The title's just here to distract you from the fine print.

First a couple of crops from the shots I posted yesterday. I viewed them full size and just fell in love with the expressions on those silly birds and had to have them in my journal.





For contrast, the babe alone, pre-introduction. Any doubt that they're happier not kept as pets when you see the contrast?



Next, and I'm only going to say this once, so if anyone inadvertantly scolls past the warning and is squicked out don't come a squallin' at me...

MOUSES!!!

First up in this section, the cute. Welcome to the baby mouse ball.



Help yourself to a drink.



Yeah, their cages can get kinda icky. We don't clean them or move mice when there are really young ones in there. The colony's strong and can take it, though. In all the years I've been there I can count on one hand the sick mice I've seen.

Next up in this section, one count on that hand. Scabby the mouse.

We segregated him from the colony weeks ago. We segregated him because we didn't have the heart to euthanize him. We segregated him to allow him to die in peace.

He fooled us but good.

Two weeks ago that bald patch was one big scab. Last week it was half the size. I could have kissed him when I saw it was gone, but nnnnnnnnnnnyeaaaaah... I'm not kissing him.



Blurry shot, but that's because he's so active, and that's a good thing! You can kind of see how his one eye is still scabby here, but again, two weeks ago both eyes were just red raw:



When I gave him that wheel two weeks ago he could barely take two steps on it between scratchings. He kept on stepping though. I didn't even see him scratch once this week, and what's more he'd been so busy digging around all week I had to unbury a great bulk of it to make it usable again.

My little hero. The body he's trapped in might have a fierce case of the uglies at the moment, but what a lovely little being. With the quota of losses we face at the shelter, unexpected saves are cherished indeed.