Taming difficult mice
3 posters
Page 1 of 1
Taming difficult mice
by Naomi1501 Thu 18 May 2017, 5:08 pm
Hello everyone
A little bit of background,
around 10 weeks ago I got my first ever mice from a feeder breeder.
I got them for free .. I would never pay money to such a terrible person. The conditions they were kept in were horrible. There were so many of them in such a small space and they were kept in a warm shed. they didn't have any toys and he just randomly picked up the three little igloos that had at least 20 babies in each one of them. He pick them up by the tip of their tails in a way that made them squeak and move around in fear. they were terrified of him.
I brought my two girls home, put then in a big old hamster cage and gave them a week to settle in.
it took them a few days to get used to everything they had. After a week they learned to use the wheel, started climbing and playing with a little ball with the bell in it. They were just adorable.
After giving them this week I started trying to tame them. They were so scared at first but after about three weeks they started taking treat from me and stopped hiding every time I got my hand in the cage.
one of them is now even willing to sit in my hand and eat but I still can't pick them up and carry them around. like I have said before these are my first mice . I tried to use everything that ever worked with hamsters but it doesn't seem to be enough. It's been weeks since I've seen any progress and I'm starting to wonder if it's ever gonna get any better.
I tried to pick them up with a toilet roll and they come out really quickly but jump right out of my hands. I thought about trying the bathtub method but since I can't really pick them up I worry that if they try to climb on my clothes and get out, which has happened to me before with a hamster , I won't be able to catch them without freaking them out too much .
So, does any of you have any tricks that work with extremely difficult mice or is it possible that these two are just untamable and this is as good as it's going to get? I'm not going give up I just want to be prepared for the worst. Thank you
A little bit of background,
around 10 weeks ago I got my first ever mice from a feeder breeder.
I got them for free .. I would never pay money to such a terrible person. The conditions they were kept in were horrible. There were so many of them in such a small space and they were kept in a warm shed. they didn't have any toys and he just randomly picked up the three little igloos that had at least 20 babies in each one of them. He pick them up by the tip of their tails in a way that made them squeak and move around in fear. they were terrified of him.
I brought my two girls home, put then in a big old hamster cage and gave them a week to settle in.
it took them a few days to get used to everything they had. After a week they learned to use the wheel, started climbing and playing with a little ball with the bell in it. They were just adorable.
After giving them this week I started trying to tame them. They were so scared at first but after about three weeks they started taking treat from me and stopped hiding every time I got my hand in the cage.
one of them is now even willing to sit in my hand and eat but I still can't pick them up and carry them around. like I have said before these are my first mice . I tried to use everything that ever worked with hamsters but it doesn't seem to be enough. It's been weeks since I've seen any progress and I'm starting to wonder if it's ever gonna get any better.
I tried to pick them up with a toilet roll and they come out really quickly but jump right out of my hands. I thought about trying the bathtub method but since I can't really pick them up I worry that if they try to climb on my clothes and get out, which has happened to me before with a hamster , I won't be able to catch them without freaking them out too much .
So, does any of you have any tricks that work with extremely difficult mice or is it possible that these two are just untamable and this is as good as it's going to get? I'm not going give up I just want to be prepared for the worst. Thank you
Naomi1501- New Member
- Join date : 2017-05-18
Posts : 1
Re: Taming difficult mice
by scaredymouse Thu 18 May 2017, 7:17 pm
Do you know how old they are? How big is their cage? Unlike hamsters, mice sometimes don't do well with too much space...it makes them flighty and wild. New, young mice do best in a 10g tank. It makes them feel safer and they are easier to tame.
_________________
Lady mice: stormy, Dahlia, lily, Ella billie, coco, maggie
Gentleman mice: milo, jimmy
Other pets: Little Buddy, Kevin (cats) robert, lulu, Englebert, harold, Gerald, Zumi, nico, charlie, (hamsters), stella (gerbil), Gilly (hedgehog)
Penny, Honeybun, Lucy, Annie, Gilly, Furgie, Tedward Wigglesworth, Olivia, Goose, Sweet Katie, Binky, Delilah, Bitsy, Boopers, Sprout, Splotchy, Eva, Slappy, Shuggie, Fancy Pants, Jellybean, Charlie, Murray, Sally, Maya, Gunther, Lil Smokey, Magnus, Norman, Winnie, Sally, George, Harriet, Spec, Erzulie, Lucille, Agatha and Clementine.
scaredymouse- Hero Member
- Join date : 2016-04-03
Posts : 2458
Re: Taming difficult mice
by CallaLily Fri 19 May 2017, 7:39 am
It sounds to me like you've come a long way with them already. 
I agree that sometimes too much space can cause issues with taming new mice, but I also want to add that some mice just don't seem to ever enjoy being held or carried. A few of my girls have been like that, climbing on my hand willingly but not wanting to stay long or be carried around. I would just keep doing what you're doing. Having a designated safe play area outside of their tank makes a huge difference too. A lot of people use the bath tub. I use a bin for a playground. Let them climb on your hand and off, adding some movement in slowly. Most of my mice have greatly enjoyed taking rides on my hand from one side of the play bin to the other. Some eventually are cool with being held or hanging out in a hood/sleeve/pocket. For the ones that never get there, I just keep up with play time in the bin. 
I agree that sometimes too much space can cause issues with taming new mice, but I also want to add that some mice just don't seem to ever enjoy being held or carried. A few of my girls have been like that, climbing on my hand willingly but not wanting to stay long or be carried around. I would just keep doing what you're doing. Having a designated safe play area outside of their tank makes a huge difference too. A lot of people use the bath tub. I use a bin for a playground. Let them climb on your hand and off, adding some movement in slowly. Most of my mice have greatly enjoyed taking rides on my hand from one side of the play bin to the other. Some eventually are cool with being held or hanging out in a hood/sleeve/pocket. For the ones that never get there, I just keep up with play time in the bin.
CallaLily- Hero Member
- Join date : 2016-04-03
Posts : 3937
Page 1 of 1
Permissions in this forum:
You cannot reply to topics in this forum|
|
|
