Nutrimetics is high quality cosmetics, hair and skin care. They are cruelty free
and this website below is a direct link to my home buisness. Please consider
having a look, as this helps me make a bit of pocket money and it keeps the
website going!
Also, most of all you have a wonderful range of beauty items and health care
products for both men and women which have been made to the strickest quality
controls. So, if you arn't happy you can always let the company know and they
are more than happy to refund or replace.
cheers, Rebekah Blackwolf Mitchell-Matthews
https://www.nutrimetics.com.au/mitchellmatthews

Ahhh thanks!!  As you can guess we think they're
adorable....grin.  And please tell anyone you think would like
them.  This all started with a few small stories on a chat list that
spun off into its own Here There Be Mice list and then with pictures
and finally videos.  Turns out lots of people think they're cute
too.  Which naturally the mice accept as their just due....lol

Mouse Mom

At 09:41 PM 8/25/2009, you wrote:
>If you haven't yet clicked on the regular videos of Here There be
>Mice - please do so. These are adorable. You can entertain children
>and adults alike. Play them to the cat!!!! I'd like to thank Mouse
>Mom for yet another adorable mini-mouse-movie!
>
>cheers, Rebekah Mitchell-Matthews.
>
>
>
>------------------------------------
>
>Take a tour of the AMRIS homepage at:
>http://www.geocities.com/petsburgh/reserve/5824
>Yahoo!7 Groups Links
>
>
>
[]




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

If you haven't yet clicked on the regular videos of Here There be Mice - please
do so. These are adorable. You can entertain children and adults alike. Play
them to the cat!!!! I'd like to thank Mouse Mom for yet another adorable
mini-mouse-movie!

cheers, Rebekah Mitchell-Matthews.

You've seen them run and you've seen them play,
but you didn't know their names.  Now you can
briefly meet each one of the mice girls and boys
and pick your favorites.  All colors, all sizes
and all cute.  Take a look and see how cute they are!

Just click here to meet them all:  http://www.heretherebemice.com/video.html

Mouse Mom

Here There Be Mice...©
A humorous look at owning pet mice.
http://www.HereThereBeMice.com

MIXED COMPANY

by Anne K Jacques.
Part 4.

The Rat In New Zealand

The first rat to arrive in New Zealand was the Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans)
brought here by the Maori along with the Polynesian dog at least one thousand
years ago. This rat was a harmless little vegetarian, living on berries, seeds
and roots. Neither rat nor dog offered any great offence to native wildlife. It
was man who was the menace, for he ate anything that breathed. The coastal
cliffs were the nesting grounds of innumerable seabirds, and the forests of the
interior were crowded with birdlife. Many were flightless varieties, including
the great ostrich-like moa, which was hunted to its ultimate extinction.
    The Maori did not bring the rat or the dog along with him in those first
canoes just because he thought they might enjoy the trip. (His name for the rat
was `kiore', and that suggests food.) The dog helped the men to catch the rats,
which were greatly relished by both of them. The dog generally ended his days in
a Maori oven too. (Most Polynesians ate dogs; some still do so!) The dog was
generally eaten at special ceremonial feasts and in some places was reserved for
chiefs and other persons of rank and importance. Dog-skin cloaks were very
highly prized and invested the wearer with considerable dignity and prestige. In
1770 Sir Joseph Banks recorded that the Polynesian rat was becoming quite
uncommon, and today it is thought to be extinct in the North Island but to exist
in a few remote spots in the South and in some off-shore islands. As for the
Polynesian dog, one often hears a mongrel dog referred to as `a Maori dog' but
the true `kuri' is no longer to be found.
     The black rat was not brought to New Zealand by plan and foresight as the
Polynesian rat had been. He arrived as a stowaway on the `Endeavour' in 1770. As
he was never regarded by the Maori as good to eat, he was left in peace to
increase and multiply. He found New Zealand entirely to his liking, enjoying the
same basic diet as his predecessors, to which he added grubs and small insects
and an occasional bird's egg. Being a lover of light and high places, and a good
climber, he often made his home in treetops and was even known to convert
vacated birds nests for his own accommodation.
   The brown rat also arrived as a stowaway in the early nineteenth century. He
travelled from Europe on the growing number of French and English trading ships
and was soon very much `at home'. By the 1880s he was so well established that
he had become a problem to man and bird. It was not much longer before he had
serious problems of his very own – too many mouths and too little to put in
them, the very problem facing mankind at the present time, but the world still
had frontiers a hundred years ago and man and rat could still set out to find
`fresh fields and pastures new'.

    In 1894 Richard Henry reported seeing great moving columns of rats at many
places in the South Island and expressed the opinion that these swarming
thousands were almost exclusively males – an opinion based no doubt on a `bird's
eye' rather than on a `worm's eye view'. He wrote that it was a sad prospect for
any ground-nesting or ground-feeding bird in the path of such a torrent of
rodents.
    Ferrets, stoats and weasels were introduced to help man in his stand against
rat and rabbit infestation, but the newcomers preferred native birds and
poultry, so man had to do his own ratting and rabbiting. Until about 50 years
ago the rabbiter on horseback with his attendant troop of dogs was a familiar
and picturesque sight in the New Zealand countryside. Now the poisoner has taken
over, with phosphorus, cyanide, 1080 and warfarin, but the rat is with us still
and so is the rabbit. It is estimated that in the cities the rat population
generally equals that of the human population; in the rural areas it ranges from
twenty to twenty-five per acre and in thick bush about one per acre – which is
not actually infestation.
    Following the general plan all the world over, in New Zealand the two kinds
of rats maintain a very sensible type of apartheid. Each has its own views about
what constitutes the `good life'. For the black rat it is the farmlands and the
hill sheep runs and the bush with its berries and seed, fresh air and light and
sunshine. For the brown fellow it is city life, basements of workshops,
storehouses and warehouses, rubbish tips, drains, tunnels and other obscure
places, but above all he likes waterways and never settles very far from river,
lake or seaside. This fact has led to his being frequently reffered to as the
`water rat'. Black rats are good swimmers too, but water to them is a drink, not
a near element.
    It has been said that New Zealand was made late and made in a hurry – one
result being that the overall layer of topsoil is very shallow. The semi-nomadic
way of life of the Maoris and their reverence for trees safeguarded these hilly
islands from undue erosion. Unfortunately the settlers from Europe served other
gods – gods to whom the smell of burning timber was `a sweet odour'. The
worshippers of these gods sowed the grass see on the still warm ash and got
quick pastures and lush grazing. After roughly a hundred years there are
disquieting signs of deterioration in the still-existing native forests and the
hill-country pastures are becoming difficult and costly to maintain in a state
of profitable fertility. There is a big programme of research being undertaken
to find out just where to lay the blame for these trends. Many people blame the
exotic animals: the deer, the opossum, the rabbit and the rat. There is however
a possibility that the slowing up of the regeneration of the forests is in fact
due to fungus diseases quite unrelated to the grazing animals. As for the rat,
his appetite for grubs and small insects may prove to be of great benefit to the
forest, and the seeds and fruits he eats may be very well earned wages.

