Mice are God, too

I know I'm in Easy World when I have the sudden inspiration to post on Denver Freecycle that I am looking for a 10-gallon fish tank for the Three Mousketeers, and get an immediate reply that someone who lives close to us not only has one to give away, but has a mesh top for it as well! We picked it up, ordered a "tank topper" for it (a cage built to rest on top of an aquarium tank, with ramps so the mice can access the upper levels--there are 2, making 3 in all, counting the tank floor), and the mice are happily ensconced in their deluxe new habitat. They were outgrowing the cage we got them when they were babies, only 6 weeks ago!

Now, to speak to the title of this entry. I've really learned a valuable lesson about taking responsibility for 3 lives, however small their packages, without really understanding what's involved. I just saw Britney Spears' sweet little face staring up at me from the tank at Petsmart, and I was a goner. I'm not sure why I didn't consider it just as important a decision as I would if I had been considering a new canine addition. I mean--I'd never have bought a dog through a pet shop. And I'd never have done it on a whim. I've been breathing through my moments of sheer panic, realizing that these are precious creatures, too, that I know so little about rodent-keeping, and that taking care of them properly is the same as taking care of the Divine.

Somehow, without knowing the "mouse rules," I intuitively understood that I needed to get 3 female mice so if one died, there would still be a pair to keep each other company. Turns out, that's the number recommended by the experts because female mice very much need companionship, so if one dies, there's still a companion for the one left, just as I somehow sensed. I am a little verklempt at imagining what it will be like when there's only one left--female mice die from loneliness when their cage-mates are gone. I am not sure I'm willing to keep adding mice forever so as not to be cruel to the last one standing...

Another issue that makes me wish I'd thought this through more thoroughly is that the dachshunds have become obsessed with them, especially since we moved their tank to a more convenient location. But I'm trusting that they will get more used to them and that they will calm down about them. That's already happening, though more slowly than I'd like.

But the mice are such fun to watch, and they have such individual personalities, that we are really getting attached to them, and even though I vascillate between loving having them and wishing I had never taken on responsibility for them, they've become family.  

Anyhoo, I still haven't figured out the trick to embedding video in my blog entries, but I did finally email Tony to ask him about it. So, hopefully, I'll know soon. Meanwhile, click on the links to see the mice--first, in their "starter home," and then, with the wieners watching in their new home:

The Three Mousketeers Deal With A Strange New Thing

and

The Two Wieners Watch the Three Mouseketeers