So we brought the last 2 mouseketeers to the NM Wildlife Rescue Center in Albuquerque this morning.

We lost Cyclops in the dark hours between 4 and 6AM, though he seemed fine at midnight and 2, ate and pooped well and did all the things a little mouse does (which is eat, sleep, poop and wriggle). That was a shock to Ken and me both because once again we thought last night that we were heading in a more positive direction. (In hindsight, I’m wondering if that increasingly popped-out left eye was a sign of some internal damage incurred during the dogs’ exploration of the nest and the babies last Saturday. Maybe there was something going on there that would have killed him no matter what we did. Not that that helps…)

Anyway, the nice lady at the Rescue Centre said it had been a long shot, everyone told us it would be a long shot, we knew it was a long shot… and none of that stopped me from getting attached and trying. We brought Lazarus back from the dead twice on Thursday (hence the name), but after Cyclops this morning we realised maybe we didn’t have the know-how or the equipment. Lazarus and his unnamed brother will hopefully have an easier time in a facility that includes incubators and experts. Not that we don’t know a great deal about mammals (we both do), but we’re clearly not neonate rodent experts.

I know it was the right decision, but I still feel bad for ‘giving up’ on them, even though that’s not at all what we did.

Well, enough of that for now. As for the title, click-baity as it is for those who have been following the mouse saga, it was the least click-baity I could think of. My first idea, “And then there were none,” would have been a great deal worse.

No pix. I forgot to take pix when we dropped them off in their little shoebox with the donated sheepy dog-toy and the shredded paper and toilet paper. Also, I had something in my eye and had to escape to the parking lot. I still do, actually.