THE END

To club members - I was given a copy of extracts of MIXED COMPANY which
contained the pages of information about rodents only. For a copy of the
complete version of the book MIXED COMPANY by Anne K Jacques, please visit the
following web-sites to make your enquiries –
New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society
http://www.nzavs.org.nz/
New Zealand Vegetarian Society
http://www.ivu.org/nzvs/
Royal New Zealand SPCA
http://www.rspcanz.org.nz/
Yours sincerely Rebekah Blackwolf Mitchell-Matthews
Club founder.

MIXED COMPANY

By ANNE K JACQUES
Part 3.


RATTUS NORVEGICUS

It was in the mid-eighteenth century that Rattus-norvegicus first set foot in
England, arriving, it is said, in the French slavers which called at English
ports on their way to the sugar plantations of the West Indies or the cotton
fields of America. The name bestowed upon it was `the Hanoverean rat', which
might have been a sly political joke, for the Royal House of Hanover was very
far from popular at that time and for quite a long time yet to come.
     Until quite recently it was generally accepted as an historical fact that
the brown rat did not arrive in Europe until the early eighteenth century. It
was stated that they migrated from Mongolia in two great waves, the first in
1727 and the second in 1740. They were reported to have swum the Volga by the
million, many drowning on the way and many more dying after landing from
exhaustion and starvation. The causes of these massive migrations were
earthquakes and climatic calamities in their native territory. From the west
bank of the Volga, the survivors were said to have fanned out over all Europe
with astonishing rapidity. However, this report is now very much discounted, and
Mr S.A. Barnett, one of the foremost `rat men' of recent years and a zoologist
at the University of Glasgow, states that it is now proved that Simon Pallas, on
whose book `Zoographica Rosso – Aseatica' the theory was based, was not born
until 1741. The great Volga swim which Pallas witnessed near Astrakhan must have
in fact occurred between the years 1750 and 1760. The rats then observed were
swimming from west to east and not east to west. Mr Barnett says there is little
doubt about the fact that a couple of great rat invasions happened in the years
1727 and 1740, but they were very far from being the first invasions of Europe
by the brown rat. He considers there must have been numerous small migrations
over many centuries which attracted little or no attention. The differences
between the black and the brown rat are not spectacular and the average person
would not be impressed by them. He also makes the point that although rats can
travel very quickly over short distances, really long journeys are quite
contrary to their known modes of procedure. The generally progress in stages,
resting periodically to recuperate and reorganise.
       These newcomers could then thieve and multiply under conditions which
would be anathema to the black rat. They found the filthy ports and cities quite
congenial habitations. They appreciated the house middens, refuse tips and
slaughter yards, could rest snugly in a dung hill and make a hearty meal of
offal, hides or rotting bones. They were in fact just low-class city slickers.
The `old English' may have been a bit of a snob, but the two types did not enjoy
each other's company and preferred to settle in different localities. In an
astonishingly short time after their arrival, every port and city was infested
by the brown rats, and at the end of the eighteenth century all England was
brown-rat territory, and the black rat was seldom encountered. People concluded
that the big newcomer had fought with and eradicated his smaller predecessor.
        This was a very reasonable assumption, based on human standards of
behaviour. Humans would no doubt have announced that this was their `promised
land' and proceeded to liquidate the native population, as the Israelites set
about eliminating the Canaanites. However, that is not the way of the rat.
Contrary to generally held opinions, rats do not kill rats with anything like
the enthusiasm with which man slaughters his fellow man.  Killing amongst rats
occurs very rarely and only under conditions of acute stress, when all else
fails. Their usual procedure is to institute a form of peaceful apartheid and
separate development. The stronger group generally `corners' the best food
supplies and the weaker group prudently contrives to make other arrangements.
When the brown rats became dominant, the black rats took to the road and headed
for their old haunts out of town, where life once so good, only to find that in
real life `paradise lost' is seldom followed by `paradise regained'. Their
numbers quickly reduced and soon the black rat was a rarity in England and the
newcomer thrived and multiplied as the wicked often do.

     In the early years of the nineteenth century the tithe barns were so overrun
by ravenous brown rodents that the churches were suffering considerable loss of
wealth, so the office of `pest controller' was added to the duties of church
wardens, who paid a bounty of threepence a bundle for rats' tails. (At
seed-sowing time, sparrows' masks were similarly paid for out of church funds!)
When the churches received grants of land and property to compensate for the
abolition of the tithe system, the duties of pest controllers were taken over by
the lay bodies. `Rat and Sparrow Clubs' were started, sponsored as a rule by the
local publicans and `count nights' were held regularly in the `local'. They were
quite convivial  occasions and a few such clubs still functioned in the south of
England in the 1960s.
      Writing of the early days of the twentieth century, Sir Phillip Gibbs
recalls that the hotels and warehouses along the Thames Embankment were so
heavily infested with brown or common rats that the London City Council used to
appoint official rat-catchers. (Today they would be called `rodent operatives'.)
They worked by night, catching the rats by netting them, then popping them alive
into sacks. Sir Phillip says that the men with their rat bags were a familiar
sight in the early morning streets; each bag might hold some 800 rats. Not
infrequently these were sold at 4d a piece to sportsmen in areas where rats were
less abundant, for in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries ratting was a
popular sport amongst Oxford and Cambridge undergraduates and gambling on the
ratting prowess of local fox-terriers was arranged at country pubs and
fairgrounds.


To club members - I was given a copy of extracts of MIXED COMPANY which
contained the pages of information about rodents only. For a copy of the
complete version of the book MIXED COMPANY by Anne K Jacques, please visit the
following web-sites to make your enquiries –
New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society
http://www.nzavs.org.nz/
New Zealand Vegetarian Society
http://www.ivu.org/nzvs/
Royal New Zealand SPCA
http://www.rspcanz.org.nz/
Yours sincerely Rebekah Blackwolf Mitchell-Matthews
Club founder.

