Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-03-08
HOW TO TRAIN MICE.
SOME SECRETS OF THE METHOD
EMPLOYED BY AN EXPERT.

Inexhaustible 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 cunning little
mouse, white as snow, from his coat |
pocket and put it on his shoulder The
mouse looked around for a 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 its head and back with his right
DO they never bite your"
Mr. Moody answered for him, for Mr.
Moody does the training: Never, il
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.
J But take them up so-gently-without
! squeezing them at all, and they do not
think of biting See here"
y He took the mouse from Mr.. Senn's
hand, held it's tail between his forefnger
and thumb and held il above his head.
a They do not mind that at all" he
Y went on. They are what we call pre-
. hensile-they can support their weight
by the tail. When this fellow runs down
f a smooth stick you will see him coil his
a tail around it for a brake. But if
a should squeeze his tail little too hard,
a or accidentally press my sharp nails
A against it, he would twist around and
3 bite me"
, HUNGER AND WORRY
: What do you feed them ou-cheeseY
Hardly" he replied. No food is 80
- 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 then you can give them a
q little bread and milk, squeezed out
= pretty dry But it is well to have them
=, thirsty sometimes, when you are train.
"A ing them-and hungry, too, for that
nd matter.
or DO you mean to say that you starv(
tE them into tricks or drive them to it by
On thirst
ha Not so bad as that" he answered
av But if mouse is hungry and he Is L
a. walk over string bridge and he see
some oats on the other side he will g
nd quicker. There are two great secret
~, about making them do as you wish. Tn
,rs first is patience A boy can soon lear
oy to train a white mouse nearly as well a
. can if he has the patience. But tn
nd boy generally tires of it in ten minute
ON where / keep it up for two hours-o
,as half a day if necessary. worry ther
into it"
That's the other secret" he went OF
Worry EN-! Suppose you want nous
to climb a stick, pick up little flag tina
a you have put there and bring 1t down
he You take the mouse when he's hungr
of to begin with, you tie grain or two
the oats to the flagstaff and you put tn
ON mouse at the foot of the stick. He won
ont 20 up. Of course Well, when he turn
or around to run away you set him baC
,au again with his nose to the stick. If
gas runs away III NY NllANn oSh hiA' '''~i' -
ex- one times. That worries him. BOO
,rm him up little; give him start. "
the may even have little twig and swift
IN him, but gently. He soon sees what "
nile want and up he goes. When he i'm
roe the oats he is satisfied and comes doy
to eat them. Next time he will do
without half the trouble, and after
while he will run up and get the fl
ines whenever you put him at the foot OF t
ON stick.
n q KEEP AT 1T.
Of Teach the mouse principle, you I
he derstand; not merely trick. The pr
vast ciple in this case is taking something
car. in his mouth In a short time he
peo- take up anything you wish, whether
! in Is flagstaff or little toy pall-a1
cath thing he can lift.
,ded Now. there's walking the uG
,ont rome. he continued THAT looks ha
and uut y is easy enough You must ha
me string fastened to the floor at b,
ends, say four feet apart, and about
foot from each end you brace it up W
lege a stick foot or so long-Just lc