WESLEY

I love the idea and that we followed through with the Power of 4, to do a book exchange. I would like to add to this though...I think that we should rotate these books so everyone can read them especially back to the person who initially gave the gift.

SHERI this means you!

Let me ask you first of all one simple question that even a 5yr old would know...what do barn owls eat? That's right mice. I'm thinking the author split her time writing about Wesley and what Wesley eats. I have learned how you purchase mice at the pet store in a "bag" then get them home to kill them. Since Wesley is in a home environment, he doesn't know how to kill them, so that is now up to the owner. You spin the live mouse and flick your wrist as it hits the wall or floor to make a quick kill. Then you freeze the newly killed mice in baggies of four.

Time to eat!!! Well you get out a frozen bag of mice (next to the sweet potatoe fries) and thaw them in the microwave. You must then feel the mice to make sure there are no hot or cold spots. Now the fun part...until your owl is old enough to swallow them whole and that is head first, you must cut the mouse up in chunks. I have learned that an owl needs to eat all the mouse to get all the vitamins its needs to grow and be healthy. Interestingly, they don't drink any water because again, they get everything they need from the mice. The heart and kidneys as well as other organs carry enough blood in them to fulfill this requirement. Now Wesley doesn't like all the parts of the mouse, so he just spits out the intestine onto the floor, wall, pillow, your head, wherever it needs to land. So after eating a meal, which consists of 7-8 mice a day, you will have to clean up smelly, rotting mice organs about 8hrs later.

Now another great part of the detail this book shared is that after you swallow this whole mouse, the next day you will cough up what is called a "pellet"...this is what many high school or college labs love to have to examine...what is a pellet, you ask?...it is the hair and all bones...cleaned completely. You can actually build back a mouse body...all seven that you had for dinner yesterday.

Thank you sister...oh I almost forgot, I also know how to make rat patties!

Are you ready to swap books yet?