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Every now and then our Fuzzies steal the headlines, so here you can read about them! Let us know if you come across any Fuzzy news stories on the web or in your local paper.
The tiny field mouse who saved himself from a flooded river using his tail -
Daily Mail, 13/1/09
Usually a field mouse would not encourage much attention, apart perhaps from a squawk from a startled bystander as it scuttles past. But one little rodent had a crowd of onlookers rooting for him today as he fought for survival in a flooded river before miraculously managing to save himself using his tail.
As Britain started to thaw after three weeks of freezing weather, the River Irthing at Newby East near Carlisle began to reach dangerous levels - for mice at least. The tiny creature was first spotted clinging to a branch in the muddy, brown water as the river roared around him.
He then made a daredevil leap on to the stone bridge running across the river but only managed to cling on for a few seconds before plunging back in. Carried along by the torrent, it appeared there was no hope as the mouse lay motionless on his side while he was buffeting in the water. But then, incredibly, the dogged rodent managed to save itself - using his tail. Whether planned or simply a piece of luck, it wrapped around a piece of driftwood which allowed the mouse to stay afloat for a vital few seconds. When the piece of wood collided with some more debris, he weakly managed to drag himself out of the water.
Eventually, the driftwood hit the bank and the mouse jumped on to dry land, much to the astonishment of the people gathered watching his adventure. John Armstrong, 42, said: "I was looking down into the water when I saw something move on a branch over the river. I saw that it was a mouse and he was clinging on for dear life as the branch swayed in the wind."
"He decided to take a leap for the stone bridge and he almost made it but ended up in the water. I lost sight of him but he resurfaced and I really thought he was dead, he was lying on his side. Then his tail got wrapped around a piece of wood and he was carried into a little raft of debris floating down the river. That mouse has a charmed life, but I walked away feeling really chuffed that he'd got out. It was amazing."
Heavy rain and hurricane force winds battered Cumbria today as the 'Big Freeze' finally came to an end. This was the only story of rodent derring-do but drivers had to be rescued from their cars, roads were closed and train services cancelled as conditions worsened.
The incredible surfing rats who were taught to ride 4ft waves -
Daily Mail, 19/10/08
He looks like a drowned rat. But clinging to his very own surfboard, this is simply a pet exploring his wild side. Tofu, as he is known, and his 14-year-old owner hit the waves twice a week at their local beach in Hawaii. Along with his fellow rat Fin, Tofu catches waves of up to 4ft and even rides tunnels of water known as "tubes".
"Running on a wheel isn't enough for Fin and Tofu - they like a more extreme rush," said owner Boomer Hodel. "When they first started they were pretty shaky and would fall off quite a lot, but now their balance is so good they fall off less than most human surfers." The rats - both one-year-olds - surf for 20 minutes at a time before drying off in the sun.
Each time, they are raring to get back to the water. "Rats are natural swimmers," Boomer said. "And they have a very adventurous spirit." Hodel started their training by gently pushing the rats into tiny ripples at the water's edge before moving them on to more advanced waves. Both the rats can swim and, after some early tumbles, can now perform tricks - often catching tubes in front of stunned onlookers. Hodel draws big crowds of spectators at his local Laniakea Beach.
He said: "They love surfing. Fin\"s favourite trick is a tube ride - where the wave breaks over him and he rides through a tunnel of water. "Sometimes he falls off his board and I have to take him back to the beach to warm him up with a towel. But he is always raring to get back out there. "The first time I took the rats down to the beach it was to give them a wash because they were all dirty. But they loved the water so much I had to take them back."
The water-loving rats are even on a special diet to stay in shape. "It has really boosted their performance," said Hodel. "I give them high protein, low carbohydrate foods. Rats are natural swimmers and have a very adventurous spirit." He made the 1ft-long surfboards himself with the help of pals Jeremy Martin and Akila Barrnett , both 14.
Hodel got the idea when he snapped his surfboard on a big wave and decided to turn each half into a smaller surfboard using sandpaper and fibreglass. His incredible pets were caught on camera by Hawaiian photographer Clark Little. He said: "I saw these kids walking down the beach with two rats and some tiny surfboards so I went over to see what they were doing. "I couldn't believe it when the rats started surfing. They was really good, surfing very fast and having a grand old time. "I thought it was weird at first at first but they both seem to really enjoy it and the rats are good swimmers. "Rats are survivors. Maybe that's why these ones are so good at extreme sports."
Pictured: The moment a tiny mouse turned the tables on a deadly snake and turned from hunted to hunter -
Daily Mail, 12/10/08
Whiskers twitching, the mouse stares into the jaws of death - and then pounces on them. The little fellow had no intention of being lunch for the deadly viper whose cage he had been thrown into. During a vicious 30-minute struggle the mouse tore at the serpen's head with its tiny paws and jaws, finally killing it.
