Mice Information?

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10-12-2006, 09:27 PM
zoomer

Mice Information?

My mom just won't settle for a rat. She says she thinks they're vicious after seeing a movie that had a rat drag a baby out of it's high chair and eat it. The movie was called Rats or something like that. SO, I got her to settle for mice. I haven't got any yet and have read a few books on them, but knew I couldn't just settle for books! I need those knowledgeable PTers help! I don't have any specific questions, just want lots of solid information. Does anyone know where I can get a cheap 10 gallon aquarium, also?
10-12-2006, 09:30 PM
Chilli

I can help! =D
Right now I have five mice(3 girlies, 2 boys) and they're great.
As for a ten gallon, you can get a plain one at wal-mart for $10... and then get a mesh lid at a petstore for around $6.
10-12-2006, 09:33 PM
zoomer

I came up with some questions.
How many mice should you have at once?
Will certain genders of mice fight together?
How long will well cared for mice live for?
Are females better to have than males?
How big of a tank (min.) should you have for 2 female mice?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chilli

I can help! =D
Right now I have five mice(3 girlies, 2 boys) and they're great.
As for a ten gallon, you can get a plain one at wal-mart for $10... and then get a mesh lid at a petstore for around $6.

What kind of tank do you have your mice in? And how big is it? Thanks Courtney.
10-12-2006, 09:40 PM
Chilli

The ammount of mice you should have completely depends on the cage.
Males have been reported to fight sometimes if kept together, but if introduced at a VERY young age, this isn't a problem. I have my two males housed together- no problems there.
Even with good care, a typical mouse only lives 1.5-2 years.. though there can be exceptions.
I find my males to be a bit sweeter, though females have their good points, also... and can be just as sweet. I'd say if you want multiple mice, go with females this time... just to make sure you won't have to separate them in the future.
A 10g would be good for two female mice. =)

A little side info:
Mice aren't like hamsters. They get obese rather easily. And obesity leads to health problems. They're prone to the typical diseases: URIs & Tumors. I haven't had any URI problems with mine, but one of my girlies has a tumor.
Food-wise.. I'd say don't get a seed mix like what hamsters normally have. For mine, I feed them a small ammount of my ratfood mix(homemade) and plenty of mineral blocks. As to assure they get all the nutrition they need.
They really love shredding cardboard, so cardboard tubes(like from paper towl rolls and TP rolls) are a must!

And...
I have my females in a nice-sized wire cage(super small bar spacing). They really love it. My males are in a 10g.
10-12-2006, 09:43 PM
zoomer

Thanks! Do you have the link to the homemade ratfood recipe or did you make it up yourself? I've heard male rats are much stinkier than females and need their tanks cleaned more often... is this true?
10-12-2006, 09:46 PM
Chilli

I took various homemade mix recipies from a few breeders and compiled the good parts into my own. I could PM it to you if you'd like. =)
Male rats can be a bit stinkier, but if littertrained, like my boys are, its not a problem.
Male mice might be a bit stinkier, but I'm unsure. My two males taught themselves to do ALL of their bussiness in just one corner of their cage, so they're litter trained, also.
10-13-2006, 08:49 AM
zoomer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chilli

I took various homemade mix recipies from a few breeders and compiled the good parts into my own. I could PM it to you if you'd like. =)
Male rats can be a bit stinkier, but if littertrained, like my boys are, its not a problem.
Male mice might be a bit stinkier, but I'm unsure. My two males taught themselves to do ALL of their bussiness in just one corner of their cage, so they're litter trained, also.

Yes, please PM it to me when you've got time :)
I didn't know mice could be litter trained... how do you train them?
10-13-2006, 05:30 PM
mousie

I have 2 female mice

I hope I can help, I definetely think female mice are better than male mice because they don't stink so bad. 2 male mice probably won't get along. My 2 females live in a 10 gallon aquarium and love it. you can get the aquarium and the lid for under $20. Mice make wonderful pets! If you have any more question, please ask!
10-13-2006, 05:33 PM
mousie

I forgot to add that I had a mouse once that lived to be 3 1/2 years old, so if you take good care of your mouse they can live much longer. I tried to litter train my mice but it didin't work, they just slept in their litter box.
10-13-2006, 05:34 PM
Chilli

As for littertraining, don't count on your mice learning. My females never learned, and with mice, I don't really think you can train them easy... they just catch on by themselves.
For my males, they always did all their bussiness in one corner of the cage. I got a litterbox(the smallest size) and filled it with some YN and all their fresh poo's. They continued to do it all in that one spot..
I'll PM you the recipe when I get back from the game. =D
10-13-2006, 05:37 PM
Jessika

Also when purchasing the mice... make sure to double-check their genders because sometimes if you get a really young male... they can be mistaken for a female. This has happened before where I used to work... haha it was not fun discovering a "man" among all the females in the female cage...
10-14-2006, 10:39 AM
zoomer

Thanks everyone for all the help. I don't have any paticular questions but is there anything else you want to tell me???

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jessika

Also when purchasing the mice... make sure to double-check their genders because sometimes if you get a really young male... they can be mistaken for a female. This has happened before where I used to work... haha it was not fun discovering a "man" among all the females in the female cage...

Okay, I'll definetley be sure to double check! :D
10-14-2006, 04:12 PM
BitsyNaceyDog

I agree that 2 males probably won't get along. years ago my husband got a feeder mouse and I saw it... it was no longer a feeder after that, it was my pet. She didn't look it at first but she was pregnant. They were all boys except for one. I kept the only girl (and one of the boys, separate from the girls). My friend took 4 of the boys, planning on keeping them in pairs. The boys had been together since birth (and before) but they still ended up fighting, majorly. My friend ended up separating them and having 4 cages rather than 2.
10-15-2006, 10:02 AM
Chilli

I'll PM you the recipe now. =) Sorry it took so long.
10-15-2006, 10:42 AM
zoomer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chilli

I'll PM you the recipe now. =) Sorry it took so long.

That's okay, thanks for sending it!
10-15-2006, 11:06 AM
areias

I agree, I made the mistake of getting two males before. I had gone to a petstore where they only sold feeder mice, therefore all genders were mixed, and I didn't want babies so I figured the males would be okay. Nope! After a night or two of screeching from both of them fighting, I had to rehome one. Luckily, the mother of a girl I work with heard about it (because I was going to give to her as a feeder...no other options :() and took him, and he became her chihuahua's entertainment. The chi's watch him all day long run around on the wheel lol.

Two females from a strictly female cage would be your best option. They don't live too long...I had one that I think wound up choking on something, he was having seizures, and I had been away and let my mom take care of him. He passed away shortly. Another one had a habit of climbing on his water bottle, I walked in and saw him fall off of it, and he was just laying there really sickly and passed away also.

I love the little critters though. They really are great pets.
10-15-2006, 12:27 PM
zoomer

Aww, sorry about your losses :( Thanks for the info.