MIXED COMPANY

By ANNE K JACQUES

GENESIS

The exact age of the planet earth is still a matter for research and argument; a
figure much favoured at present is sixty thousand million years.  In Chapter One
of the first book of the Authorised Version of the Bible there is an
astonishingly brief account of the earth's beginning and early development.
Providing that the word `day' be taken to mean not twenty-four hours, but a
period of time, then the chronological order is probably accurate. Each period
could have been many millions of years' duration. Territorial animals did not
eventuate until the sixth `day', or period, and homonids were the last animals
to develop, Homo sapiens being a comparatively recent arrival. Early man had no
illusions of grandeur – he was just one of earth's creatures, bigger than some,
smaller than others and glad of the friendship of any.
    The rat was one of man's earliest friends; both were creatures of no fixed
abode and together they wandered in search of food and shelter, the rat acting
as scout and guide. He could always lead man to the finest grains and seeds, to
the best nuts and berries and the sweetest fruits. Both enjoyed the occasional
meal of grubs and insects. The rat had, and still has an uncanny capacity for
sensing potential dangers such as poisonous fruits or unstable soils. This very
useful ability earned for him a reputation for great wisdom and discretion. It
seems that man was much less self-sufficient than were other creatures, and his
greatest need had always been to gain the friendship of those mysterious spirits
whom he believed to be the controllers of the universe and men's lives. These
strange powers became his gods. The original meaning of the word `god' was `one
to whom gifts must be offered'. He erected tables or altars in high places on
which he laid offerings – gifts of the fruits of the earth. These were holy
gifts or `sacrifices'. Thus the gods were born of man's childish hopes and
fears.
      But to say that man was childish dose not imply that he was stupid, for had
he been stupid he would not have survived in those difficult days. The gods he
created were curiously like himself. They loved and hated, suffered pain and
died and were buried. Zeus, the greatest of all the gods, was reputed to have a
tomb on the island of Crete, but the gods had a habit of rising from the grave
and walking and talking with holy men and kings and so continued to govern the
world through them. The animals most generally connected with the marvellous
wonders of nature were held to be the visible representatives of the spirits who
controlled those wonders. The rat was no doubt one of the first creatures to be
so regarded.







      In the very earliest records of early civilisations of the Middle East and
Asia the rat had honourable mention as a Corn Spirit and a well-established
deity. In Phrygia the rat was held to be the personification of Persephone, the
goddess of germinating seeds, and fertility. The women of that country used to
embroider outlines of rats on their ceremonial veils as symbols of good fortune.
Phrygia ceased to be a kingdom of importance in the third century AD but until
that time it had been a land of considerable importance, as the roads through
its great river valleys were the main trade routes between India and the Far
East and the western world. This fact made Phrygia a `sorting house' for the
cults and customs of many ancient civilisations.
     In Egypt the rat was sacred, and even to injure one was a punishable crime.
Both Egypt and Phrygia were grain-growing areas, their soils and climates making
them ideally suited to such crops. Monoculture always attracts large numbers of
selective insects, and without any form of control the harvests can be seriously
affected, but the recognised Corn Spirit enjoyed meals of grubs, larvae and
small insects and so established himself as the great non-toxic insecticide, and
earned every grain of corn he ate.

    Rats are not mentioned in the Old Testament, but there are three references
to mice. The word `mus', and its plural `mies', were used in olden times to
cover a great range of rodents and even a few small animals which were not
rodents, such as the `sorex' or shrew-mouse. The word `rat' did not come into
the language of the western world until many centuries later. It is certain that
the Black Rat abounded in the Middle East in Biblical times, being indigenous to
North Africa and Phrygia. The episode related in the First Book of Samuel is an
early reference to an outbreak of plague, and the `fifty thousand and three
score and ten' citizens of the five towns of the Philistines whom `the Lord
smote with a great slaughter' were victims of an epidemic of bubonic plague. The
`trespass' offering exacted off the Philistines  consisted of five golden mice
and five golden emerods. Emerodes were glandular swellings on the groin and were
symptomatic of the bubonic type of plague.
It is quite evident that the Hebrews regarded the `mies' as the instruments of
the wrath of Yahweh, their god. It would be simple enough to produce replicas of
emerods and doubtless the five golden mice would have been stylized flat
castings, as was the Golden Calf which Aaron devised to appease the malcontents
in the desert whilst Moses was away up the mountain chipping at the tablets of
the Ten Commandments.








     Rats were also very numerous in Ancient Greece and when their numbers were
so great that it was feared they might endanger the harvest, the Greeks used to
issue quite solemn edicts against them. In `The Golden Bough', Sir James Frazer
gives this account of those legal documents. He says they were generally phrased
along the following lines:

`I adjure you, ye mice here present, that ye neither injure me nor permit any
other mouse to do so. I give you yonder field (indicating exact area), but if I
ever catch you here again, then by the Mother of All the Gods, I swear I will
rend you in seven pieces.'

These edicts were taken by the husbandmen and read to the rats in the
cornfields. The scrolls were then placed on unhewn stones and left in the fields
overnight for all the rats to inspect. There are no records of the nasty threats
ever having been put into operation, but the rat has a reputation for being
quick to take a hint.
     The Greeks were gentle and considerate to all animals. They believed that
the gods would avenge the wrongs done to defenceless creatures. When it was
proposed that the Roman-style gladiatorial games be staged to entertain the
people, the Athenians rejected the offer, saying that such displays would make a
mockery of the altar to the God of Mercy which stood in the marketplace.
      The Roman Empire was city-orientated and most of its grain requirements
were imported from Egypt. The enormous rat population of Italy most probably
stemmed originally from stowaways on the Egyptian grain ships. It is thought
that it was from Italy that the black rat fanned out and very gradually
infiltrated into every part of Europe.
      Unlike the Greeks, the Romans were not a compassionate people. Their
paramount god was Mars, and Mars was not a god of mercy. Many Roman philosophers
spoke strongly against hunting and other cruel sports, but the Roman legionaries
were not students of philosophy and most of the cruel types of sport in Europe
today are legacies of Roman military occupation. The Greek and Cretan bull dance
was debased by the Romans and became bull-fighting. The English sports of
fox-hunting and bull-baiting were Roman souvenirs, and even football is a Roman
legacy. It started as a free-for-all when a human head was kicked around the
camp and district vied with district for possession of the grisly trophy.