The outcome amazed firemen in Nantou, Taiwan, who had rescued the footlong snake from a local home and taken it to their fire station as a pet. Fireman Lan Sengqiu said the snake might have used up all its venom trying to bite them when they caught it, adding: 'The mouse barely had a scratch on him.'
Vipers have a pair of long hollow fangs, that are used to inject venom from glands at the back of the jaw. During a strike the mouth can open to nearly 180 degrees, and jaws snap shut on impact. Death is usually caused by a collapse in blood pressure from the venom. But snakes do have enemies. They can fall prey to large birds, wild boars, mongooses, raccoons, foxes, coyotes, other snakes....and apparently mice.
Meet the pet rabbit that didn't flopsy about when it came to saving its owners when their house burned down -
Daily Mail, 26/7/08
In a classic 'believe it or not' example, a pet rabbit was being hailed a hero last night after saving his owners from a house fire.
The bunny - surprisingly enough called Rabbit - woke up his owners by scratching at their bedroom door when fire began to spread through the rest of their Melbourne home. Allowed to roam free through the house, it could have been a case of 'run Rabbit, run Rabbit, run, run, run,' - the bunny could have high-tailed it through a cat flat or even a gap in a window as the flames took hold. But instead, he headed for the bedroom door and began furiously scratching away, creating enough noise to wake up Mr Gerry Finn and his wife Michelle. When jewellery-maker Mr Finn opened the bedroom door to find out what all the commotion was, he was beaten back by smoke and heat.
He grabbed Rabbit, ushered his wife outside and then called on the help of neighbours to help him fight the blaze before four fire crews arrived to dampen things down. 'There's absolutely no doubt that Rabbit saved our lives,' Mrs Finn said last night. 'He alerted us in the nick of time. We were both fast asleep and we might not have got out in time if we hadn't heard the scratching. 'Rabbit is free to roam the house, unless we have guests and then we lock him in his cage. 'He's very much an inside pet, like a cat, but I don't think he was very impressed with the fire breaking out like that.'
Fire investigators believe a faulty heater may have sparked the blaze. The house usually has a fire alarm fitted in the lounge room, but it had been removed while the room was being repainted. It might be expected that a pet-loving couple would pay tribute to a smart rabbit for saving their lives, but the praise goes further than Mr and Mrs Finn. 'Definitely the rabbit saved them,' said Metropolitan Fire Brigade commander Mick Swift. 'The heat was intense and so was the smoke. If there had been much more of a delay they might not have got out.'
Incredibly, Rabbit had survived more than half an hour of heat and smoke inhalation before alerting his owners. The six month old bunny was taken to a vet for a check up after the drama and given a clean bill of health.
Scientists discover one ton mouse that lived four million years ago -
Daily Mirror, 31/1/08
It's the mightiest mouse the world has ever seen - one of the really big cheeses of the animal kingdom. The prehistoric throwback - easily capable of putting the cat out - was bigger than a bull and weighed
around a TON.
It lived four million years ago in the South American rain forest.
The super-rodent's existence was revealed after a complete fossilised
skull was found in Uruguay.
Scientists say it comes from the Dinomyidae family of mice - but
is far bigger than anything discovered so far. Writing in the Royal
Society Journal of Proceedings B, they reckon it could have grown
to 2,500kg.
But its average weight is likely to have been around 1,000kg - still
making it by far the largest rodent ever to roam the planet. Previously
about 50 species of Dinomyidae have been identified from fossilised
teeth. They are thought to have shared the forest with sabre-toothed
tigers and huge birds of prey.
The new giant species - called J.monesi - is believed to have lived
close to rivers. It had very small nibbly teeth in relation to its
53cm skull and was probably a vegetarian.
The only modern survivor of the Dinomyidae family is the pacarana
which can reach up to 15kg and lives in the foothills of the Andes.
It communicates by stamping its forepaws, chattering its teeth and
letting out a series of whines and hisses. The largest living rodent,
the carpincho, grows to about 60kg. But compared to his heavyweight
ancestor he's not even close to being enormouse.
Celebrities start a trend for rattie pets - click
below to read whole story:
Mouse runs rings round the world's most useless moggy - 20/4/07
Daily Mail
He clearly needs to watch more Tom and Jerry cartoons.
A busy day of hunt-and-chase seemed to be the last thing on this
moggy's mind as he allowed a little mouse to walk all over him. (First
the Royal Navy goes soft on us, now this.)
The mouse, on the other hand, is far from being a scaredy-cat. He
sees a tempting ball of string and away he goes, oblivious to the
danger of receiving a smack in the face - or worse - from a feline
paw.
