Mouse Care Ask Your Questions Here! [Open for Posting]

[X_Vampire-Seductress_X]

Shearaha

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

i had rats i kept in a 10 gallon with 3 levels and it was a glass aquarium. i heard you can put vanilla abstract in their water to make the ammonia in the urine smell less.

Is it true?

It is true. In mice 1 drop of pure vanilla extract NOT IMITATION vanilla in an 8oz. bottle will decrease the urine oder in male and female mice.

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

Will it have any affects that could harm a animal if they got eaten?

Are you breeding animals for feeders? No having such a small amount of vanilla in the water will not effect a predator eating the mouse. I highly recommend feeding pre-killed mice regardless.

cool thanks for the info and yeah i know i dont like it either because they bite my snakes. some eat the frozen some dont. i've tried many ways.

[Moth Feathers]

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

Shearaha

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

i had rats i kept in a 10 gallon with 3 levels and it was a glass aquarium. i heard you can put vanilla abstract in their water to make the ammonia in the urine smell less.

Is it true?

It is true. In mice 1 drop of pure vanilla extract NOT IMITATION vanilla in an 8oz. bottle will decrease the urine oder in male and female mice.

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

Will it have any affects that could harm a animal if they got eaten?

Are you breeding animals for feeders? No having such a small amount of vanilla in the water will not effect a predator eating the mouse. I highly recommend feeding pre-killed mice regardless.

cool thanks for the info and yeah i know i dont like it either because they bite my snakes. some eat the frozen some dont. i've tried many ways.

If they bite your snakes, you're doing it wrong. =/

[X_Vampire-Seductress_X]

Moth Feathers

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

Shearaha

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

i had rats i kept in a 10 gallon with 3 levels and it was a glass aquarium. i heard you can put vanilla abstract in their water to make the ammonia in the urine smell less.

Is it true?

It is true. In mice 1 drop of pure vanilla extract NOT IMITATION vanilla in an 8oz. bottle will decrease the urine oder in male and female mice.

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

Will it have any affects that could harm a animal if they got eaten?

Are you breeding animals for feeders? No having such a small amount of vanilla in the water will not effect a predator eating the mouse. I highly recommend feeding pre-killed mice regardless.

cool thanks for the info and yeah i know i dont like it either because they bite my snakes. some eat the frozen some dont. i've tried many ways.

If they bite your snakes, you're doing it wrong. =/

xd how can i do it wrong!!! LOL its all the way my snakes bite it. most the time they attack it and i stab them in the head so they die. buuuut it has nothing to do with me silly.

[Moth Feathers]

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

Moth Feathers

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

Shearaha

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

i had rats i kept in a 10 gallon with 3 levels and it was a glass aquarium. i heard you can put vanilla abstract in their water to make the ammonia in the urine smell less.

Is it true?

It is true. In mice 1 drop of pure vanilla extract NOT IMITATION vanilla in an 8oz. bottle will decrease the urine oder in male and female mice.

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

Will it have any affects that could harm a animal if they got eaten?

Are you breeding animals for feeders? No having such a small amount of vanilla in the water will not effect a predator eating the mouse. I highly recommend feeding pre-killed mice regardless.

cool thanks for the info and yeah i know i dont like it either because they bite my snakes. some eat the frozen some dont. i've tried many ways.

If they bite your snakes, you're doing it wrong. =/

xd how can i do it wrong!!! LOL its all the way my snakes bite it. most the time they attack it and i stab them in the head so they die. buuuut it has nothing to do with me silly.

How do you give them the prey? Just put the prey in the enclosure? Or do you hold the prey with something (such as tongs)? And are you constantly watching when they do feed to make sure no one is seriously hurt?

[X_Vampire-Seductress_X]

Moth Feathers

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

Moth Feathers

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

Shearaha

It is true. In mice 1 drop of pure vanilla extract NOT IMITATION vanilla in an 8oz. bottle will decrease the urine oder in male and female mice.

