The MicroSoft ball mice that I've owned lasted until the mechanical parts wore out. That would be the ball roller bearings. Of course, it got cleaned when necessary. It would pick up fibers and hair and make a mess. All the mechanical problems went away when I switched to an optical, corded mouse. Again, the MicroSoft version. Fits my hand really well and cuts fatigue. These are long lasting. Wear is confined to the scroll wheel and the place where my finger contacts the left 'button'. I have worn through the finish on the left button, and the mouse is still plugging along just fine. This is my second optical mouse. My first optical got heavy use and I finally wore out the switch, but it took several years to do that.

You can take the line apart and try to find him - or - tape off the duct and wait a month for the mouse to dry out and the smell will be gone.

I hope the mouse hadn't eaten any poison. But......maybe the mouse filled the jay up so much, it was too full for peanuts? Hopefully, it will be back.

Thank you all. I bought an Astilboides Tabularis recently and hope he likes it here. I do miss my Alaskan Astilboides, clematis, and rose William III I left in Alaska. My Martagon lilies and delphinium were so happy there.Astilboides is adorable. Martagon lily Claude Shride English Delphinium I grew from seed. Rubus oderata. I really need this here too. Jim should get these Rubus oderata instead of roses. They are wonderful in person. These early small flower clematis were so cheery. Look at the baby leaves on Astilboides.