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Small pets

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Original poster

Pet mice

17 replies

MamaPizza · 23/01/2012 08:16

Really considering getting some. I DS wants them and we have a mini-zoo at home anyway, so they would be a lovely addition. They would live upstairs in DSs room, we would have a nice space for them and the dog lives downstairs so they wouldn't meet.

I have read up on their care for a while and I am confident that we would be able to give them a good home.

Now, one thing that grates me is that they are nocturnal. Be honest, how bad does it get? Will a spinning wheel or munching in the middle of the night drive us potty or is it ok and you can get used to it?

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 24/01/2012 23:36

They do like their toys and the wheel especially. Ours used to whirl round at night for a good half hour (they were downstairs in the hall). IIRC you can get 'silent' wheels now.

Only advice I would give re mice.
Get girls- if you get boys it won't be the noise disturbing you.They flippin stink !

Original poster

MamaPizza · 25/01/2012 06:14

Thanks for the reply. Silent wheels sounds good, will see what I can find. We wanted to get girls anyway, we also have to female guinea pigs. Ha ha, it's literally 'boys smell' .

Should we better get two or three?

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strawberrypenguin · 25/01/2012 07:10

When I've kept mice in the past I've always had 2. Re the noise I found I got used to hearing them move around very quickly but I second the silent wheel. Not all mice will take to the wheel anyway so you might find it doesn't get much use. Can I also say that rats make brilliant pets and are easier to handle (more together hold of and not quite so speedy!)

ragged · 28/01/2012 15:34

I love fancy mice, best rodent pets I've had (& I've had most).
They lived in DD's room.
DD said they could be noisy, but their wheel got broken soon; actually I put WD40 on it before break, which mostly shut it up.

Original poster

MamaPizza · 01/02/2012 17:43

WD40 sounds good, it fixes everything else in this house

Now, another question. What kind of cage is better? Something like the Rotastak systems or an 'open, wired' cage (I hope you know what I mean).

Thanks.

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GrimmaTheNome · 01/02/2012 17:46

Mice have no sphincters, so are liable to pee on you if you're handling them.

TBH I'd go for gerbils.

ragged · 01/02/2012 18:13

?spincters? Hunh?
hum, not been peed on often, but they do poo a lot when alarmed (handled) which we found funny. More tolerable than dealing with cat poo, that's for sure (we now have cats). Mice love dandelion heads, btw, all the little seeds.

damppatchnot · 02/02/2012 16:40

We had three male mice and boy did they smell. Much prefer Russian dwarf hamsters who can become very tame and second the silent wheel. They cost about £10 but are worth it.

By far the best furries we have had are our guineas! Boys and girls we love them both though the girls run is a lot tidier than the boys!

Lara2 · 12/02/2012 15:54

Female mice smell less! You can get wheels that look like saucers that really are silent - my 4 mice can all get on at once!

Original poster

MamaPizza · 12/02/2012 16:21

update

We got three female mice last Sunday! They are adorable and the cutest things I have ever seen. We decided to go for three as they knew each other already and were together in the pet shop, so we decided to keep them as a group and they really seem to be happy with each other.

Now, we are taking it easy. First couple of days we just watched them. Then I have started putting my hand in. First they just went away, but as of Thursday (so five days after getting them) they are coming to my hand and taking a sniff. They still shy away though as soon as I move my fingers. I know it will take long until they trust us, but how long is normal? I don't want to get them out until I am 100% positive that they won't run away.

They are in the living room, btw, so the silent wheel is no issue at the moment (although we will probably get one at a later point). We don't hear them at night. Dog is not bothered at all and we just love watching them especially in the mornings and late afternoons / evenings. So cute!

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strawberrypenguin · 13/02/2012 17:08

Congratulations on your furry babies :o you can probably start picking them up to bring them out the cage now, the more handling they get the easier they will become, they are speedy little critters though so maybe you should hold them the first few times before DS does.

ragged · 14/02/2012 17:44

I'm not sure what you mean by "run away": they will always run away & try to hide when out of cage. They are not like Rats who learn their names & come when called & can be left to roam the house (if you don't mind them chewing it to bits). Mice will always try to leg it, & instinctively hide, but if you handle them loads they will be reasonably friendly, too. Just dont' let them out of your sight.

Actually, our mice did occasionally escape but it wasn't that hard to find them again, easier than hamsters anyway.

Within the cage, at this stage, Ideally I would try to catch them 2 handed, although one handed is fine too, if quick & definitive. Don't be nervous. Be firm about it, you need to handle them lots when young, don't let the window pass to socialise them well. Handling little & often is best. They rarely nip even if stressed, and it doesn't hurt anyway (imho).

They will poo on your hands (probably), but it's a small price to pay for great pets in other ways. DC would set up little obstacle courses.

This can be controversial... but we had ours swim in a tepid-warm bath occasionally & briefly (after DC finished a bath, if low soap content), mainly because one of them was a porker, almost circular she would get so fat. Dry them off well afterwards.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 14/02/2012 18:41

We had female mice years ago (after a disasterous dilliance with males) and one of the girls was pg and had 6 babies.

IIRC we handled them as soon as the mum gave 'permission'. We had to leave the new bedding outside the sleeping box for her to change when they were first born. But as soon as they ventured out into the cage, we could get them all out for play.

If you hold the base of their tails (nearest their bum) it keeps them safe and still on your hand.
They get used to being handled and tame quite quickly.

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 14/02/2012 18:44

Oh,and Mouse Mazes with toilet roll tubes and small boxes are fun too.

Original poster

MamaPizza · 15/02/2012 06:15

Ragged, I am worried they will run and hide behind the sofa / toy boxes / fire place... and won't come out again. I just need to know that I can trust that they will come back, because they are far too cute to lose them, iyswim. Maybe I am naive, but I was hoping once they are out they'd happily sit on my hand for cuddles and climb all over me, but stay nearby. Am I wrong in this assumption?

I have had a few more cuddles, but my hand was always just over the cage so they could hop in there again.

I found out they love rice krispies and they have arranged their various toilet roll tubes to their own maze.

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ragged · 15/02/2012 12:30

I don't think you will ever get them to the point where you can trust them to come back. They are not like rats, ime. I'm happy to be proven wrong. Maybe ask around on a proper fancy mice website?

Original poster

MamaPizza · 19/02/2012 19:00

Good news! DH braved it today and got one out and she sat nicely on his hand at first and then climbed over his arm, to his neck and back down the other arm. I then felt brave and got another one out, and she happily explored my arm and chest. In the end we had all three crawling over us, they seemed happy and we were happy. They are so adorable! Let's hope they never make a runner so we can't reach them, but for now we and they are very happy :)

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