        Rats and men conduct their affairs on much the same lines. Unlike other
creatures, neither of them has a set breeding season, although in the springtime
the thoughts of both ` do lightly turn to thoughts of love'. The female rat can
have several litters a year and there are generally between six to ten young in
each litter. The gestation period is twenty-one days and the young are born
blind, deaf and hairless. They become sexually mature at the age of three to
four months; one rat year is equal to thirty human years and their expectation
of life is proportionately the same as that of man – thus a three-year-old rat
would be the equivalent of a man aged ninety.
      Most animals are good to their offspring so long as they are entirely
dependant on their parents, but as soon as the progeny are capable of foraging
for their own food and shelter, the family ties terminate and it is doubtful if
so much as recognition occurs at a later date.  This casual attitude is quite
foreign to the rats, who are remarkably good parents. Their family ties are as
close as those of human families. They cherish their sisters and brothers and
aunts and uncles, cousins and grandparents too. The maternal instinct is so
strong that the mother rats who have lost their own young have been known to
capture mice and carry them off to their nests, believing that they were
adopting young, orphaned rats. The mice are never very cooperative about this
transaction, for in spite of their great similarity, rats and mice do not
fraternise readily and rarely choose to settle in close proximity. They can and
do interbreed, but that is far from being a common occurrence. The progeny of
such unions are not sterile and are known variously as `mats' or `rice'.
       Scientists do not seem to have definitely decided whether rats are in fact
big mice or that mice are a small type of rat. In a very fascinating book called
`Rats, Lice and History' the writer, Hans Zinsser, suggests that perhaps mice
may have developed out of rats under circumstances which made it less desirable
to be large and ferocious than to be able to hide in a small hole. However, the
implication of Zinsser about the ferocity of rats is quite misleading, for rats
are peace-loving creatures and seldom fight amongst themselves. Even fights with
strangers only occur under stress or great provocation. When fighting becomes
inevitable, the actual killing is generally the work of the females, who inflict
a bite on the neck of the victim which so damages an artery that death results
from internal haemorrhage.
     In any rat colony the rising generation is treated with great kindness and
consideration by the entire community, and they are always encouraged to eat
first whenever food is being shared out. The older males make no claim to
privileges over the youngsters in matters sexual, and there is no driving out of
young males such as occurs in many other animal species.





      Both man and rat have derived great benefit from the observation of the
precept `honour thy father and thy mother'. This has made it easy for the stored
experiences of a long life to be passed on by the elders to the oncoming
generations for their help and guidence. In the case of `Homo sapiens', this
benefit has been strengthened by the development of the art and craft of
writing. By this clever device the thoughts can be transferred from the human
brain to inanimate and less easily destructable material. The thinker dies, but
the thoughts live on for the benefit of posterity.
    Rats have not developed this ability, unless the device of strategic urine
sprinkling could be so designated. By this procedure rats are able to pass on
important information about traps, poisons, natural disturbances and other
possible hazards. These messages are picked up by members of the clan and passed
on to neighbouring colonies until there can be a countrywide alert. The saying
that the rat deserts a `sinking ship' is inaccurate. It originated in the days
of wooden ships, when the slightest seepage of moisture in the lower reaches of
the hull would warn the alert rats of a possibility of a greater intake
resulting in discomfort and danger. A few discreetly placed urine messages
around the jetty would result in every rodent booking on that ship being
promptly cancelled. Rats do not embark on likely sinkers.

To club members - I was given a copy of extracts of MIXED COMPANY which
contained the pages of information about rodents only. For a copy of the
complete version of MIXED COMPANY by Anne K Jacques, please visit the following
web-sites to make your enquiries –
New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society
http://www.nzavs.org.nz/
New Zealand Vegetarian Society
http://www.ivu.org/nzvs/
Royal New Zealand SPCA
http://www.rspcanz.org.nz/


Yours sincerely Rebekah Blackwolf Mitchell-Matthews
Club founder.

MIXED COMPANY

By ANNE K JACQUES
Part 2.


RATTUS RATTUS AND THE JERBOA

The first few centuries of the Christian era were not happy years for man or
beast. Europe was torn by wars, religious intolerance, pestilence and famine. In
those days, armies on the march lived off the land; they swarmed like locusts
and left behind them little but filth, desolation and misery. The need for
security led to a population drift from a rural to a semi-urban way of life.
People tended to condense into hastily-built walled cities in which food could
be more safely stored, and which served as dormitories not only for the land
workers but for their flocks and herds. The farm stock was taken within the city
walls at sunset and all the narrow streets and alley ways became thronged with
cattle, sheep, goats and geese.
     Wherever people go, rats go too, so they went to town and added to the
general malaise. They helped themselves to the stored grains, often spoiling as
much as they ate. When the Corn Spirit became a corn thief he lost the
friendship of man. The new towns were utterly devoid of any form of organised
sanitation and soon became hotbeds of every form of human disease, crime and
disorder. However, there were no health considerations involved in the changed
man-rat relations. Man and rat have suffered from similar diseases ever since
they gave up their nomadic way of life, and what was bad for one was generally
bad for the other.



