Friday, April 24, 2009

Peromyscus maniculatus

A few months ago, I was in the basement getting a beer from the cold cellar.... I opened the cellar door and switched on the light.... there, sitting on the shelf, was a little deer mouse looking at me.... we stared at each other for a few seconds, each contemplating the next move of the other.... he hopped away, but not before turning around to take one last look at me and then scurrying off.... After making such profound eye contact, I couldn't bring myself to kill the little guy in a mousetrap.... so instead, here he is....
I intended to immediately release him into the woods somewhere far from the houses.... but in his shivering, cowering, post-capture shock-like state....
I thought I'd keep him for a while, feed him, and let him recover before introducing him to a completely new environment....
Nermal seemed to like him, he would sniff and tap the cage every so often.... Nermal could often be found sitting by the cage just watching the mouse run around.... at night sometimes, you'd find him sleeping nearby.... I know, I know, my cat is weird.... you'd probably think that he would have knocked the cage over and killed the thing by now.... no, not Nermal....It's been almost two weeks now since Mousey was captured, and I figured he was ready to face the real world again.... the weather has gotten really nice and he'd chewed enough holes in his cage (an old hamster cage btw), that I thought it was time to let him go.... before he let himself go, right back into the cellar....So long and good luck little guy....and Happy Earth Week....Mouse 148

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15 comments:

MeL said...

So lil mousey is your new temporary anak. I like his home. I bet he was able to exercise and play around.

Nermal is such a sweet big brother! I'm sure he'll miss lil mousey. :)

How did you catch lil mousey in the basement?

Dennis Villegas said...

I was so touched by this story Angelo. The little mouse was quite endearing. Nakakatuwa. The pictures are very heartwarming

You are a very kind person. Your compassion to fellow people, to nature and animals show through your posts!

I'm proud to be your friend!

Puss-in-Boots said...

A deer mouse, how cute is he? What a softie you are, Angelo. But I'd probably do the same thing. What a good boy Nermal is not to eat the mouse...big cuddles and scritches for him.

Hope all is well with you, Angelo. Take care. Hugs.

lucas said...

what a cute mouse, but i like your cat more! i like the thick gray hair.

nermal is a very interesting name...how did you come up with it?

belated earthday, doc :D

Angelo said...

Mel: Mel!! I threw a bowl over him then slid a piece of cardboard under him. I tried to just drop him into the cage, but he kept jumping away. So I had to throw the bowl over him a again a couple of times.... he really didn't put up that much of a fight.

Dennis Villegas: Thanks Dennis! Hey, how could anybody look into those big black eyes and not spare the little fellow hehe...

Puss-in-Boots: Hey Robyn thanks, Nermal and I are great. Ya, next time there's a mouse in the house, do not make eye contact, it complicates things :)

Lucas: Hey man, Nermal thanks you. "Nermal" is the name of Garfield's little cousin, the one Garfield finds annoying and tried to ship to Africa.... belated happy Earth Day!

Grace said...

Hi Angelo, it is so nice to be back here in your blog.
Have a blessed Sunday. :)

Angelo said...

Hi! I'm Grace: Thanks Grace, nice to have you back on my blog.

escape said...

awesome post. very unique and the mouse is cute. im sure the memories will be kept in this post.

Angelo said...

the donG hey man, now that you mention it, I kinda miss the little guy hehe...

The Nomadic Pinoy said...

What a humane action - PETA will make you their poster boy, he-he-he! I remember now, there's a place in India where rats are actually venerated, one of those Hindu there-are-many-paths-to-God belief.

Angelo said...

The Nomadic Pinoy: Hey Nomad, haha! Fur is murder! Although, I don't think I would have been so humane had it been a rat.... I've seen images from that rat temple in India... not on my have to see list of destinations :)

ghee said...

gotcha mousey!!

lucky mouse that he found you,Angelo.i knew that you couldnt even hurt this little fellow.and Nermal got the attitude from you!

mousey looked cute and tidy pala,hehe.i have to get rid of those "rat images" in the Phil.,haha!

and hey,that cage is cool!high tech ang dating!

you and Nermal are very kind and impressive,Angelo.thanks for posting this.btw,the last pic(the woods),is it just nearby your place?i could almost imagine how cold it is during winter but so refreshing on summer time. :)

Angelo said...

ghee: haha you finally found the rat Ghee! I posted this especially for you actually, but it looks like you're the last one.

it's the big eyes that'll get you everytime.... we're genetically wired to want to care of things with big puppy dog eyes hehe...

ya, I remember a rat in the Philippines the size of a small cat... scary stuff, probably downtown Toronto there are those kinds of rats hehe...

ya there's small patches of woods left around the neighbourhood. Urban sprawl has taken over too much of the area. I wish there were more trees, they definitely make the summer more refreshing.

ghee said...

yeah,I was the last,haha!better late than never eh?

sure thing,eye contact would melt my heart,too.how could we neglect? ;)

it was shown on TV here that some places in Tokyo were suffering from those "rats" who "raid" their kitchens especially the restaurants.yuckie di ba?hehe...I`m so relieved that deer mousey was too different! :D

It`s a nice place to live in pala.I luv goin to the urban areas,but I still prefer to live in a location with a lot of mother`s nature blessings.Our new place is surrounded with rice field you know.though its near the city,Sendai. :)

I have a whole relaxing day today,Angelo!hurray!haha.I could have a DVD marathon day. :D

good luck to your studies pala.wish you a refreshing weekend,too!!

Angelo said...

tru to all dat Ghee!

Ya also here in Toronto! I remember on the news how they were filming restaurants in Chinatown. In one of the windows was a sign that said they passed a health and sanitation inspection and right behind the sign were rats crawling around... not deer mice, but rats.... sick!

oooh nice, rice patties around your house. That sounds really nice Ghee. The city's great but you're right it's better to be surrounded by nature.

I hope you enjoy your relaxation time Ghee!