• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Baby mouse... hand rearing

Status
Not open for further replies.
He was beautiful, and he looked a great character. It is very normal to feel what you are feeling so please don't feel silly for being so upset. Nursing any animal to half the degree you nursed mousie brings you so much closer to the animal; they become your main thought and an integral part of your day, a vital part of your routine. When the animal passes, you have suddenly lost everything you worked so hard to save, the routine you had created becomes unnecessary and empty. The main part of your day is no more. So don't feel you shouldn't be so heartbroken. You have every right to feel that way and it shows your true love for the darling creature you helped so much.

Big *hugs* to you. xx
 
Laura (CCC4) has expressed so eloquently what I'm sure so many of us would like to say to you. You have a heart of gold, which has been touched very deeply by this little mousie, and you have invested so much of yourself in caring for him, that his passing has left a huge hole in your heart. When you look back to some of the advice you were given at the beginning (basically, don't bother!) you did such a loving thing in taking care of him. I hope in time when the hurt becomes less raw, you can be glad you made his life comfortable for as long as you did.

Many hugs from me.
 
So sorry for your loss.... I'm crying myself.... 8...8...8...

Hope this may comfort you. Usually mother nature tells mum about defects in young and she may have left Mousie behind for that reason. You gave him a much better home and quality of life than he'd ever had hoped for in the wild... but there may have been internal imperfections which made his life impossible. Short of asking your vet for a post-mortem, rejoice in the thought that he loved you and you loved him, an experience neither of you would have lived if fate had not put him in your life and you in his. You made him happy and secure and he died (prematurely) knowing that. I know it's not enough but maybe in time a comforting thought...

Best regards and my heart goes to you.x>>
 
I'm so sorry to hear about mousie. You were such a good mum and did everything you could for him. In fact you did a lot more than most xx
 
I'm so devastated for you, you were such a good carer. RIP mousie x
 
Oh I am so sorry, I'm in tears just reading it. What a kind and caring person you must be, if only more people in the world took care of "the small ones" we may not be in such a mess. Take care, and my thoughts are with you.
 
I am feeling a lot better today and a lot of that is down to all your wonderful thoughts and comments.... many thanks.

On the positive side one of the members recommended emailing a 'mousey' person....which I did and I am getting three mice off her on Sunday. I don't expect it will fill the huge hole left by my 'little man' but it may go some way to compensate.

Funny how lifes journeys can take you down a track you would never before have considered...... Fate ... it's a funny thing !

I know this is not a forum for mice but will post pictures on Sunday when I get them .... so I guess there is some sort of a happy ending even if it isn't the one I wanted....you never know this could be the start of a whole new love affair :))
 
I'm so sorry to hear about your little mouse.

I've been telling everyone about him, it will be so sad to have to tell them he didn't make it.

Thinking of you. :(
 
I am glad you feel better, even though you will never forget little mousie, I am sure!
How funny that you have adopted mice now, I can't wait to see pictures!
x)
Yes sometimes things work out like that, and you find your passion just like that! Keep us informed about your mice!

:)
 
I'm glad you're feeling a little better - I'm delighted you're giving some other little mice a good home. And no, this isn't a mouse forum as such, but there's a section for "other pets" so I hope you'll keep us posted with lots of pictures. I'm looking forward to seeing them.
 
Well done for what you did. I have read your story and it moved me. Its a shame there aren't more of us in this world...
some people are too quick to judge.
 
Everything happens for a reason. :)

Mousie was obviously meant to come to you, for you to fall in love with him and nurse him, and it is his legacy that he started you off on your new-found love for mice. Your new mice will be a wonderful tribute and will honour young Mousie's life perfectly.
 
I have just read through the whole thread and was routing for the little man so I'm am very sorry for you that it didnt turn out the better way...
:(

At least he had some love and warmth whilst he was alive...
 
I know I should probably put this in the 'other pets' section but it is kind of the finale to the story.

I got three beautiful mice today. They will NEVER be able to replace my 'little man' but they are so gorgeous and I am lucky to get them. They have been 'housed' in a lovely new mouse heaven home (just like I'd promised my little man if he'd made it). They have settled in really well and seem really at home already.

As promised here are some pictures...hope you like them.
 

Attachments

  • 020.webp
    020.webp
    43.7 KB · Views: 45
  • 026.webp
    026.webp
    58.8 KB · Views: 42
  • 029.webp
    029.webp
    41.2 KB · Views: 41
And just because I cant resist......
 

