am I abusive?

[IRescue452]

I had to give the two young mice I rescued a bath because they got messy. I used a cloth with lukewarm water, but they were wiggly so I let them walk around in the bowl of water while I wiped them down, which took all of 30 seconds. The water was only to their ankles and I had my hands and eyes on them at all times. I had joined a mouse only forum and they are accusing me of being abusive because the mice could have drowned or breathed in the water and gotten pnemonia. I had no intentions of drowning them and I don't personally think they will get sick since, hmmm, they drink water from a tiny dish. Anybody else think I'm horrible and abusive? That's the last I try to get advice from so-called experts.

[Kalei]

IRescue, don't worry or beat yourself up, I don't think you are horrible or abusive at all. If your mice were dirty and needed a bath, then its good you got them clean. I once and a while have to give my bunny a bath and I don't see it as abuse. Some bunnies even like to be laid in water:)

I think those other people are very mean to say that to you and make you feel bad, all you wanted was the best for your mice.

[Chilli]

I really don't think you're abusive at all! You were just doing what someone would do with most any other animal that got dirty.

I let my rats mess around with water(just enough to get their little feet wet), and they have a blast. This is usually after they have a nice messy snack of something like babyfood. It gets them clean alot faster than their regular grooming.

I find that alot of other forums are overcrowded with know-it-alls. Part of the reason why I only come on PT.

And again, don't doubt that you're a great mouse parent! Its obvious your mice live very well. =D

[IRescue452]

Thanks guys. Baby food is exactly what they covered themselves in. And sweet potato at that. Stinky orange mice!

[Alysser]

Nope, not abusive at all. I know what you're talking about with other pet forums, such as the one you stated above. I think when someone joins a particular forum, such as just a mouse forum, they feel they know EVERYTHING just because it is on one subject. I have observed this alot with those types of forums. Good luck with your mice, and don't let those people get to you.

[chocolatepuppy]

I used to have guinea pigs and I gave them baths.

[luckies4me]

All my rats got bathed at least once a month, some more so since they were super stinky boys who loved to spray urine everywhere. :rolleyes: I've given pretty much all my rodents baths. None ever got sick from it, and they were all fine afterwards. My one mouse used to get bathed frequently just because he loved the attention! :p

[boris91]

i used to bath my hamster every 10 days or so he loved it and he lived happily for 3 and a half - 4 years!

you are no way abusive!!!!

[Pawsitive Thinking]

It would have been far more abusive to let your meeces wander around in their own dirt :D

(yes, I know they are mice but "I love meeces to pieces")

[epetwork]

I think it's great that you cleaned your mice. Years and years ago when I was a little kid, I had a baby squirrel that was left abandoned in my yard. Me being me at the time, I fed him a chocolate cherry and it got all over him... I had to give him a bath and it seemed like he enjoyed it. I am sure bathing mice is not a problem! Animals go in water, I don't see why a mouse would be any different ;)

[lute]

I don't think you are abusive at all! You were cleaning updirty pets. There was no chance of them drowning. That's just silly.

[Husky15]

I don't think you're abusive at all. I agree with Brody's Mum, to me it would be more abusive to let them wallow around in their own mess.

[Genny]

Don't worry--you are not abusive towards your animals--everyone here knows how much you love them all! I was at a rat/mice forum once and I was trying to explain that we had caught a mother mouse on na trap and a few days later found 3 of her babies--and I wanted to know if there was anything I could do to save these babies and get them healthy again, but they all started getting mad at me because I used traps and not humane ones...I hate to use the reg. traps, but the others don't work really well for us and we had to catch them because they had been getting into our cat/dog/rabbit/duck food and biting holes in it!! :eek: Anyway, you're not abusive so don't think that :)