Are you breeding animals for feeders? No having such a small amount of vanilla in the water will not effect a predator eating the mouse. I highly recommend feeding pre-killed mice regardless.

cool thanks for the info and yeah i know i dont like it either because they bite my snakes. some eat the frozen some dont. i've tried many ways.

If they bite your snakes, you're doing it wrong. =/

xd how can i do it wrong!!! LOL its all the way my snakes bite it. most the time they attack it and i stab them in the head so they die. buuuut it has nothing to do with me silly.

How do you give them the prey? Just put the prey in the enclosure? Or do you hold the prey with something (such as tongs)? And are you constantly watching when they do feed to make sure no one is seriously hurt?

i didnt come into this thread to get drilled about how to feed my snakes. i know how. i'm a breeder. but thank you for your concern.

[Mistress of Rain]

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

Moth Feathers

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

Moth Feathers

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

Shearaha

It is true. In mice 1 drop of pure vanilla extract NOT IMITATION vanilla in an 8oz. bottle will decrease the urine oder in male and female mice.

Are you breeding animals for feeders? No having such a small amount of vanilla in the water will not effect a predator eating the mouse. I highly recommend feeding pre-killed mice regardless.

cool thanks for the info and yeah i know i dont like it either because they bite my snakes. some eat the frozen some dont. i've tried many ways.

If they bite your snakes, you're doing it wrong. =/

xd how can i do it wrong!!! LOL its all the way my snakes bite it. most the time they attack it and i stab them in the head so they die. buuuut it has nothing to do with me silly.

How do you give them the prey? Just put the prey in the enclosure? Or do you hold the prey with something (such as tongs)? And are you constantly watching when they do feed to make sure no one is seriously hurt?

i didnt come into this thread to get drilled about how to feed my snakes. i know how. i'm a breeder. but thank you for your concern.

I'm sorry but with how you are typing everything out about feeding them to snakes, it doesn't come across that you know how to feed them.... and Moth is just being nice, I know as pet lovers we don't like seeing pets get hurt because someone is doing something stupid....(not trying to sound mean or anything.... )

[David2074]

Shearaha

David2074

Thank you for the info.
Question - should mice always have an exercise wheel?

I have some wild mice in a cage I built.
They were getting caught in an empty trash can that had some bird seed in it. I built a cage out of scrap wood and wire so my grandkids could look at them. They have a place to hide, some bedding materials and a variety of food but I was thinking about giving them a wheel.

Not all mice need a wheel, some never use them and some use them all the time. For you mice I would recommend a saucer instead of a wheel. Saucers are much safer and you don't run the risk of your mice developing "wheel tail" a condition where too small of a wheel can cause a curvature of the tail and spine.

David2074

Also, the other day I bought them a small rodent salt / mineral block. Is this needed / desired? I was at the feed store the other day and it was only 30 cents so I thought 'what the heck'.

Not necessary. So long as you're feeding a balanced diet, such as lab block, these aren't needed at all. They can even cause issues with mice getting too many vitamins which can also cause health issues. Mice also don't need salt. Since they are so small if they eat too much salt sometimes they just don't have room to drink enough water to compensate. These can be dangerous and really aren't safe for any small pet.

David2074

When I was younger I had a pet rat. She was female so I was surprised to see your comments about females being less social with people. She would come when I called her, ride around on my shoulder or in my shirt when I'd go places and so on.

Mice and rats while similar are not the same. Female mice can be very social with their people, but they do need the company of other female mice. I've had many wonderful social mice who loved to come out of the cage and spend time with me. But because of their need for other mice sometimes they don't pay as much attention to their people because their social needs are being filled.

Thank you for the reply.
I didn't even know about saucer wheels. For anyone who cares here is a link to a page with pictures and descriptions of the various types of 'wheels'.
http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/wheels.cfm#saucer
Not sure if that duplicates a link on page 1. My internet is pretty slow.

I may take the mineral block out then. So far I don't see any chewing on it but they may have licked it. They are currently eating the dry Iams cat food I give my cat. The specs on the iams bag (protein, fat, fiber etc.) were pretty similar to those nutrition blocks for mice Petsmart was selling. They also have a carrot to chew on, some sunflower seeds in shell and occasional other veggie.