Attachments

  • 025.webp
    025.webp
    45.3 KB · Views: 42
  • 030.webp
    030.webp
    58 KB · Views: 42
  • 032.webp
    032.webp
    43.7 KB · Views: 40
yyoung said:
I know I should probably put this in the 'other pets' section but it is kind of the finale to the story.
I got three beautiful mice today. They will NEVER be able to replace my 'little man' but they are so gorgeous and I am lucky to get them. They have been 'housed' in a lovely new mouse heaven home (just like I'd promised my little man if he'd made it). They have settled in really well and seem really at home already.
As promised here are some pictures...hope you like them.
Click to expand...

You're right, it's like the final chapter, and the right place to be. You can always post the many hundreds of future pictures you will be taking of them in the "other pets" section :)
This trio are just delightful, do you know much/anything about their history? How old are they? Are they related? Are they boys or girls? And have you chosen names yet? Sorry for so many questions, but I think they are absolutely lovely. Your "little man" was fortunate to've had you in his life, and so will these three be.
 
A fitting tribute, that little Mousie was able to bring the joys of mice into your life. And wonderful pictures... I love the one of them in the food dish... you can't see the one mouse except for a tiny little bit because the apple? is bigger than they are. What a wonderful life they're going to have with you.
 
Wow, they look like they already have massive personalities. They look so different to Mousie... Have you got names yet?
Like the others have said, it brings this thread to a natural end so I think it's in the right place...
Well done and good luck!x>>
 
They are lovely mice, they look very confident :) I think your new mice are a great tribute to your little man, they have a lovely new home.
 
Thank you for posting these pictures, your mice are lovely! x)x)
They have very big ears! :)
I wish you a lot of fun with them, I hope they will live a long and happy life!
 
You know I think I am losing my mind as I thought I had posted some details about my mice but it appears i have not....

The argente (sort of beige/fawn) is 5 weeks old and is called Tinkerbell.
The dove (pale grey coloured) is 7 weeks old and is called Twinkle
The cinnamon (the darkest) is 9 weeks old and is called Tilly.

They are all girls (and double confirmed !).

I am still struggling to come to terms with losing my 'little man' and these poor wee mice have such big shoes to fill. I only hope that I can make them feel as loved as my 'little man' so obviously did feel. It's interesting that I feel such a tremendous loss....My father died a few months ago and that was really terrible but this feels so weirdly different and more heartbreaking and I don't quite get why..... Obviously I loved my father very much but the pain is so intense from this damn mouse.... very odd :(
 
It could be that you've transferred some of your unexpressed grief from your father's passing onto Mousie, so when you mourn for him, you're mourning for both. Plus you were intimately involved in the care of Mousie, every hour of every day, so it's bound to have had a severe effect. It's been a month since I had to let Pigglywink go, and I still find myself going to nurse her sometimes, and panicking because her cage isn't there. Give yourself time...
 
I really love the names you've chosen for your little mice. And of course you are grieving for your Father, but you had taken on the responsibility of little Mousie 24/7, and the relationship was very intense, so that suddenly, when it stops, it's like a part of you being cut off. Your little girls will be very well loved and looked after, even if it's in a different way because their needs will be different, so have no fears about that.
 
so sorry for your loss this even made me cry! so special that you have 3 lovely mousies as a tribute to his life
 
I totally agree with what has been said already, and I could not have expressed it in a better way: You might be grieving for both at the same time, your dad and your mousie, and, very importantly, you felt so responsible for little mousie, and you had a very strong bond. So this is why it is so hard to get over it.

I have lost several pets, many rats, some piggies, some rabbits and many cats. It was hard each time, really, really hard.
But when I lost my Pauline last year, the piggy who needed constant care (syringe feeding, cleaning, many vet visits, a lot of research because nobody really knew what exactly was wrong with her), it was the hardest ever. Not because I did not love the other pets - I DID love them all (especially my ratties!), but because Pauline was on my thoughts 24/7; when I was not actually with her, I thought about her all the time, about ways how to help her, what else I could do for her, I wrote e-mails to specialists and other piggy mums (this was, by the way, why I joined this forum!), tried different vets, bought some nice things for her, to make her life more comfortable, slept next to her cage to see if she is alright - I was totally exhausted and tired, and of course more vulnerable than when you lose a piggy suddenly.
Moreover, I had to eventually make the decision to have her pts, which was the worst. It is ALWAYS bad to make such a decision, but in Pauline's case, I struggled so hard and finally had to accept that I could not help her any longer.
So the feelings of grief can indeed be very different, and you should not think "I am grieving more now, does that mean that I did not love my father as much" - but the feelings are rooted in many different "canals", I think, and there are several reasons why you seem to feel more devastated now than you did last year. Sometimes, when cases of death add up, it is also difficult to bear simply the addition of them; it is the same with other bad things that happen to you in life: you are often able to deal with one, but it is getting harder if you have to deal with one after the other.

Anyway, I can totally understand you, and I hope the three little girls bring sunshine into your life!
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top