Mouse

[Stevenloan]

My friend: This is the first time I've made some homemade shampoo. Do you want to try it?
Me: I'd love to but I don't want to be your white lab mouse.

Hi you guys! I use "white lab mouse" in this situation in a humorous way to mean "the white mouse that scientists use for experiments in laboratories". So is the sentence "I don't want to be your white lab mouse" used correctly?

Thanks a lot!

StevenLoan

[Phil White]

Hi Steven,
The usual phrase in English is "Guinea pig". Guinea pigs were used widely in scientific research alongside mice. Most people would say "I don't want to be your Guinea pig."

Having said that, "I don't want to be your white lab mouse" is novel, interesting and amusing. It would make people raise their eyebrows and think for a moment, but I am sure that people would understand it.

[BonnieL]

Lab rat or Guinea pig would be more common. Both rats & mice bred for labs are white, so it wouldn't be necessary to mention the color.

[trolley]

I agree with Bonnie and I think the "white" part, aside from being unnecessary, sounds unnatural. Is that lab mouse white, or is it a mouse that comes from a white lab? I wouldn't shop for a green boy's shirt, unless of course, my son was green...

[Wizard of Oz]

One of my jobs when working my way through Uni was as "The Keeper of the Lab Rats." The Psychology Faculty had a very large mischief, I prefer a gnaw, of rats, both white and saddleback. I fed them, cleaned their boxes, recorded the births, counted the offspring and took baby rats into the library to scare and amaze young females. My concurrent job was "Keeper of the Monkeys" which is another story all together.

WoZ of the jungle.

[Phil White]

My concurrent job was "Keeper of the Monkeys" which is another story all together.

To which you are clearly not going to treat us...

[BonnieL]

Anyone remember Lester the Lab Rat from Beakman's World? That was a fun & educational show.

[Wizard of Oz]

Ah Phil it came to pass that I was accepted into the Macaque family. The first time the female reached through the bars to touch my beard I nearly had a heart attack. But when I moved back she began fleaing me. This did not go down well with the Alpha male who really turned it on with a major display. Me being of superior intelligence, well it was rumoured that I was, took the threat gesture he made at me, level 1, direct to level 5. He was confused to say the least. Eventually he accepted me and came to realise I was not interested in mating with his girlfriend. The two intermediate males always showed me submission gesture and I could not change that. The second female would only come near when the Alpha female was with me and she would sort of sit next to her. I loved that time and spent much more time with them than I was supposed to.

WoZ of the jungle

[Stevenloan]

Thank you all very very much. This forum just keeps getting better and more interesting.