      These new cities were timber-built and it has been noted over untold
centuries that periods of excessive deforestation invariably are followed by
periods of  ill-health and epidemics. By the fourth century AD these epidemics
became so frequent that they assumed an almost predictable ten-year cycle. There
were three main types of pestilence or plague – pneumonic, bubonic and
septicaemic, whilst minor ones were smallpox, syphilis and a type of influenza
later known as `English sweat'. The advent of an epidemic of plague gave rise to
strange upsurges of extreme human behaviour, such as seeing visions and doing
public penance. At such times there was often a resurgence of the ancient cult
of flagellation. In other districts people turned to hectic merrymaking,
indulging in drinking, in every form of vice and debauchery and in crazy
vandalism.
      For children, there developed the merry little game of `Ring o', ring o'
roses, pocket full of posies, ascha, ascha, all fall down,' in which they
mimicked the sudden deaths of plague victims as they fell in the streets after
paroxysms of sneezing or coughing. The dead were generally left to lie where
they fell until a `death cart' came round periodically to gather them up and
carry them away to a huge common grave far away from human habitation. The
`pocket full of posies' is reference to the current belief that certain dried
herbs possessed protective properties against infection, and it became customary
to fill pockets and carry sachets of dried petals and pomanders.
     The worst plague that the world has ever experienced occurred in the middle
of the fourteenth century and it was known as the `black death' because of the
black blotches which appeared on the bodies of the dying, caused by subcutaneous
haemorrhages. In Germany and France this epidemic was particularly terrible and
was called the `great dying'. It was estimated that about twenty-five million
people perished. In China the death toll was so great that work on the river
embankments was neglected, resulting in terrible floods, crop losses and fearful
widespread famine and misery. This pestilence arrived in England in the year
1345, and London lost two-thirds of its inhabitants. This terrible pandemic
originated in an area around the head of the Caspian Sea. In `The Outline of
History', H.G. Wells stated that the black death was the human form of a disease
endemic amongst jerboas and other small rodents in the region. Their migration
was caused by natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, resulting in
food shortages.
       The jerboa is a dainty little creature found in most desert or semi-desert
lands such as Arabia and North Africa. They are rather like miniature kangaroos,
and progress by leaps and bounds on thin hind legs, using the tail to steer and
balance themselves. They have large eyes and a silky fawn coat which blends well
with their natural habitat, but they found little suitable terrain in Europe and
so after infecting the local rodents with their particular variety of
pestilence, they vanished from the scene. But their plague, once established,
snowballed relentlessly, devastating Europe and Asia, where panic took control
and law and order broke down. Parents deserted their children, husbands and
wives fled apart seeking security, and all attempts at civil order collapsed.
The clergy were often stoned as they walked along the streets, and doctors were
accused of curing the rich and leaving the poor to die. The rat-infested town of
Hamelin in 1376 described in Browning's poem was no unique example, nor was the
way of eradication anything very new.
       Rats abounded in Ireland long before they became established in England.
The Irish called them `French Mice' and they believed that they could be
attracted or repelled, or even killed, by the rhythmic incantations of rhyme and
song. Shakespeare refers to the `rhyming of Irish Rats' in As You Like It, and
Ben Jonson in The Poetaster wrote, `rhyme them to death as they do rats in
Ireland'. However, the Germans had a much more down-to-earth method of reducing
the rat population. They instituted a tax whereby every Jew was required to hand
to the tax gatherer five thousand rat tails per annum.
      The year 1498 was another bad year for the plague in Europe. On the bridge
at Frankfurt-on-Main a man was stationed who paid a pfennig for every rat handed
to him. He cut off the tails to help him with his arithmetic later and cast the
bodies into the river (which also happened to be the city's main source of
drinking water).
     From the early eighteenth century onward there was a distinct reduction in
the incidence of diseases in Europe, particularly in outbreaks of bubonic
plague. People tended to attribute the fact to the supercedence of the brown rat
over the black type, but it is very likely that the vote of thanks in regard to
human health benefits should really be given to `Pulex Irritans'. This little
flea greatly relishes the blood of both Homo Sapians and Rattus Rattus, but
finds the blood of Rattus Documentus quite repulsive. This choosiness about diet
has been of very great benefit to humanity. Other factors in this health
improvement were man's own increased medical knowledge and his growing awareness
of the virtues of hygiene and organised sanitation in populated areas.
       In the mid-nineteenth century France had `troubles', as the Irish would
say. Farm workers were absorbed by the army and agriculture suffered. Crops were
poor and animals and people were hungry. In the year before the siege of Paris,
it was recorded that two to three dozen horses died daily from overwork and
malnutrition. The dead horses which were left overnight in the knacker's yards
were completely cleaned up before morning after the thousands of famished rats
had feasted on them. People were so hungry that a roasted rat garnished with
half a dozen young mice was considered a feast for a gourmet. When preparations
were being made for the siege everyone who possibly could was advised to leave
the city. The rich and the moderately rich did so with alacrity, but the poor,
as usual, clung to their miserable hovels until `persuaded' to leave at
gunpoint.
     The black rat (Rattus rattus) is often referred to as the `old English' rat,
but there is no evidence whatsoever to indicate its presence in England before
the tenth century. Some writers say that they came from Italy via France with
the entourage of William the Conqueror and others say that they came from the
Middle East in the ships which brought back the Crusaders from the Holy Wars. It
was said that as many rats as men disembarked at the English ports, but even
that would not amount to a mass invasion, as few of those wh0o set out to fight
the Infidel ever returned to their native shores.
      Life in England suited the black rats admirably, for they are country types
by nature and England was at that time a pastoral land. The rats quickly settled
down in attics of mansions or in the thatch of cottages and barns. It was a poor
hovel indeed which could not afford food and lodging for a family of rats, and
the rats repaid the hospitality by helping to reduce the number of less welcome
guests such as moths, beetles and bed-bugs. In the garden and on the farms they
took up their traditional role as insect and pest controllers, just as they had
done in Egypt and Phrygia. They found a few natural enemies in England, such as
stoats, owls and ferrets, so their numbers never became excessive and they were
never considered pests, nor were they ever regarded as a health hazard. They
frequently came to be regarded as pets. Albino rats were not uncommon and even
piebald ones occurred. The white ones were considered particularly suitable as
house pets for very young children.
       Such outbreaks of plague as did occur in England were imports, not
indigenous. The trouble invariably started in the ports and was carried inland
by refugees from the stricken coastal towns. The rich fled to their country
estates, but very few of the poor were able to escape because of lack of
transport. Left in their filthy, miserable slums, they died unattended and were
often left unburied. Districts which were badly stricken were generally cordoned
off and on the perimeter were placed guards whose duty it was to catch and hang
anyone attempting to escape from the doomed enclosure.
       In 1563 Queen Elizabeth I fled with her court to Windsor Castle. A gallows
was erected without the gates on which any would-be infiltrators from stricken
London town soon found themselves dangling. The worst visitation of plague
occurred in 1663, when London was again very badly affected. Samuel Pepys was
one of the few government officials to remain at his post during that time and
his diary contains many firsthand accounts of life in the plague-ridden city.
      The seventeenth century was troubled by civil war and religious strife;
Charles I was beheaded and James II ran away. There was fighting with the Dutch
and the Spanish and there were several outbreaks of plague and pestilence, but
for Rattus-rattus all was wll until the turn of the eighteenth century. The dawn
of the Industrial Revolution changed the entire pattern of English life for both
man and rat. Farm workers became urban artisans. The dreary rows of jerry-built,
back-to-back houses of the new towns were comfortless places compared with the
solidly built country cottages, and for the rat a slate roof was a poor exchange
for kitchen gardens, orchards and fields of golden grain. The Industrial
Revolution was a calamity for Rattus-rattus, but worse things were to come.


To club members - I was given a copy of extracts of MIXED COMPANY which
contained the pages of information about rodents only. For a copy of the
complete version of the book MIXED COMPANY by Anne K Jacques, please visit the
following web-sites to make your enquiries –
  New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society
http://www.nzavs.org.nz/
New Zealand Vegetarian Society
http://www.ivu.org/nzvs/
Royal New Zealand SPCA
http://www.rspcanz.org.nz/
Yours sincerely Rebekah Blackwolf Mitchell-Matthews
Club founder.

Hi,

The Mice Girls are now starring in a three part series.  They run, they
climb, they jostle for position (just like real movie stars) and pose for
pictures.  Don't miss seeing all their silliness as they explore and
play.  This is what they do any time something new is added to their
tanks.  (New to a mouse is anything they haven't seen in a day....lol)  Add
a laugh to your day and send the link to your friends so they can have a
laugh today too.  If you haven't seen any of the other videos, be sure to
see Dancing Mouse and On The Run.

