Forget dog whispering. Forget horse whispering. Mike Franzman is the animal whisperer of Connecticut. In part 2 (which seems to be turning into a series here at The Hub), Mike documents his recent mouse rescue through Facebook. I say part 2 because of the enormously popular Team Squirrel Rescue we featured here from Mike, only weeks ago.
Check out the story from Mike below, as well as the pictures with his comments from the mouse rescue. What’s the best part? Free healthcare!- Tony
Mouse Rescue
The word must have got out in the animal kingdom, “If you are an animal in trouble, come to my yard!”
Only a few days after the Team Squirrel Rescue, I was headed out my back door to get a much-needed haircut, and nearly stepped on this poor helpless mouse: he was on the freezing cold concrete that borders my sidewalk and driveway, barely able to move. When I bent down to assess the situation, I realized he was unable to stand up without falling over on his left side. Assuming one of the neighborhood cats had attacked him; I looked around, but saw no other animals in the area. He was alone, weak, and unable to run away. He didn’t want to be handled, but attempts to run caused him to just spin in little circles on his side.
I knew he wouldn’t survive the elements being unable to get where he normally goes, and I figured he must be hungry or thirsty from the inability to gather, so I put some food down. Even though he was afraid, and still on his side, eyes closed, he picked up a pumpkin seed and some oats, and ate them instantly. I figured that all I could do was give him food, water, shelter, and warmth for a day or so, and see if he improved.
As seen by the photos, his strength and energy rebounded tremendously! However, he still fell over a lot his first three days. Amanda bought him a larger cage to replace the small shoe-box sized tote I had him in, and it allowed him to run in an exercise wheel in between resting and eating. Little by little, he fell over less.
By Day 6, it was clear he was able to run away, and get to safety, home, food, or whatever his normal mouse routine should be. Just in time for Black Friday shopping! :-)
When I found him, he was lying on the cold concrete, unable to stand or walk.
Feeble and weak, unable to stand, he quickly grabbed and ate some oats and a walnut that I gave him.
He spent his first day here eating and resting on his side in a shoebox-sized tote.
Day One: food, water, warmth, and safety
The next few days he continued to eat and rest, as he adapted to the new home Amanda purchased for him (still falling over to the left).
By day three, he was using the exercise wheel. He has regained some strength & coordination, though he is still very clumsy.
Mouse Rehab continues...
Taking a breather: He still falls over on his left side alot. Amanda's research shows this could be an inner ear infection, or a hereditary disorder called, waltzing.
Whenever I clean his cage, I let him try to walk in the grass, but he keeps falling over on his left side.
Day Four: he has renewed strength and ablity, but still waltzing and falling a bit.
Suddenly, he managed to run and leap about 7 feet and get away from me!
He dashed into the spaces in the stone wall...
He managed to get in here and hide for a while. I checked on him every 15 minutes or so, as he cannot evade predators yet, and my neighbor's cat was prowling the area.
About two hours later, I was able to re-catch him on the lawn. More food, rehab, and rest is needed for him to be able to be released.
Safe Again, until the next episode...
Day Five: still running in the wheel a lot, and resting underneath a paper towel. Doesn't seem to want to eat now, must not be hungry anymore.
Day Six: I brought him back where I found him, and opened the cage.
Day Six: he runs away without falling over!
Day Six: heading home!
Exploring his old area again.
Looking for a way back into the wall.
Mission Accomplished!
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