To not want to keep them?

[FearsomeNasalHairs]

Background - roughly 2 weeks ago my dd who is 3 started talking to some imaginary friends, Zoe and Chloe. All quite sweet and nothing harmful, we often hear her talking to them in the living room if we are in the kitchen.

This morning I was making a cup of coffee whilst DH takes ds to school and I can hear dd saying here Chloe have some toast but share with Zoe.
Thought I would go and film her (bribery material for when she is older ) only to find to my horror that there are two mice sitting on the floor in front of her and she is hand feeding them toast!

General panic and screaming from me and then dd as I have scared her friends!

Anyway DH has just got in to find me bleaching and scrubbing everywhere, he's had a listen and decided we should catch them and cage them as pets!

I'm not being unreasonable to say no fucking way right? I feel sick at the thought of mice breeding and loving in our house, and he is merrily looking at mouse cages on eBay.

[Headdesk]

Nooooo wild mice are nothing like pet mice!!! You can't keep them it would be cruel.

[hejsvejs]

Your DH is nuts...

[curren]

I wouldn't keep wild mice.

Knowing me, however, I would be going and buying 2 mice that looked as similar to these two as possible and telling my dd we caught them.

I am so sorry but I did find this really funny. Must have been such a shock for you though

[FearsomeNasalHairs]

Oh thank Christ, I was starting to think it was me!

[NightWanderer]

I was also going suggest getting some pet mice, or hamsters, or something.

[FearsomeNasalHairs]

Pressed post too soon...

We already have Guinea pigs and an Alsatian (useless non mouse catching one apparently) so no more pets thanks.

We are however due to have decking put down next week... Paranoid now, might have to cancel that, have heard about mice and rats breeding under decking

[FearsomeNasalHairs]

Oh my god that's a thought, what if there are rats about?

[spanky2]

Release into the wild. They could breed with each other.

[InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream]

Actually I did keep a wild mouse once- she had a long and good life, but I think it's kinder to catch and release them in a country area.

[NeedACleverNN]

That's really sweet...

But no way would I keep wild mice! Though she seems to have done a good job taming them.

I know you said you can't have anymore pets but domestic mice really don't take up much room and they are fascinating to watch.

Get two females and they don't smell as bad as males

[ElizabethLemon]

Omg have the mice been Zoe and Chloe the whole time??

[tabulahrasa]

Aw...no you can't keep them, it's not fair on them and they could be carrying all sorts...

Get some humane traps and you can release them in a field somewhere with DD, just sell it to her as that's where they're supposed to be and how good it is she can help them get home or something.

[pitterpatterrain]

Not sure how true this is but we were told one time when we had mice, that if you have mice you won't have rats in the same place

[SolidGoldBrass]

If you have mice, you don't have rats. Apparently you never get both pests at the same time because either they dislike each other or rats tend to eat mice...

[FearsomeNasalHairs]

Yes lemon I'm starting to think so.... Given she has spent all morning telling the dog how naughty mummy scared Zoe and Chloe! Lazy dog has probably been in on it too!

The problem is that I already work full time (off sick at the moment) and I know that when the novelty of the mice wear off it will be me left with the looking after of them. Can't expect 3yr old to clean out cage.

[NeedACleverNN]

It's a 5-10 minute job done at minimum once a week.

Is better if you could do the corners daily though as they tend to go in the corners.

Chuck the shavings in a bag, rinse through with a bit of hot soapy water, rinse again and dry.

Though I appreciate its not easy if your ill

[FearsomeNasalHairs]

Ok so silver lining is that there are definately mice, so no rats thanks that makes me feel a bit better

[Chinks123]

Oh wow Chloe and Zoe are mice! Can't believe they let her hand feed them very sweet and your DH sounds like mine:

A squirrel once dropped from a tree onto our window ledge and it's a long drop down. OH was convinced we could open the window and give the little squirrel a home!! He was cracking the window open to do this but (thank god) the noise scared it and it leapt off...unharmed.

[FearsomeNasalHairs]

Aren't squirrels supposed to be quite vicious??? At least Zoe and Chloe are friendly

I asked DH what about if they breed? And he laughed, gave me a look as if I was stupid dickhead and said don't be silly two girls won't breed!!

How he definately knows they are girls when he didn't even see them is beyond me!

[NeedACleverNN]

Mice are bloody hard to sex and you are more likely to get a male and female together in the wild than two females..

[Vastra]

Well, Zoe and Chloe are both girls' names
I read your first paragraph and thought how mean, let DD keep her imaginary friends. But, non-imaginary mice?! No, I'd be re-locating them quick smart and concocting a story of how unhappy Zoe and Chloe will be if they don't get to live outside now that it's spring.
Maybe they can get her an Easter egg to say thank you for all the toast.

[MeadowHay]

This is well funny!! Your DH sounds like me, but my DH would reign me in if I got this idea which whilst looking from the outside I realise is a ridiculous idea. They could well breed A LOT, and as you say the novelty would probably wear off them especially as you already have other pets, and I would imagine they could have diseases/parasites and things potentially. Go for human trap and let them out somewhere.

Your daughter to be hand feeding wild mice though, sounds like she has a right little gift with animals! Could you not try and steer her focus towards the guinea pigs instead? I love my two little pigs.

[MeadowHay]

Humane trap, not human trap!

[mix56]

be warned, that mice can travel MILES back to their home !!!

wouldn't DD like a CAT ?

[Chinks123]

Yes OP squirrels are supposed to be quite nasty, how he thought 2 year old DD would enjoy a dirty angry animal entering the house and scampering everywhere I don't know yes mice at least are supposedly nice.