Click on the featured video here:

http://www.heretherebemice.com/video.html

Mouse Mom


Here There Be Mice...©
A humorous look at owning pet mice.
http://www.HereThereBeMice.com

The Mice Girls like to stay in shape.  And a little competition is a
healthy thing.  Come see the Mice Girls exercise On The Run at

http://www.heretherebemice.com/

then go to the video gallery for this (and previous) videos of the Mice
Girls.  They will make you laugh.  While at the site, check out the picture
of the week and meet Fizzy and Spot.

Mouse Mom

[]




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

You've seen them run.  You've seen them climb.  You've seen them
explore.  Now meet the mice girls up close.  See all the 'awwww'
moments!  Pick out your favorite.  Here they are.........

The Mice Girls close up.

http://www.heretherebemice.com/video.html

[]




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

yes, you can post details of the group to anyone. This group was started to form
a network around the world. I hope this littler ratty finds a home.
cheers, rebekah.

Have you ever seen a dancing mouse?  Watch adorable Little Bit learn to
dance.  She's cute, she's smart and she'll make you smile.  It's a short
video because she learns fast.  See it today and tell your friends!

http://www.heretherebemice.com/video.html

Here There Be Mice...©
A humorous look at owning pet mice.
http://www.HereThereBeMice.com

Yes, the mice girls are at it again.  They have a new video with more to
come soon.  A new photo gallery and a new picture of the week.  Give
yourself that laugh you need today by checking it out at:

www.HereThereBeMice.com

If you enjoy the video and site, please pass along the link to your friends.

Mouse Mom

Here There Be Mice...©
A humorous look at owning pet mice.
http://www.HereThereBeMice.com

Permission to cross-post to applicable groups
 
Can you help my friend in Derbyshire, England find a companion for a 7 month old
male rattie?  I'm thinking a spayed female or younger male.  My friend would
much rather adopt, than resort to a pet store.  Please eMail me direct and I
will hook you two up!  Thank you for helping.
 
Carol J and the 9 bratty ratties/Northern Michigan
puffrattie@... Moderator:  Rat Lovers United and The Illustrated Rat :)
 
Rat EMERGENCY?  eMail:  rathelp@yahoogroups.com




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

 






Thank you for allowing me to join your group.  You see, my passion is ratties -
and I endeavor to find homeless ratties their best forever homes.  Although I
live in the USA - occasionally I do hear of a need in AU. I'm involved with rat
rescue at a local humane society and am Moderator of Rat Lovers United and The
Illustrated Rat.   
 
Living in Michigan's North woods - there are very few rattie-folks up here! 
That's why I've made so many new, and wonderful friends through the Internet :)
 
Carol J and the 9 bratty ratties/Northern Michigan  
Rat EMERGENCY?  eMail:  rathelp@yahoogroups.com





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Welcome to our new members and thank you to Anna for keeping us posted
with adoption notices. Please check out her posts.
This year in 2009 will see more info posted than ever before.
Lets make this group the biggest online adoption group and lets share
our love of bunnies and rodents.
cheers, Rebekah Blackwolf-Mitchell

What a wonderful poem! I don't know anything about mice, but the poem
really says a lot. My friend had a mouse living in her apartment and
didn't want to harm it, so she started giving it fresh water everyday
instead, and eventually graduated to food as well. I worry that she
may be exposing her pets to rodent diseases by doing that. Do you know
about these concerns? I assume many people have turned wild mice into
pets like this.
--Anna

--- In AMRIS_rodents_and_rabbits@..., Katherine Medina
<hellowittykitty@...> wrote:
>
> Hi everyone..  :0)
>
> i just wanted to share this little poem written by my sister(whos
(34). weve had about 3 generations of tiny mice in my family and have
loved every one to pieces. right now theres only one survivor..all the
rest have passed on from old age or disease.
>
> hope you enjoy it.
>
>
> Mouse
>
> Small and unnoticed save for the briefest rustle of paper
> I scuttle and scurry to stay safe,
> always on the lookout for danger
> with swift little feet to bear me away.
>
> I am mouse.
>
> Look closer and you will see finely manicured nails,
> delicate hands (not paws!) for grasping and holding.
> A tiny mind pondering smaller, simpler thoughts
> looking out onto a world of giants with tiny, curious eyes
> and twitching whiskers
>
> I am not filthy.
> I groom with the utmost care, fur well cleaned
> Ears perked and alert
> The damaged world around me rubs off on my fur,
> poisons my home and mine
>
> I am not a pest, nor am I abhorrent.
> The Good Lord placed me in his garden before you.
> From time to time I may intrude into your world,
> Only consider, you intruded into my world first
>
> Do not feed me evil, do not entrap and starve me
> Do not be cruel to me as if I were dangerous.
> I feel as all living things feel. Pain, happiness, sorrow.
>
> Though unheard I weep, and cry out in pain and even sing
> No man hears me, I am too insignificant for man.
> My maker hears me. I am his creature
>
> Were our roles reversed, I a colossus and man as I am
> Why, I would be a huge, ponderous bulk!
> (A veritable mountain range from your point of view)
> Snarling and sneering with the sound of thunder
> chasing the "pest" from my home
>
> And yet
>
> I remain mouse.
> Small and fragile as my maker made me,
> humble and dignified in my humility,
> trying to live as all things do.
> Scurrying here and there for a crust,
> eking out a living in this world,
> mine and yours
>
> Mouse
>
>
>
>       Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email address.
> www.yahoo7.com.au/y7mail
>

We need donations and rescue/adoptions to save our shelter animals!
Local shelters are clearing room for animals who were evacuated from
the June 11th fire in the Santa Cruz mountains. This fire is separate
from the one that started on May 22 that was declared a state
emergency. Making room for evacuated animals means that our high
rabbit population is at-risk for euthanasia! The evacuated animals
will be returned to their owners as soon as the fire is contained, but
euthanizing an animal is permanent!

If you can help please contact the primary rabbit coordinator, Julie
Wood at H:831.688.8118 or C: 831.212.1935, julie@... for
any questions or additional information. Please donate money using the
PayPal account on the Friends of Santa Cruz County Animals website:
www.foscca.org and be sure to send Julie an email to let her know that
the money is designated for the rabbits rather than general funds.

RESCUE/ADOPTERS NEEDED FOR HIGHLY ADOPTABLE SPAYED/NEUTERED AND
MICROCHIPPED BUNNIES!!! THESE Himalayan, dwarf, dutch, rex, lop, and
young bunnies ARE AT-RISK BECAUSE THERE IS NO SPACE!