I don't want to sound insensitive but I'm not hugely emotionally invested in these mice. They are wild ones that would normally get the trap for chewing up stuff in my shop and peeing in my tool drawers. On the other hand I don't believe in making things suffer. If I'm going to give them a different fate I want to treat them right. I have five acres of woods so if I get tired of them I'll probably walk to the other end of my property and release them. They might get back to my shop but chances are they will find some where else to hang out. Anyway, I appreciate you taking the time to help people. Over the years I've seen too many people with rodents, bunnies etc they bought on emotion but didn't know how to care for.

[Shearaha]

David2074

Thank you for the reply.
I didn't even know about saucer wheels. For anyone who cares here is a link to a page with pictures and descriptions of the various types of 'wheels'.
http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/wheels.cfm#saucer
Not sure if that duplicates a link on page 1. My internet is pretty slow.

It is a duplicate link, but that's OK. Fun Mouse is a wonderful site with great information. The forum does have some "group think" going on, but most forums with regulars does. I'm thinking of adding a section on wheels on the first page.

David2074

I may take the mineral block out then. So far I don't see any chewing on it but they may have licked it. They are currently eating the dry Iams cat food I give my cat. The specs on the iams bag (protein, fat, fiber etc.) were pretty similar to those nutrition blocks for mice Petsmart was selling. They also have a carrot to chew on, some sunflower seeds in shell and occasional other veggie.

I would take it out personally. Cat food isn't the worst thing to be feeding mice, and the extras you're adding help a lot. Can I ask what size cage you're keeping them in? And do you know if you have males or females? If you have a mix you're going to have a population explosion.

David2074

I don't want to sound insensitive but I'm not hugely emotionally invested in these mice. They are wild ones that would normally get the trap for chewing up stuff in my shop and peeing in my tool drawers. On the other hand I don't believe in making things suffer. If I'm going to give them a different fate I want to treat them right. I have five acres of woods so if I get tired of them I'll probably walk to the other end of my property and release them. They might get back to my shop but chances are they will find some where else to hang out. Anyway, I appreciate you taking the time to help people. Over the years I've seen too many people with rodents, bunnies etc they bought on emotion but didn't know how to care for.

I can certainly understand that. I grew up on a farm and mice and rats were huge pests. The fact that you chose to keep them and not kill them for doing what they do naturally says a lot about you. Since they are wild mice I personally would recommend releasing them. Most wild caught mice don't do well in captivity, and unless they have a debilitating injury, or were hand raised are much happier out in the wild.
Of course if you're like the NE US right now and the average temp isn't above 10F then I'd keep them until it warms up a bit.

[Shearaha]

XxXlusty_vampryXxX

cool thanks for the info and yeah i know i dont like it either because they bite my snakes. some eat the frozen some dont. i've tried many ways.

Do you euthanize your own mice and freeze them? Because one way to transition snakes onto pre-killed or frozen mice is to euthanize them and immediately put them in the enclosure. It still smells like a live mouse and is still warm, so the snakes are more likely to go after them. The mouse doesn't feel any pain and no risk of your snake getting bit.

[Kipluck]

Mouse Fun Fact: The word mouse comes from an ancient Sanskrit word meaning "thief".

[tsundere service]

Another tidbit of info you could add to this thread is handling mice, especially when it comes to getting them used to you if the owner plans on interacting with the mouse at any time.

More than once I've let people pet my mice and they'd end up petting the poor mouse too roughly. Or I've seen people pick mice up by the tip of the tail; that isn't supposed to be done, you should only pick up a mouse by the tail if absolutely necessary, and by the base not the tip as it can tear the skin if done otherwise.

[Trash Mammal]

Help!

How much lab blocks am I suppose to be giving daily? I don't want to waste any xD I mean, it's not like I don't have enough I do buy in bulk.

