Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-01-08
EOW TO TRAIN MICE.
SOME SECRETS OF THE METHOD
EMPLOYED BY AN EXPERT.

CmTEOfG AN ENSEhl.
InexhaustibIe Patience Is Required First
of AIl-Judicious Feeding Must Be OBJ
served-Then One Must Worry the Lit
tie Creatures.
Ferdinand Sem knows more about
raising white mice probably than any
other man in this country, and Thomas
Moody knows more about training them.
Before an explanation of how they are
trained, Mr.. Sem took a cunning little
mouse, white as snow, from his coat
pocket and put it on his shoulder. The
mouse looked around for moment,
then ran across Mr.. Senn's back and sat
down contentedly on the other shoulder.
Before setting it at liberty he held the
mouse loosely in his left hand and
stroked it's head and back with his right.
"Do they never bite your"
Mr.. Moody answered for him, for Mr..
Moody does the training: Never, if
they are properly handled. When boy
picks up a white mouse he is very likely
to squeeze him tight to keep him safe;
then the mouse turns around and bites.
But take them up o-gently-without
squeezing them at all, and they do not
think of biting. See here"
He took the mouse from Mr.. Senn's
hand, held its tail between his forefnger
and thumb and held it above his head.
"They do not mind that at ALL" he
went on. ''They are what we call pre-
hensile-they can support their weight
by the tail. When this fellow runs down
smooth stick you will see him coil his
tail around it for brake. But if |
should squeeze his tail little too hard,
or accidentally press my sharp nails
against it, he would twist around and
bite me-"
HUNGER AND WORRY
What do you feed them on-cheese?'
Hardly" he replied. mo food is so
good for them as oats-just dry oats.
Some breeders bring them up on bread
and milk, but that is not as good as oats.
On oats they keep cleaner and do better.
The dry oats, of course, makes them
thirsty, and tl.en you can give them
little bread and milk, squeezed out
pretty dry. But it is well to have them
thirsty sometimes, when you are train
Ing them-and hungry, too, for that
matter"
''Do you mean to say that you starve
them into tricks or drive them to it by
thirst"
mot so bad as that" he answered.
'sBut if mouse is hungry and he is to
walk over a string bridge and he sees
some oats on the other side he will go
quicker. There are two great secrets
about making them do as you wish. The
first is patience. A boy can soon learn
to train white mouse nearly as well as
| can if he has the patience. But the
boy generally tires of it in ten minutes
where | keep it up for two hours-or
half day, if necessary. worry them
into it."
''That's the other secret" he went on.
IVORY 'em! Suppose you want mouse
to climb stick, pick up little flag that
you have put there and bring it down.
You take the mouse when he's hungry
to begin with; you tie grain or two of
oats to the flagstaff and you put the
mouse at the foot Of the stick. He won't
go up, of course. Well, when he turns
around to run away you set him back
again with his nose to the stick. If he
runs away fifty times set him back fifty
one times. That worries him. Boost
him up little; give him ii start. You
may even have a little twig and switch
him, but gently. He soon sees what you
want and up he goes. When he finds
the oats he is satisfied and comes down
to eat them. Next time he will do it
without half the trouble, and after a
while he will run up and get the flag
whenever you put him at the foot of the
stick.
KEEP AT 1T.
Teach the mouse principle, you I'M
derstand; not merely trick The prin-
ciple in this case is taking something up
in his mouth. In a short time he will
take up anything you wish, whether it
Is flagstaff or little toy pail-any-
thing he can lift.
Nov, there's walking the tight
rope" he continued. THAT looks hard,
but it is easy enough. You must have
the string fastened to the floor at both
ends, say four feet apart, and about a
foot from each end you brace it up with
stick foot or so long-just long
enough to tighten the string. Use big
twine at first, for that is easier; gradu-
ally you can make it smaller, till the
mouse will walk a druggists string.
They have sharp claws and a great grip
in their feet. You take the mouse when
he is hungry and thirsty and put some
oats and bread and milk at one end of
the bridge At the other end you pr.
the mouse. He will try to run across
the floor to the food, but bring him back.
Start him a little up the inclined plane.
He is smart and he soon learns that the
only way to get that food is to cross the
bridge. Then he crosses. and it is no
trouble to him. Worry him into it,