Rodent Lucifer
Should we perhaps learn to look at mice, rats and chinchillas from a different perspective?
What do humans and mice have in common?
From a biological perspective, mice and humans are mammals and that is what makes them so similar (Why is there so much mouse in humans?)because mammals all have a common basic structure that is based on information from many fundamental genes.
Numerous genes were already part of the genome when the evolutionary lineages of rodents and human ancestors diverged millions of years ago.
Both creatures have around 20,000 genes each, of which around 15,000 belong to the human blueprint as well as that of the small rodents. Mice are used as laboratory animals due to their shared genetic make-up with humans.
No rodents from experimental laboratories live at Gut Aiderbichl, but many intelligent rodents that lived in private households and for which a new home had to be found for various reasons. Every little personality in the Aiderbichl rodent family has a special story to tell.
People love mice, rats and chinchillas ...
and not just cats, dogs or horses. The rodent family at Gut Aiderbichl is growing because allergies or time constraints no longer allow the mice, rats or chinchillas to be kept as pets.
Lucifer, a small, white mouse with red eyes, also has a special story to tell. He was bought free by animal-loving people in a pet shop before he would have ended up as snake food. However, it was impossible to keep mice in the home of his rescuers, so the almost one-year-old Lucifer became an Aiderbichler. Lucifer is a very bright and cheerful mouse and enjoys his safe forever home in the care of our animal carer Anna. He lets himself be spoilt, stroked and is happy about the good food he gets every day. We are particularly pleased that Lucifer has now found a little grey mouse friend and lives happily with him in his mouse flat. The two little mice cuddle very closely together in their enclosure and are happy when they hear Anna’s voice, because that means cuddles and treats.
Lotte and Liese – rat siblings from an animal shelter
Liese and Lotte also came to Gut Aiderbichl some time ago. The two rats are siblings and about a year old. They had spent some time in an animal shelter and were difficult to place because the animals should not be separated under any circumstances. A safe place was sought for the two agile animals, where they could live together for the rest of their lives.
And here they are, exploring their new home: Liese and Lotte at Gut Aiderbichl in Henndorf.
As highly intelligent creatures, Liese and Lotte are not only social towards their fellow animals, but also towards humans. Our animal keepers take a lot of time for Liese and Lotte and all their shyness and insecurity are long forgotten. They love their new “human pack”, let themselves be stroked, like to crawl under their warm jackets and enjoy their new surroundings to the full.
Kiko loves apple rings and raisins
Chinchilla Kiko was bought free from an animal farm and given a companion so that he wouldn’t be lonely. Unfortunately, the animal he had bought was ill and died. Another companion was bought for Kiko, but he also died.
Kiko no longer seemed to understand the world and became deeply sad. Kiko was to be spared further sorrow, and so he became an Aiderbichler. Here, Kiko has many chinchilla friends such as Cookie, Dodo and Snow White.
Animal keeper Anna knows exactly what to do when she takes the animals out of their spacious enclosure cage for their weekly health check. A firm grip of her hand would pose a threat to the animals, because in the wild their main enemies are birds of prey or snakes.
Anna is allowed to hold and stroke Kiko and is rewarded with apple rings or small sultanas.
So I guess you could say: all is well in the rodents’ enclosure at Gut Aiderbichl.
The fact that we enjoy the sight of animals so much is mainly due to the fact that it makes us happy to see our own being so simplified in front of us.
– Arthur Schopenhauer