Normally when cat meets mouse, you can guarantee the outcome of a
contest that should be about as onesided as Manchester United against
Torquay United.
But not this time. And it's made this unlikely pair the latest stars
of the internet.
The cat won't do what he was put on this earth to do and give chase
- all he seems to want is a snooze in the sunshine, and frankly, who
can blame him? Certainly not us humans.
Maybe he's just got too much of our gene pool in him. Then again,
he could just be a vegetarian . . .
Why you can't keep a good hamster down - 15/3/07 - The Guardian
Long dismissed as lumps of fluff that do nothing but sleep all day
and fill their cheeks with food all night, hamsters, it seems, are
staking a claim to be the indestructible daredevils of the animal
world. Yesterday brought us news of Henry, from Staffordshire, who
escaped his cage, ran under the kitchen sink and fell down a pipe
4ft deep. Neither the RSPCA, nor a neighbour who dangled hamster ladders
and a Curly Wurly down the hole, could rescue him. It was 24 hours
before the council's pet rescue team arrived on the scene and used
a vacuum cleaner nozzle on a low suction setting to airlift Henry
to safety.
Henry's ordeal may bring back bad memories for Whizzy, from Chichester.
In 2004 he fell into a pipe through the kitchen floor. The fire brigade
spent two hours digging up the family's back garden to get to the
pipe, before flushing him out with a hose. "It was whitewater
rafting for hamsters," said a fire service spokesperson.
Two years ago my friend Diana's hamster, Fluffia, escaped her cage
and disappeared through a crack in the wall in the upstairs bathroom.
"Two weeks later my husband and I were having dinner when I heard
a scratching behind the kitchen skirting board. We'd had a few glasses
of wine so it seemed the most natural thing to bash a hole in the
wall with a hammer." There was Fluffia, covered in dust and very
skinny, but alive and happy.
Possibly the most miraculous escape came last year, when Mike, a
golden hamster, survived an ordeal at a waste recycling plant in north
Wales. He went through several machines designed to rip unwanted washing
machines into bits, narrowly avoiding shredder blades, before using
the skills gained from his exercise wheel to survive a rotating drum.
Yet the hamster world's Houdini is Claudia, whose owner, in 2000,
thought she was dead, and buried her in a cardboard box 3ft underground,
only for Claudia to gnaw her way out of her coffin and burrow to the
surface. You might want to go and check your hamster burial site for
signs of a similar miraculous escape.
What happened when Tom came face-to-face with Jerry - 1/2/07 - Daily
Mail
Looming menacingly over a tiny brown mouse, a ruthless cat eyes what
will surely be his lunch. But in the best traditions of Tom and Jerry,
the plucky rodent manages to outwit his much larger foe. Despite being
a whisker away from death, the mouse stares back undaunted, as if
to say "You wouldn't dare."
Apparently peeved by the mouse's cheek, the feline lethally swings
its right paw, pinning the rodent - and apparently sealing his fate.
And in true cartoon style, the mouse leaps for his life and scurries
across the lawn to freedom.
Which only goes to show that no matter how bleak the situation one
last push can sometimes, save the day. And that sometimes, mice too
have nine lives.
Mice snub cheese says academic - 5/9/06 (BBC News website)
 The
cartoon image that mice love cheese is a myth, an academic has claimed.
Dr David Holmes, from Manchester Metropolitan University, said that
mice would be more likely to be lured into a trap by cereal.
He said: "Mice respond to the smell, texture and taste of food
and cheese is something that would not be available to them in their
natural environment." The findings were part of a wider study
into what foods attract and repel animals. Researchers found a mouse's
diet is primarily made up of grains and fruit.
Unlike the cartoon character Jerry , a real mouse would turn its
nose up at something as strong in smell and rich in taste as cheese.
Mouse plays leap frog to escape Indian floods - 30/6/06 (Daily Mail)
 
Click images to enlarge
There's nothing like a friend to help you out when times are tough...
And this mouse found himself an unlikely ally when floodwaters devastated
parts of northern India.
He hitched a ride to safety on the back of a friendly frog which
ferried him back to the bank when the mouse was swept into a swollen
river near Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh.
Ferret's rescue from crow attack - 20/6/06 (BBC News website)
 A
terrified ferret was rescued after being attacked by 40 crows in the
back garden of a house in Conwy.
Student Alex Williams, 20, found the animal - now nicknamed Freddy
- after going to investigate the cause of a loud squawking noise outside.
"It was like something out of Hitchcock's film The Birds. The
ferret was very frightened," Ms Williams said.
Freddy is now at the RSPCA rescue centre at Bryn y Maen in Colwyn
Bay. Ms Williams was having tea with her family in Old Colwyn when
she heard the crows making a noise. When she went outside she saw
the ferret on the lawn being repeatedly dive-bombed by the birds.
