Mousy Free Run, the mice have fun :)
Like 4 Dislike 0 Published on 24 Sep 2019
Again some older footage but too cute not to post, plus it shows the individual personalities so well. The main stars are Ruby, Midas, Athena, Amara, and Brampton. (Sorry for the air conditioner noise, we had the hottest summer on record here in the Yukon and the air conditioner was needed to keep the mice comfortable and alive.)
This was the last video I took of little Ruby. A few days after this, her suffering just became too great and I had to have her humanely euthanized. Normally I would not have let things go on so long, but she seemed to love her life so much and did not want to go, despite the pain and discomfort. She loved her porridge right up until the end. I am so glad I got to spend those last few weeks with her. She showed me a new side of mouse intelligence, how even the ones who were flighty and aloof all their lives, still understand that I am there to help and will seek me out in their time of need. Ruby was an awesome little mouse, something I only understood at the end. Makes me look at all my mice differently now.
Midas was still very needy and insecure in this video. Male mice who are kept intact and alone, often become very needy and excessively affectionate towards their humans. It is adorable but also a sign of stress, there is something huge missing in their lives: the company of their own kind. Since Midas has been neutered, his ear issue fixed and is living with his own little group of females, he is much, much happier. Still very affectionate, but not obsessively so like when he first came.
Athena was the sweetest thing on four legs, my little angel in white fur, one of those mice who you wish could live forever. She was adorably cute, beautiful when young, adorably chubby in old age. She was the best little care giver to babies, her nurturing instincts were super strong and she was kind to everyone. I have some wonderful footage of her caring for babies and someday soon (as soon as I get my new laptop and can edit 4K video) I will make a music video of her. She was the best little mouse ever and I still miss her so much. She truly was an irreplaceable, priceless little gem.
Amara shows up throughout the video, as well as Cloe, Cloe's daughter Trixie (three golden, iridescent mice in this video, Midas, Cloe and Trixie), Faye, Frost, Pax, Artemus and a few others (I do have around 30 mice right now lol). Amara is a super active, good natured and confident little thing and one of my favorite mice right now. Today she lives with Midas, they are two little mice in love :)
Brampton is my only intact, un-neutered male right now. This means he has to live alone, something he hates. It is a very lonely life to be a breeding male in a mousery. But I am breeding him currently to three little mice (Jasmine, Trixie and Angel) and once I know they are pregnant, he will be neutered asap. Then finally he will be able to live in a group and no longer be so alone. I am going to experiment with a mousy birth control powder I bought online. If this proves effective and side effect free, then the days of lonely un-neutered males will become a thing of the past. We will see.....
Warning: Complete free run is dangerous for very tiny animals like mice. Only do it if the mouse room is 100% escape proof and mouse safe. Make sure no one can suddenly come into the room. Take off you shoes and socks, preferably wear shorts, so you can feel if a mouse is underfoot. Move very carefully, always be aware of where the mice are and that one moment of inattention can end a mouse's life. I rarely allow complete free run, mostly they are just allowed to run on my art table. They do love freedom though, so once in a while, as a special treat, I will set things up for complete free run in the studio.