I have two mice that I am fostering until I can find suitable homes for them. I have had them almost 3 weeks, and when I got them, they didn't even have their eyes open and they hadn't eaten in a couple of days. My son and I did research, and he went and bought pedialite, and soy infant formula. I had to syringe feed them, and clean them and make them potty. They opened their eyes about 2 days, and 5 days after I got them. Well since then, I have transitioned them to lab blocks, and some oats, and water, but I have still been putting formula in their dish. I have slowly been watering it down more and more, but I don't know when I'm supposed to take it away completely. They are very active, and the brown one we named Minnie is super friendly, and climbs in my hand as soon as I put it in the cage. For some reason, the white one won't come close to me. I need to transition them into a big cage, and out of their nursery cage maybe tomorrow. We'll, today I noticed BOTH of them have started to drop their balls! So I guess Minnie is now Mickey, and the white one is dumplin. Or maybe I should call the brown one gravy? Anywho, I need to know, since they are boys, do I need to seperate them, and when? When do I take their formula away completely? I'm honestly surprised that they survived this long, given how hard it is to syringe feed them and keep them alive. Or so I've read. I'm not a mouse person, but the brown one kinda is tugging at my heart. I know I can't keep them, so I'm trying to find a good home where they WON'T become food. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!
Mouse
- Thread starter Dena
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I am not sure of how much help I will be as I have never owned mice but I know from personal experience that it is frustrating when you need fast answers and no one is willing to help you, so I will do the best I can.
From the research I have done, I found that you do not have to separate male mice as long as they are not aggressive towards one another. Some believe that it is not far to deprive a living being of social interaction with their own kind. "Whether or not male mice should be kept on their own is somewhat of a controversial subject. ... In the wild male mice do not usually share their territory with other males. Each male has their patch and female mice (and the resulting babies)will live in their own spaces within it." Other users may have a different outlook on the situation but from what research I have collected, it is your choice whether you want to separate them or not as long as they are not aggressive towards each other.
Mice should be weaned at about 3-4 weeks after birth. Orphan mice often take longer than that (1 or 2 weeks longer).
This site may be able to help you out on how to care for an orphaned mouse properly. I do not know how accurate or dependable it is though.
http://mouseranch.com/FYI/orphans.shtml
From the research I have done, I found that you do not have to separate male mice as long as they are not aggressive towards one another. Some believe that it is not far to deprive a living being of social interaction with their own kind. "Whether or not male mice should be kept on their own is somewhat of a controversial subject. ... In the wild male mice do not usually share their territory with other males. Each male has their patch and female mice (and the resulting babies)will live in their own spaces within it." Other users may have a different outlook on the situation but from what research I have collected, it is your choice whether you want to separate them or not as long as they are not aggressive towards each other.
Mice should be weaned at about 3-4 weeks after birth. Orphan mice often take longer than that (1 or 2 weeks longer).
This site may be able to help you out on how to care for an orphaned mouse properly. I do not know how accurate or dependable it is though.
http://mouseranch.com/FYI/orphans.shtml
Thank you both! I'm not "planning" to keep them. Although, I'm so picky as far as rehoming, that it looks like I may be keeping them. Especially my little brown guy! 
He just melts my heart, and I'm not sure we will be able to let him go. Any ideas as to housing? All I can think of is an aquarium, because all the rat cages I have, have too large of bar spacing. I know that inadequate ventilation is probably just as bad for them as it is for rats, so......
He just melts my heart, and I'm not sure we will be able to let him go. Any ideas as to housing? All I can think of is an aquarium, because all the rat cages I have, have too large of bar spacing. I know that inadequate ventilation is probably just as bad for them as it is for rats, so......Thank you both! I'm not "planning" to keep them. Although, I'm so picky as far as rehoming, that it looks like I may be keeping them. Especially my little brown guy!
I have seen many people housing their mice in aquariums but I don’t think it is very beneficial like as you said they don’t have much ventilation. I would suggest trying to look for a suitable cage online if you can or you can check online to see if it is available where you live as it is more convenient then going to the store and not finding what you are looking for.
This is common sense, but avoid wooden cages. I read that the minimum cave size for a pair of mice is around 45 cm by 30 cm with a 25 cm depth but I believe that the bigger the better so get as big as you can afford. Similar to what you said, you have to make sure that they are not able to escape through the bars.
I found this information that may be useful when determining what type of cage is suitable for your situation:
Wire Cages - eg wide variety of mouse, hamster, rat cages.
Pros:
- often good value for money, even the largest hamster cages are relatively cheap.
- allow interaction through the bars.
- provide good ventilation.
- cage can act as a climbing frame.
Cons:
- mice can escape through very small gaps so have to be careful of bar spacing and other gaps.
- allow contact with animals outside the cage if it is reachable, could present a danger to mice from other pets.
- can by tricky to keep clean, bars can corrode over time.
- accessibility may be limited by position of cage doors.
Glass & Plastic Tanks - eg fish tanks, Ferplast Duna etc.
