Jose's Story

A friend wrote to my sister about Max and then she told this story. It is a story about a tiny mouse and I have her permission to post it on the blog. She sent pictures also. Here's the story.

We have been in California. We flew out to visit an old girlfriend that I went to Jr. High school with in Ames.....she moved to California in 9th. grade. We lost touch for years----then re-connected with the Internet. We did see them about 3 or 4 years ago,when Robin lived in California for those 2 years. Anyway, she and her husband inherited a vacation home in Carmel. We stayed 5 days there. What a paradise! We had a great time!!! The California weather is so NEAT!!! No humidity!!!

Coming back to Germantown, we were in The San Jose airport....Jim went to the men's room. He came out and told me that there was a tiny baby mouse in back of the faucets in there,,,eating a candy bar wrapper and drinking the slopped over water up on the counter. I begged him to go back in and see if it was still there. He did, and it was. He brought it out and we put it in my carry-on cosmetic bag. We bought a salted nut roll and put a few nuts in there with it. Then we soaked a paper towel and put that in too, for him to suck on.

We had a layover in Las Vegas and we checked on him....He was fine. He made it all the way back....we flew in to Little Rock, and as soon as we landed, we started looking for a pet store. We flew out of Little Rock since it is so much cheaper than Memphis....We finally found a pet store, and the nice manager helped us get him all rigged up.

At first we thought that he would be nice in a hamster cage, but it didn't take long to figure out that he could get right through the bars!!! So we had to get a little plastic cage with the ventilation at the top. We got stuff for the bottom of the cage and ended up putting an empty toilet paper roll in it for him to go.

The man helped us rig up a watering device. He is sitting up here in his little cage on the desk near the computer. When we got him in San Jose, he must have been really dehydrated and starving, because he was so easy to pick up and then just stayed in your hand......Evidently he is feeling much better, because he jumps out of our hands now and runs as fast as any mouse you have ever seen!!!

We have done research on the Internet, and I guess if you get one before their eyes are open, they can become very, very tame. Well I can see, that is never going to happen with this little guy!!! His eyes were already open. So we will keep him until he is big and then most likely, let him go. We got a big fancy hamster cage with the wheel and all that, for when he gets bigger. We named him Jose. He is so cute!! About the size of half your thumb.

She sent the pictures with this note:

We went upstairs and proceeded to try to get him out of his cage for a photo op. He promptly bit me!!! The first time he has bitten anyone.....We got these two shots. That's about all we can do. It was quite a fiasco!!! He jumped and got away twice....we were chasing him all over the upstairs!!! Finally caught him in a guest bathroom. I'm sure he is exhausted after all that running! He is an ornery little stink-pot!!!

Then she also wrote this which is very comforting:

Now I want you to remember that animals don't ever even think about dying!!! So they don't worry like humans do. So Max is just like he is sleeping peacefully and not sick, is what I believe. You guys did the right thing! The true test of love, as far as I can see.

Jon was here when I got back from Des Moines and Max was sitting on the couch beside him. He is very regal and majestic. He knows that things aren't right but he is calm and quiet and this is a special time with him.