"I went out and shooed the crows away and the ferret ran over
and started running around my legs," said Ms Williams. "It
was obviously tame but very hungry and thirsty. We fed it chicken
and gave it a drink and took it to the RSPCA," she added.
Bird expert Iolo Williams said it was not unusual for crows to attack
if they thought there was a threat to their young.
"Ferrets can kill crow chicks and as you are never far from
a crows' nest it's possible the birds felt they were under threat.
As soon as one started to attack the others would join in," he
said. "They might also have been rooks which nest together in
a colony," he added.
Animal care assistant with the RSPCA at Bryn y Maen, Angela Willis,
said the centre had seven ferrets waiting to be rehomed. All of them
were brought into the home as strays, some having been lost by people
using them for rabbiting whilst others had probably escaped out of
their enclosures.
"Its quite common for us to have ferrets at the centre throughout
the year and the majority of them are pretty friendly," Ms Willis
added.
The owner, or someone else willing to give Freddy a home
should contact the RSPCA on 0870 0101845.
Trapped dog rescued using ferret - 18/6/06 (BBC News website)
Firefighters in Newcastle have used an electronically-tagged ferret
to rescue a dog that became trapped in a rabbit warren on Friday night.
Jenny, a four-year-old Lakeland Terrier, had been stuck in the hole
in Throckley for eight hours before the ferret found her. Tyne and
Wear Rescue Service used the signal from Parker the ferret's tag to
locate the dog and dig her out. Firefighters said the credit for the
rescue should go to Parker, not them. The ferret belonged to Jenny's
owner, Brian Kay from Lemington, who had fitted a tracking device
on to the animal's collar as a security measure.
Trevor McCarthy, the officer in charge of the rescue, said: "Without
a doubt the ferret's got to be the hero of the hour. "It is certainly
the first extrication of something alive that I have put down to ferrets
rather than a special tool we use."
Hamster survives giant shredder - 2/6/06 (Reported UK-wide in all
major newspapers)
 A
hamster has survived almost unscathed after spending several minutes
passing through an industrial shredder. The rodent is thought to have
got into a skip of rubbish that was taken to Recyclo recycling plant
in Flintshire. It survived a giant shredder used to destroy waste such
as washing machines and was found in a sorting area with no injuries
other than a sore foot.
The hamster, named Mike, has been adopted by Liam Bull, 10, whose
father Craig works at Recyclo. Liam said: "I can't believe he's
still alive after what happened, but he's doing fine now."
The hamster's ordeal, which lasted around four minutes, began when
it arrived at the plant in Sandycroft, probably aboard one of the
many skips of waste which arrive there daily. As well as surviving
the giant shredder, Mike passed through a rotating drum and vibrating
grids before he was discovered by staff. The plant's general manager,
Tony Williams, said: "We deal with 300 to 400 tonnes of dry waste
a day from all over Cheshire, Flintshire and Wrexham.
"Some of the material is shredded and then goes through a series
of conveyor belts and grids that enable smaller pieces of waste to
fall through. "It seems that the hamster was small enough to
pass through the blades of the shredder, but big enough to pass along
the trammel without falling through an aperture.
"We don't get very much animal activity here, but we're delighted
Mike survived and is now being cared for."
Snake 'befriends' snack hamster - 19/1/06 (Reported worldwide and
on the BBC News website)
 A
rodent-eating snake and a hamster have developed an unusual bond at
a zoo in the Japanese capital, Tokyo. Their relationship began in October
last year, when zookeepers presented the hamster to the snake as a meal.
The rat snake, however, refused to eat the rodent. The two now share
a cage, and the hamster sometimes falls asleep sitting on top of his
natural foe.
"I have never seen anything like it," a zookeeper at the
Mutsugoro Okoku zoo told the Associated Press News agency.
The hamster was initially offered to Aochan, the two-year-old rat
snake, because it was refusing to eat frozen mice. As a joke, the
zookeeper said they named the hamster Gohan - the Japanese word for
meal.
"I don't think there's any danger. Aochan seems to enjoy Gohan's
company very much," said zookeeper Kazuya Yamamoto.
The apparent friendship between the snake and hamster is one of many
reported bonds spanning the divide between predator and prey.
Trapped hamster rescued from cage - 11/1/06
A hamster was rescued by firefighters after it got its head stuck
between the bars of its cage.
The pet's owner took it to her local fire station in Ellesmere Port,
Cheshire, after the rodent wedged its head between the narrow metal
bars. Firefighters used cutting gear usually saved for removing jewellery,
like rings stuck on fingers. A fire service spokesman said: "It
was certainly a very unusual job. The owner and hamster were both
very relieved."
The hamster was said to be uninjured and is now recovering at home
following its ordeal.
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