Pros:
- virtually escape proof so long as lid fits tightly.
- offers a blank canvas to add your own layout of toys and accessories to.
- easy, wipe clean surfaces.
- good accessibility from top.
- can be very cheap to obtain.
Cons:
- both glass and plastic are brittle and will probably shatter if dropped.
- glass tanks are very heavy if you wish to move them.
- may not be sufficent air circulation in a poorly ventilated room.
- sides cannot be climbed so alternatives need to be provided.
Cage Systems - eg Rotastak, Habitrail etc
Pros:
- complete homes in themselves as tunnels, wheels, water bottles etc are all integral.
- difficult for mice to escape if fitted together properly.
- can be expanded and added to as desired.
- easy to source second hand.
- interchangable pieces offer variety and interest for the mice
- offers mice protection from other pets.
- components easily washable.
Cons:
- are extremely expensive if bought new.
- can be fiddly and complicated to assemble and take apart.
- ventilation limited with solid units, though barred parts are sometimes included or available.
- brittle plastic may break if dropped.
- some parts may be chewed by mice.
I found this really cool cage which has tunnels, 5 levels, a water bottle, a food bowl, a hiding house, and an exercise wheel. I am not sure if any mice owners would have a different opinion but it seems like it has a lot of space for the mice to run around in. There are some mixed reviews.
https://www.amazon.com/Towner-Habit...+cage&linkId=214e231405cf9afa781671aa3536513a
I hope this helps even in the slightest.
mouse-crazy
Active Member
Hello,
I'm just chiming in to say that you don't need to separate your male mice unless you see them fighting to the point of drawing blood. I have had mouse brothers that got along for a while but eventually the hormones kicked in, and they all needed to be in separate levels/cages.
There are a lot of hamster/gerbil cages that are perfect for mice, and are better (than tanks) for their health because of ventilation. They don't need a ton of horizontal space as long as you provide a wheel and levels/shelves or things to climb on.
You've done a great job raising the little guys! : )
I'm just chiming in to say that you don't need to separate your male mice unless you see them fighting to the point of drawing blood. I have had mouse brothers that got along for a while but eventually the hormones kicked in, and they all needed to be in separate levels/cages.
There are a lot of hamster/gerbil cages that are perfect for mice, and are better (than tanks) for their health because of ventilation. They don't need a ton of horizontal space as long as you provide a wheel and levels/shelves or things to climb on.
You've done a great job raising the little guys! : )
SQ
Senior Member - Vegan for the animals
I would suggest large bin cages with a large grid in 1 or 2 sides and in the lid
SQ
Senior Member - Vegan for the animals
Here is a video by a former member (admin) of the forum, Hopefloats, of Bucky, a wild mouse, and his two girl friends - because of the specific species involved, they are unable to breed (some species of wild mice can breed with domesticated mice)
People will keep a male mouse with 2 female ASFs so the mouse will have friends, as they can not breed and male mice can not be kept together
unfortunately that is about the extent of my knowledge (I am sure you are aware rats will kill mice if they can reach them through cage bars)
Hope the babies are doing well
There are mice owner sites and groups where people can likely answer your questions ……. and I think Lilspaz68 may know a bit about mice. It is unfortunate that Hopefloats no longer comes on here as she had a lot of experience caring for (wild) mice
People will keep a male mouse with 2 female ASFs so the mouse will have friends, as they can not breed and male mice can not be kept together
unfortunately that is about the extent of my knowledge (I am sure you are aware rats will kill mice if they can reach them through cage bars)
Hope the babies are doing well
There are mice owner sites and groups where people can likely answer your questions ……. and I think Lilspaz68 may know a bit about mice. It is unfortunate that Hopefloats no longer comes on here as she had a lot of experience caring for (wild) mice
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OK. Little update on the mousies. Unfortunately, I had to seperate them. The last cage clean I did, I noticed the brown one (now known as berry) was chasing dumplin around, biting his butt, latching on, until dumplin could break free. I was scared blood would be drawn next, since dumplin would scream every time, and for a few days before, I saw berry chase dumplin, and heard dumplin squeak. So we found two critter trail cages on sale from $35 each, to $15 each. So we got those, with a new saucer for dumplin (they prefer those to a wheel) and some hides and tubes. We got the critter trail, because it has bars and plastic, two doors, and can be expanded on. We have decided to keep them both, so I know for sure they won't be reptile food. Berry is super sweet, and no matter what time of day or night I go over there, I can say mousie mousie, or where's my mousie, and he will pop up to be loved on. We are working on dumplin. He will let us get closer to him now, but still won't let us touch him. I wonder if anyone knows what age a mouse is when they are full grown? I tried to add pics, but it says the file is too big for the server to upload....
Dumplin is good. He's getting big, but not quite as big as berry. Berry never drew blood, or hurt him. I was just afraid it might get to that point. I would have loved them to stay together too, but I'm not sure I should chance it.
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Nataly
New Member
Berry is a handsome boy