Last weekend, shelter staff extended their initial 72 hour warning
that the rabbits would be euthanized because we were able to get four
adoptions and one temporary foster home last week. They are especially
concerned about one rabbit who is receiving complaints from staff. She
is traumatized and afraid of the people who work there. Every time her
cage gets cleaned, she boxes or gets defensive before she can be
picked up. She is actually very shy and sensitive, which is why she is
getting worse in a noisy shelter. I think she is most at-risk for
euthanasia and we need to get her into foster care or rescue ASAP. We
have not been able to find anyone who cares about her because people
are prejudiced against the albino bunnies, and because some people are
scared of her. I just see a very frightened girl and don't know how
anyone could be scared of such a needy bunny. Her name is Rosie the
Riveter. We do need other rescue/adoptions in order to keep staff
happy and avoid future euthanasia scares. I am so glad we survived
those 72 hours without any losses!

There is plenty of room for incoming dogs and cats, but will the
bunnies survive a second devastating fire? The next two days will be
crucial for these neglected creatures.

Please if you can help in any way with rescue/adoptions or long-term
foster care, contact me immediately!!! If you would like to make a tax
deductible donation, please send
checks to FOSCCA c/o Julie Wood, 750 Valencia Road , Aptos , CA 95003
. If you are unable to reach Julie, you may also contact Anna Barker
at 831.566.5452, annabarker@... Heather of the RabbitHaven at
831.239.7119, director@...

RESCUE/ADOPTERS NEEDED FOR HIGHLY ADOPTABLE SPAYED/NEUTERED AND
MICROCHIPPED BUNNIES!!! SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA, USA
If you can help please contact the primary rabbit coordinator, Julie
Wood at H:831.688.8118 or C: 831.212.1935, Julie@... for
any questions or additional information.

We have over 20 rabbits and need to find rescue and/or homes for them
SOON OR RABBITS WILL BE EUTHANIZED. Staff gave us advanced warning so
that we could save these Himalayan, dwarf, dutch, rex, lop, and young
bunnies. Prior to the 3,500 acre fire that caused hundreds of families
and pets to evacuate their homes, both the animal shelter and local
rescue groups were already overwhelmed with sever post-Easter dumps.
Many families are now homeless because of the fire and are giving up
their animals. Some rabbits even ran away from because of the smoke in
the air.

Three rabbits were recently confiscated from an aviary after they were
attacked by roosters. It gets worse: these pets were owned by a local
public school and none of the adults or teachers were mature enough to
report the situation to authorities. Two young children went to the
local animal shelter to let them know about three bunnies who were
only being fed birdseed, and when officers arrived, they found a
bloody mess. Only two rabbits survived from that situation. Are these
teachers qualified to educate our children so that they will grow up
to be responsible citizens? Two children took responsibility, but now
we must take responsibility for caring for these bunnies.

On May 3, an illegal slaughterhouse/feedlot was reported for animal
abuse and 14 livestock were confiscated, along with two rabbits who
had no food or water. These two sweet, loving girls were desperate for
attention and are so happy to be out of that situation and not
slaughtered for food.

May 1, 2008 our shelter received 21 rabbits from a resident who had
let his rabbits breed under his house. Many of these rabbits were
babies, and four were under 2 pounds! They were malnourished and were
fighting off predator attacks. Several had wounds that required
emergency vet care. Two days later a local resident found 2 other
rabbits that were dumped near a busy road. Our maximum is 12
bunnies!!! We already have 7 rabbits in foster care, and these rabbits
need rescue and adopters! We have volunteers available to transport if
we can find rescue.  Please if you can help in any way with
rescue/adoptions or long-term foster care, contact me immediately!!!
If you would like to make a tax deductible donation, please send
checks to FOSCCA c/o Julie Wood, 750 Valencia Road , Aptos , CA
95003 .  If you are unable to reach Julie, you may also contact Anna
Barker at 831.566.5452, annabarker@... or Heather of the Rabbit
Haven at 831.239.7119, director@....

Happy Mothers day to you too. Some of your message was missing.

However, for everyone else, Mouse Mom is our groups official "Movie
Maker" ( If she didn't already know, then she dose now - ha ha)
Please check out Mouse Mom's posts, they are adorable.
cheers, Rebekah.

This is just lovely.
Prehaps you could submit it to Animal Liberation Queensland, for
their magazine. They are about to do a write-up on this group to help
the cause of rodents everywhere.
This is a very charming poem and I honestly have not seen any better
yet.
cheers, Rebekah Blackwolf-Mitchell,
AMRIS founder.

--- In AMRIS_rodents_and_rabbits@..., Katherine Medina
<hellowittykitty@...> wrote:
>
> Hi everyone..  :0)
>
> i just wanted to share this little poem written by my sister(whos
(34). weve had about 3 generations of tiny mice in my family and have
loved every one to pieces. right now theres only one survivor..all
the rest have passed on from old age or disease.
>
> hope you enjoy it.
>
>
> Mouse
>
> Small and unnoticed save for the briefest rustle of paper
> I scuttle and scurry to stay safe,
> always on the lookout for danger
> with swift little feet to bear me away.
>
> I am mouse.
>
> Look closer and you will see finely manicured nails,
> delicate hands (not paws!) for grasping and holding.
> A tiny mind pondering smaller, simpler thoughts
> looking out onto a world of giants with tiny, curious eyes
> and twitching whiskers
>
> I am not filthy.
> I groom with the utmost care, fur well cleaned
> Ears perked and alert
> The damaged world around me rubs off on my fur,
> poisons my home and mine
>
> I am not a pest, nor am I abhorrent.
> The Good Lord placed me in his garden before you.
> From time to time I may intrude into your world,
> Only consider, you intruded into my world first
>
> Do not feed me evil, do not entrap and starve me
> Do not be cruel to me as if I were dangerous.
> I feel as all living things feel. Pain, happiness, sorrow.
>
> Though unheard I weep, and cry out in pain and even sing
> No man hears me, I am too insignificant for man.
> My maker hears me. I am his creature
>
> Were our roles reversed, I a colossus and man as I am
> Why, I would be a huge, ponderous bulk!
> (A veritable mountain range from your point of view)
> Snarling and sneering with the sound of thunder
> chasing the "pest" from my home
>
> And yet
>
> I remain mouse.
> Small and fragile as my maker made me,
> humble and dignified in my humility,
> trying to live as all things do.
> Scurrying here and there for a crust,
> eking out a living in this world,
> mine and yours
>
> Mouse
>
>
>
>       Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email
address.
> www.yahoo7.com.au/y7mail
>

Hi everyone..  :0)

i just wanted to share this little poem written by my sister(whos (34). weve had
about 3 generations of tiny mice in my family and have loved every one to
pieces. right now theres only one survivor..all the rest have passed on from old
age or disease.

hope you enjoy it.