I ended up acquiring TWO more mice today. Both males, same bin setup they were from. Okay basically, we breed in the pet shop. All of our mice come from one of 20 or 30 mice? I don't know, I don't sit there and count our breeders. xD Anyhow, once weaned, they all go into a baby bin in the back for itty bitties, and then once grown a little we split them up between 3 bins. Their "Shelf life" Is not long---a lot of feeders are taken out by people. My estimate is we probably sell anywhere from 50 to 100 mice a week---of course that depends on the week.

Okay so, the two I acquired were ones who escaped, we didn't know where from and they were younger. JoAnne told me they may or may not live at the size they are--so I figured i'd give it a try.

So I have four now. .-.
10 Gallon Aquarium, I added a 3rd house for them. Still only one wheel. They all cuddle together in one house.

Now then; how will I be able to tell if anyones getting hostile? Do they have any certain things they begin doing besides the obvious? Or will I end up waking up one day with a dead mouse? D:

[dr zoti]

So I got 4 female mice on Monday. How do you think I should give them a proper introduction?

By the way, I'm highly amazed you can call for your mice and they will come to you.
eek

[Shearaha]

Morphine Kiss

Help!

How much lab blocks am I suppose to be giving daily? I don't want to waste any xD I mean, it's not like I don't have enough I do buy in bulk.

I always fed mine relatively free choice. I fed lab blocks with bird seed and some spray millet every now and then as well as fresh veggies every day. depending on the size of your lab block if you only want to put enough for one day in at a time then I'd go with 2-3 per mouse per day minimum. They likely won't eat that much, but you want to make sure that no one is hoarding all of it, especially with all males.

Morphine Kiss

I ended up acquiring TWO more mice today. Both males, same bin setup they were from. Okay basically, we breed in the pet shop. All of our mice come from one of 20 or 30 mice? I don't know, I don't sit there and count our breeders. xD Anyhow, once weaned, they all go into a baby bin in the back for itty bitties, and then once grown a little we split them up between 3 bins. Their "Shelf life" Is not long---a lot of feeders are taken out by people. My estimate is we probably sell anywhere from 50 to 100 mice a week---of course that depends on the week.

Okay so, the two I acquired were ones who escaped, we didn't know where from and they were younger. JoAnne told me they may or may not live at the size they are--so I figured i'd give it a try.

So I have four now. .-.
10 Gallon Aquarium, I added a 3rd house for them. Still only one wheel. They all cuddle together in one house.

I'll be honest here. I'm an experienced mouse keeper and I would never try and house 4 males together, it's very difficult and I really really don't recommend it. I would try and get a second 10g and move your second set into that tank. You have a much better chance of keeping your boys together that way. But you should be prepared to have individual tanks for each of them.

Morphine Kiss

Now then; how will I be able to tell if anyone's getting hostile? Do they have any certain things they begin doing besides the obvious? Or will I end up waking up one day with a dead mouse? D:

Your best bet would be during your daily handling. Brush the fur on their rumps up and check for scabs around the base of the tail, rump and testicles. Unless you catch them fighting there is no way to tell -without examining them- if they're fighting or not. Keep a close eye on everyone's body condition, if someone is loosing weight then someone else is keeping them from accessing the food.

Fighting in mice can escalate very quickly from no signs of fighting to dead mouse. It's a risk you are taking by housing males together.
I really don't recommend it for the novice keeper, but I know you have lots of experience with rats, and while they're not the same animal they're similar enough that I hope you'll be able to see the signs before someone gets severely injured.

[Shearaha]

dr zoti

So I got 4 female mice on Monday. How do you think I should give them a proper introduction?

If you got them from the same place they should be familiar with each other already. If not please be sure to follow quarantine procedures which I have outlined on the first page.

After quarantine take them to a neutral place, I like bathtubs, where they can get to know each other without territory being invaded. Most females bond quickly but there will be some squabbling over hierarchy, this is normal so long as no blood is drawn, and should settle down in a day or two.

dr zoti

By the way, I'm highly amazed you can call for your mice and they will come to you.
eek

Clicker training is an amazing thing. It takes time and patience but is invaluable if your mice escape or you want to take them out in public. Clicker training can also help if you have to take your mice to the vet or any other stressful situation. Getting their mind off of the stress and onto something familiar can do wonders.