Not satisfied with a boring old wheel for his pet mice to amuse themselves, one man has taught his beloved rodents how to skateboard.
Mr Willmott, who lives on Australia’s Gold Coast, spent 10 years teaching mice how to surf, before switching to skateboards when it was too cold in winter to train outside.
Shane Willmott has built a mini mouse skatepark in his back garden where they can perform the tricks he’s taught them.
Amazingly, Shane’s mice, Harvey and Pedro can fly through the air and even jump through a ring of fire on their tiny boards.
Mr Willmott said: “They love it. Mice are built to surf and skate because their centre of gravity is so low. When they do fall off, they want to get straight back on the board.
” I’m 42 but I’m still 14 in my mind. I love my mice and would never do anything to harm them
Before their eyes have even opened, he pulls them around on tiny skateboards with a string to get them used to the sensation.
They then start on small ramps before progressing to steeper ones complete with jumps, cushioned with sponges should any mouse take a tumble.
As well as mini-surfboards and skateboards, Mr Willmott’s mice have an array of adventure toys at their disposal.
They include remote-controlled cars and a little luxury cruiser dubbed the Rodent Express.
Mr Willmott said critics had branded him as cruel and he had even received internet death threats.
But he said: “I’m not a cruel person. I’ve never lost a mouse in ten years of teaching them.”