Little Stinker (Mouse)

Well, I've done crazy things in the past, and likely will do them again in the future, but today's crazy thing backfired in a major way.
I love mice.  I love mice cartoons, mice photos, mice stuffed animals, real wild mice...so when I saw a mouse up for adoption at the local humane society, I thought "great".
I adopted a mouse.  A fat, adorable, bright eyed stinker.  I think a pet skunk would smell less.  This little creature's odor could be used as a weapon of mass destruction, if it could be bottled and sprayed. 

Isn't he cute?  I mean, look at that adorable face.  He's friendly and curious and just the cutest little thing.  But he smells so bad I am sick to my stomach.

At first I thought it was just his cage.  I figured it just needed a good cleaning.  On the way home from the humane society, I almost passed out the smell was so bad.  My eyes were watering.  I had to open the window (he was covered with a blanket).

The first thing I did when I got home was to clean his cage.  I scrubbed it with antibacterial soap, and water as hot as I could stand.  I scubbed his little mouse house and his food dish and put down some nice fresh corncob bedding.   While I did this the mouse made friends with my big poodle, Mac.  I don't think I've ever seen anything as cute as the mouse standing on it's hind legs, cupping Mac's nose in his little human-like hands while Mac licked him.  It would have made a a great photo.

Unfortunately, the cleaning didn't help.  The new bedding didn't help. The mouse stinks, badly.  His name should be Stinker, or Pepe Le Pew, or MC Stinker or something.

He's in the bird room now, and Smokey the parrot isn't singing. Noel isn't whistling.  I have the door open a crack to let the air circulate and I can still smell him.  I put as much Vic's Vapor rub up my nose as I could fit and I can still smell him.  The smell is making me sick...headache, nausea.  He's the cutest little guy and i'd love to keep him, but i can't.  He's going to have to go back to the humane society tomorrow. I'd bring him back now, but they're closed.

I feel terribly guilty, but nothing will have really changed for the mouse, except for the fact that he got a car ride, a nice clean cage, some treats, and he made a new friend (Mac).

I'm hard of hearing...is there such a thing as hard of smelling?  If so, the mouse would be a perfect pet for someone like that.  As for me...I think I'll just make a needle felted mouse, give the humane society a donation, and try to stop feeling guilty for not keeping him.  Poor little mouse.