New Mouse! Help Please?

[Beautiful_Insanity]

Last night a friend of mine texted me and asked if I could take his friends mouse. The girl who had the mouse just had a baby (as did I) and she's quite irresponsible. She also just had a litter of kittens (like her 5th litter) and can't handle all of the animals. Apparently she's taking a bunch of them to the SPCA today, and the mouse was on the list to go as well. I figured he was probably better off with me than going to the SPCA, as there aren't too many rodent lovers around my area- and the SPCA is already overloaded with animals. In fact, I'm not even sure if they take animals other than cats and dogs.
So, here I am now with this new mouse. I've had quite a few rats over the years, but never any mice. I'm not sure what exactly to do with him. He's really scared, and from the looks of things (and knowing where he came from) I don't believe he's had much, if any, handling. I don't really mind if I can't play with him like I do the rats, but for cage cleaning, I'll need to figure something out.
Any mouse owners/rescuers have any tips for handling? He's so fast and skittish, I can't seem to catch him. Plus, I don't want him to be so scared- I've tried just leaving my hand in the cage and letting him get used to me. It's just I don't know if I have the time to do it enough for him to really calm down. I've already got 4 rats, a dog, a cat, a boyfriend, and a six week old baby. I would try to find him another home, but I honestly don't think anyone around my area would be up for it either. Like I said, I don't know many rodent lovers -_- So yes, if anyone has some suggestions for mouse care/handling/taming I would really appreciate it.
I think it's about time for this little guy to have a nice, happy life!

 

[jennifervb]

If you got him last night, he is going to need more time.

Keep his cage in an area where he can be in the midst of things and give him plenty of stuff to hide under. :love6:

Give him as much attention as you can and make sure you offer him kind words and treats.

Your little newbie has to process new sounds, new smells, new everything.... he is going to need lots of time to get aquainted and mommy's patience will help him through the process.

Oh, and don't try grabbing him yet. Just try to give him treats and stroke him. He isn't ready for handling. Mice are much more skittish than rats! :thumbup: :heart:

 

[Beautiful_Insanity]

Thank you for the tips!
I have his cage in the living room, on top of a small bookshelf- a few feet from the ratties. I haven't tried to grab him, but just have my hand in the cage. Even that really freaks him out
But, I have lots of patience and love to give, so I'm sure he will come around with time.
Any other care tips? How different are mice and rats?

 

[jennifervb]

Thank you for the tips!
I have his cage in the living room, on top of a small bookshelf- a few feet from the ratties. I haven't tried to grab him, but just have my hand in the cage. Even that really freaks him out
But, I have lots of patience and love to give, so I'm sure he will come around with time.
Any other care tips? How different are mice and rats?

Rats have a significantly higher intelligence level and require more interesting things to do.

If you have a wheel... give it to your mouse. My grade school girlfriend had a mouse and all he did was run on that thing! :giggle:

Chewable treats and toys (will need input from someone on this) will help him feel more comfortable and cared for.

DON'T STOP PUTTING YOUR HANDS IN THE CAGE!!! He needs to get used to you and, as long as you move slowly and talk kindly to him, he won't suffer any mini-heart attacks. :heart:

I never had a mouse of my own but I had many friends who had mice because they were better able to cope with mouse tails than rat tails (I know... RIGHT!!!???)

I have no doubt that someone else on here has more experience with mice than I do. I will venture to suggest that you not use cedar or pine with your mouse. It isn't good for rats so it stands to reason that it will not be good for mice.

I'm not sure about food but I would guess that Oxbow Regal Rat Food would also be beneficial for mice.

Do mice need companions? That I really don't know. My friends had both singles and pairs. Can someone pipe in here and help me on this? :stickpoke:

We want to give this mini-man the best care he can get!!!! :bunnydance:

 

[Beautiful_Insanity]

Thanks again
The cage came with a wheel, and he really likes it. I was planning to go buy one for him, but luckily I don't have to. He's currently on some type of shavings (must be cedar or pine *sighs*). I've never had my rats on shavings- I used to used recycled paper bedding, and now have them on fleece in the FN. But I plan to use the paper bedding for the mouse. My main reason for wanting to handle him is just so I can clean the cage and change his bedding to something much healthier. I honestly don't mind if he wont be cuddly like the rats. I just want him healthy
I was told this little one is a male, almost a year old. I can't be 100%, because I haven't been able to check myself. But I've heard males need to be kept alone. I'm not sure if it's true or not.
But yes, all suggestions are welcome

 

[crumbilina]

When I was looking after Shiro for lilspaz, she told me that boxo bedding would help reduce the odour (I'm pretty allergic to the little guys). I didn't have any, and I was only fostering for a short period of time and never bought any so I cannot say for sure, but yeah. I also fed Shiro treats - her favourite was peach puffs So if you can get some of those... At first I just put it near her because she was pretty scared of me... but then she eventually took it from my fingers.

I also pulled the cotton off of a Q-tip and gave that to her. It has a rolled up paper stick and she would sit in her hammock and unroll the paper. Made one heck of a mess but she loved it so I kept giving them to her It has to be a paper stick - the plastic ones won't unroll .

Those are about the only things I know about mice. I generally stay away because of the happy rash I get...

Enjoy and good luck!!

 

[victoria]

There was some talk on the mouse forums that the old Oxbow formula was not suitable for mice - many found there mice got too skinny and/or died when on a diet of only Oxbow. There's not a lot of agreement on what the best diet is for mice, I found my mice were quite happy with HT 2014, a millet based bird seed, and healthy scraps. Extrusion would likely be good too, but you'd have to make sure to lower the protein content somehow. Mice are more prone to obesity than rats, so try to keep their diet low fat, low sugar, low sodium, low protein.

Wheels for mice are a must, they LOVE them. The medium sized Silent Spinners are best, just be prepared to clean it daily or so. Small houses, nesting material (e.g. toilet paper), places to climb, cardboard tubes and small boxes, are all great for mice.

Mice smell MUCH more than rats, especially the males. I tried a lot of different beddings and found that lining the cages/tanks with newspaper (the carbon in the ink help absorb odours) and putting YN on top was the most effective. Leaving a bit of used bedding in the cage when cleaned helps avoid them going into marking overdrive. You can add some Carefresh or toilet paper/paper towel on top to make it softer for them if you want, but they do well without it.

Male and female mice are much more different than male and female rats. Male mice are very aggressive and should live alone, females really should live in groups though. (Females are fairly easy to introduce, too.) That being said, some males are more likely to become bonded to humans, where as females can be a bit more skittish.

The best way to socialize them is to put them in an area with lots of human activity. Put your hands in to give a small treat a few times a day (a small piece of lettuce, a wheat puff, etc.) and hopefully they will get used to the idea that you are a good guy. During cage cleanings (or more often) you can let them run on you to get used to your smell. Beware that they pee and poo everywhere and it smells, so you will have to change your clothes right afterward.

Mice are much more fragile than rats, so it is even more important to keep their environment clean and healthy, as it is harder to help them when they are sick and injured. The RMCA has a decent FAQ about mice and common health problems.

 

[Beautiful_Insanity]

Thank you everyone Your information is very helpful and really, really appreciated!