Mouse

Small and unnoticed save for the briefest rustle of paper
I scuttle and scurry to stay safe,
always on the lookout for danger
with swift little feet to bear me away.

I am mouse.

Look closer and you will see finely manicured nails,
delicate hands (not paws!) for grasping and holding.
A tiny mind pondering smaller, simpler thoughts
looking out onto a world of giants with tiny, curious eyes
and twitching whiskers

I am not filthy.
I groom with the utmost care, fur well cleaned
Ears perked and alert
The damaged world around me rubs off on my fur,
poisons my home and mine

I am not a pest, nor am I abhorrent.
The Good Lord placed me in his garden before you.
From time to time I may intrude into your world,
Only consider, you intruded into my world first

Do not feed me evil, do not entrap and starve me
Do not be cruel to me as if I were dangerous.
I feel as all living things feel. Pain, happiness, sorrow.

Though unheard I weep, and cry out in pain and even sing
No man hears me, I am too insignificant for man.
My maker hears me. I am his creature

Were our roles reversed, I a colossus and man as I am
Why, I would be a huge, ponderous bulk!
(A veritable mountain range from your point of view)
Snarling and sneering with the sound of thunder
chasing the "pest" from my home

And yet

I remain mouse.
Small and fragile as my maker made me,
humble and dignified in my humility,
trying to live as all things do.
Scurrying here and there for a crust,
eking out a living in this world,
mine and yours

Mouse



       Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email address.
www.yahoo7.com.au/y7mail

I am terribly sorry to those members with the name
Suny, Sunny or Sunni - girl ...in their email ID who
were banned from AMRIS for SPAM. I realise that I may
have falsley accused some members wrongly. However,
the nature of the SPAM was such that I had to protect
other, younger, members from reading it and rounded-up
everyone with those ID's to clean out the culprit.

If anyone in this club has been offended by me banning
thm I am sorry. However, if you ARE the Spammer -
please do not try again as I know my way around
computors and you will be delt with for trying to push
your smutt inside my group.
God Bless Rebekah.

A Little Island of Favourites - My Online Scrapbook by Rebekah
Blackwolf-Mitchell
   http://au.geocities.com/ashleigh_shadowplay



       Get the name you always wanted with the new y7mail email address.
www.yahoo7.com.au/y7mail

The mice girls are having fun again.  In this video they are trying out all
kinds of wheels and as usual having fun  and entertaining us.  Running by
themselves or in pairs, trying to go two directions at once, graceful,
acrobatic...and clumsy!   (Note:  while these mice are young and small, the
smaller wheels were used for the videos but are not used normally as even
for babies they are too small for every day use and can cause back injuries
when used regularly as the mouse must curl its tail over its back to run in
them).

Mice love to run and play and they'll bring a smile to your face as you
watch them.  Don't miss the latest video at:  www.HereThereBeMice.com  Just
click on the Video Gallery to see them run.  Previous videos are also
available.  If they make you smile, pass on the link to your friends or
other lists that might also enjoy them.

Mouse Mom

Here There Be Mice...©
A humorous look at owning pet mice.
http://www.HereThereBeMice.com

We have a number of baby mice that we rescued (they were going to be snake
food) and they are just so cute.  We have started a colony of ten mice who
will live together.  This video was their introduction to new items in
their tank.  They are all climbing on everything.  To see this latest
video, simply go to:  http://www.heretherebemice.com/

Then from the main page, choose the video gallery.  This video is called
Mice Girls:  Climbing.  Previous videos are listed below the newest one. If
you want to know which mouse is which, simply go to the photo gallery and
check out the pictures and bios of all our mice.

As usual, they'll make you laugh and smile.

Do you have questions about the videos or the mice?  We have a new list
called Here There Be Mice...© Talk where all those can be answered.  You
don't need to have mice to join.  There is a link on the main page of our
site.

Mouse Mom

Here There Be Mice...©
A humorous look at owning pet mice.
http://www.HereThereBeMice.com

Dear Rebekah,



Thank you for your letter informing us about Recycle A Rodent. I am
the Education Director at the Animal Welfare League of Qld (AWL Qld)
and your letter was passed onto me as I am know within the
organisation to have a special fondness and concern for companion
rodents.



At the AWL Qld we care for over 10,0000 stray, abandoned and injured
animals every year. A small proportion of those are small animals
such as guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, mice and of course rats. Of
all the small animals that we have surrendered to our Refuge, rats
are of the most concern to me. It seems that as you said in your
letter, they are easily discarded and abandoned, despite the fact
that they are as intelligent and affectionate as a dog or cat. It is
especially sad for me as I have kept companion rats all my life and
know what beautiful animals they can be.



I too am of the opinion that pet stores are irresponsible in their
carefree sale of these rodents, and am saddened by people's
attitudes that they are simply vermin like the rats on the street.
It is for this reason that I take special interest in each
surrendered rat case that comes through our Refuge. As a result many
of the rats that do come through the AWL do get rehomed. Having said
this, your website will be an excellent resource for us to use in
order aid our rat rehoming efforts, so thank you for drawing our
attention to it.



Thanks once again

  J

Zoe Hermans B Ed (Grad), B Comn

Education Director

Animal Welfare League Qld Inc

Ph: (07) 5509 9032

Mob: 0431 021 531

Hehe..i found this on you tube..its gorgeous..check it out :0)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-admRGFVNM

oh and mousemom..i loooove our vids.. your little ones are soo
adorable!!

Big Hugs for everyone!

Kathy :0)

As you may know (my signature is a hint....grin), we have pet mice and from
time to time we share them with the world.  We recently updated our web
site with new pictures and bios of the mice (we have several young ones now
(including a couple of tiny babies) in the photo gallery and we've added a
new feature called Video Gallery that includes the latest video of three of
the new mice wanting to run on the same wheel at one time.
You'll find it at :  http://heretherebemice.com  From the main menu, check
out the Video Gallery and Photo Gallery.  It will bring a smile to your
face and an 'ahhh' to your heart.

Mouse Mom

Here There Be Mice...©
A humorous look at owning pet mice.
http://www.HereThereBeMice.com

I have a couple of cages that I don't need any more but are too good to
throw away. I'm at Ringwood East in Melbourne. My mobile is 0417 668871
if you are interested.