This article is from the WSSF 2011 AFRMA Rat & Mouse Tales news-magazine.

By Karen Robbins

Meera Nadathur, age 11, Cincinnati, OH
QOne of my mice, Brownie died today. My other mouse, White Tail has been very sad and lonely. I’ve been trying to do as much with her as I can. Can you please give me some tips about how I could help her feel better?

ASorry to hear about your mouse Brownie. It’s always sad to lose a special pet. You can give White Tail more attention by taking her out more, giving her extra treats, and putting new toys in her cage to keep her interested in other things. Since she is over a year, it’s hard to say if she would accept new friends, so if you wanted to get new mice, make sure you get at least three females, so if they don’t get along with White Tail, they will have each other in a separate cage. It is also good to get that many so when they get old and one dies, there won’t be a single lonely mouse left.

Update: Thank you for the ideas, but unfortunately White Tail passed away yesterday. It’s been pretty lonely without them. I miss both of them a lot, and I feel sad when I look at their empty cage. But I still have the happy memories.

So sorry to hear that you lost White Tail so soon after Brownie. That is especially hard to lose your pets that close together. You did have some great experiences with them winning a 4-H county award last year showing off the tricks you taught them, and I’m sure you had a lot of great times with them as your pets. Hope you continue on with your 4-H interests.