Mouse questions?

Trianna · January 2013

So... I have snakes, and one of them just wasn't in an eating mood, and, rather than kill or return the remaining mouse to the pet store, I've decided to keep her as a pet. She's nothing special (just a plain white feeder mouse) but she seems to have a very good temperament compared to all feeder mice I've come across. In two days she's become almost completely hand tame and makes no attempts to bite. However, she does seem to have a bit of a waltzing problem... I think it's due to boredom or stress. It doesn't seem to be due to a health problem, as she is perfectly able to walk straight when out of her enclosure, it's only when left alone that she starts to run around in circles. Also, she may or may not be pregnant, as, being a feeder, she was just kept in a tank with lots of other mice of both sexes. I've named her Cheerio. My questions were mostly, what should I know as a first time mouse owner? I've had hamsters before, are mice similar? Will she be fine as an only mouse? I'm really not too big on the idea of getting another, as most of the feeder mice the pet store has are extremely mean, and I'm only keeping this one because of her temperament. I'm afraid if I were to get a mean one it would be abusive toward her. Also, what foods are/aren't good for mice? I know the obvious, but looking for something more in depth from someone with a bit of experience XD

Rock_N_Roll_Queen90 · January 2013

Females should have atleast one other female in the cage, they are quite social. From what I've been told, they are a colony animal. From personal experience, I'd say try to get one that has the same temperment (I know that can be difficult), because otherwise they will fight, and it won't end well. As far as feeding her goes... Foods they can eat safely: Small amounts of peas, carrots, bananas, sweet potato (boiled), chicken (boiled. Very good for them because of the protein), apples (keep apples very limited), and plain cheerios. Don't feed them: cabbage, chocolate, corn, candy, junk food, peanuts, uncooked beans or onions. Anything with sugar should be avoided, because mice can very easily turn diabetic.

Trianna · January 2013

Rock_N_Roll_Queen90 wrote:

From personal experience, I'd say try to get one that has the same temperment (I know that can be difficult), because otherwise they will fight, and it won't end well.

This is the biggest reason I am unsure of getting another, we don't have many pet stores around, and the ones that sell mice only sell feeders- so they aren't really bred for temperament. Looking her over more closely, she seems to have a spot on her back where she had a wound that healed, the fur is slightly thinner there, and she has a small scar, so I think she was already picked on by the other mice. It isn't uncommon to go to the pet store and one of the feeders will be injured or something, if it's bad they just try to sell it faster... needless to say, I'm not very fond of their practices. If I came across another of the right temperament I would be fine with keeping it, however, it's just a really big if. The pet store won't let me go through and try to handle all the other female mice either, as they only sell feeders as food, not as pets. Plus even if they made an exception they'd probably be afraid one would get loose. :roll: Also, I plan on keeping her in a 20 gal. long tank, do you think that should be big enough?

Rock_N_Roll_Queen90 · January 2013

Aw, poor thing

Hmm, do you have a Petco locally? They usually allow you to handle pets before buying them. That should be plenty big enough, as long as there's a wheel provided.

Trianna · January 2013

No petco around, just smaller pet stores. We moved her into her bigger cage, and she seems to be enjoying it. She's running around, digging in the bedding, playing in her hides, and just enjoying having some space to herself. She was in a similar sized tank with about 20 or more other mice at the store, so it must be nice to have some room to move around. She's still waltzing some, but other than that she seems pretty healthy, clear eyes, clean ears, a good appetite, not too fat but not too skinny. I'm starting to wonder if the waltzing could be genetic, as it kinda reminds me of the behaviors of some of the fancy pigeons I bred at one point. Whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be bothering her any, she can walk straight from her hide to her food, etc., but then sometimes she takes off running clockwise around the enclosure, over and through one of the hides. She'll do it for a while, then stop... It'd almost look like she as playing if it wasn't always in the same direction. I'll be watching her ears for any signs of infection, just in case...

Rock_N_Roll_Queen90 · January 2013

I had never heard the term "waltzing" before, so I googled it. This is what I found, if it helps at all <a href="http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/waltzing.cfm"; target="_blank" class="bb-url">http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/waltzing.cfm</a> It sounds to me like she'll be one happy little mouse. I'm sure she greatly appreciates getting out of the pet store and having room to run and all that

Oh random info: When I had my mice, their absolute favorite thing was (drum roll please)... paper towel tubes :roll: so if you have any try putting one in her cage. My girls would chew/shred them and make nests out of them.

Trianna · January 2013

I'm going to watch her for a few days, and see if it corrects itself or not, if it doesn't we'll get her on some antibiotics to clear up any possible infections she may have. Her circling isn't nearly as bad as the one in that video though, she's perfectly capable of walking normally around the tank, or sitting quietly and eating, it's an out of the blue once in a while thing. My cousin was a vet tech, so if it gets any worse, or she does end up needing to go on antibiotics, I'll just get in touch with her. I had a toilet paper tube in her temporary cage for her, I'll probably stick the paper towel tube in when we use up the roll. Right now she has a big cave hide, a smaller edible hide to chew on, + water bottle and food dish... I need to get her a wheel still, but I want to wait until I can find one that's solid not bars.

Rock_N_Roll_Queen90 · January 2013

Maybe she's not waltzing. It could be confusion as to where she is/ where all the other mice are? Thats a good idea about the wheel. Might want to check into a Wodent Wheel. Both sides are pretty much solid walls (there are holes that the mouse can go through to use the wheel). So if she is waltzing, and falls or something while using the wheel, it would support her.

Trianna · January 2013

Well, Cheerio's waltzing seems to be pretty much gone. I don't know if it was just the stress of being in a new environment bringing out a behavior, or if she was just getting over an ear infection, but it seems to be all cleared up now. She's eating really well now that she's settled in, I bought her hamster/gerbil mix because the only mouse/rat food I could find was a large biscuit type made primarily of corn, and it just didn't look too healthy. She really seems to like sunflower seeds - I know they can be an allergen, but they were in they mix that was fed at the store, and she shows no signs of having a food allergy. I'm supplementing the mix with plain oat cereal and fresh fruits and veggies, but she's picky with the fresh stuff... I don't think she's used to it.

Rock_N_Roll_Queen90 · January 2013

Aw I love that name ^.^ Yea when I had my mice they wouldn't really touch fresh veggies/fruits until atleast 2 weeks. Be careful with the sunflower seeds, they are wicked fattening.

Trianna · January 2013

There aren't many in the mix, I'll be watching her weight pretty closely though XD

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