird just told me that "...Beatrice and Regina said they wanted to sleep on my pillow 'cause it was already warm and you said it would be alright to leave a lot of treats with them while they keep you company..."

I slept in this morning, and the rattie sisters evidently thought it would be nice to do the same on the big, soft bed.

Nice try...

Dr. Fun builds a worse mousetrap...

Dr. Fun