Male mouse living alone

by Superman Sat 08 Jul 2017, 11:52 am

Hello everyone, I am new here and just got my first ever mouse a little over a week ago. I got a boy and was told at the pet store he must live alone. I came gone and did my research, some agree yes he should live alone and others say no he should be neutered and have females for companions. I don't want my mouse to become depressed and/or lonely. He seems content but I have never had any other mice before to really tell if he wasn't.

General thoughts and opinions please?

Also, I will probably be asking a ton of questions here as I want to give my new little friend the best care possible (:

by AnonymousMouseOwner Sat 08 Jul 2017, 1:10 pm

Welcome to the forum!

It depends on your location, really. Mice in other countries like Germany are often bred well and are hardier. Not only that, but those countries have more advanced small animal veterinarians, that are experienced and know what they are doing. This makes neutering not as risky of a surgery in those countries. In the US, however, vets are not as experienced and mice are not bred as well. This makes neutering very risky, and it is not a surgery that should be done on a mouse without a good, legitimate reason.

Your mouse should not become depressed as long as you interact with him as much as you can daily. It is recommended to spend at least 20 minutes a day interacting with your male mouse, but many members take their mice out for much longer than that. Just keep in mind that mice should not be without access to water for more than 30 minutes. So if you wanted to play with your mouse for an hour, you'd need to do 30 minutes of playtime, give your mouse a water break, then do another 30 minutes. Smile

by Superman Sat 08 Jul 2017, 2:11 pm

Thank you very much for the info! (: I am in the U.S. and I was only able to find one vet in my city that would be able to do it. But it sounds very risky and I don't want any harm to come to my mouse.

Currently I take him out of his cage (20 gallon tank 30" x 12") and handle him in my arms and hands for about 10 minutes at a time. Then, I put him in a 50 gallon storage bin that's filled with stuff for him to play with for at least an hour a day. And I have water in both at all times. I did have him sitting on my bed with me but after he used my bed for a bathroom I don't do that anymore lol. I actually wear a specific shirt when I'm holding him because he really likes to pee on me for some reason, and the scent is quite strong.

Thank you so much for the helpful information, I really appreciate it.

Also, my mouse does this strange/silly thing. He has a water bottle in his cage along with a shot glass with water. At first I thought he was kicking his bedding into the glass of water by mistake. I change it every time he does it, but he actually picks up his bedding with his mouth and purposely puts it in the water lol. Such a peculiar thing. And he does drink from the glass. Just thought I would share his strange habit lol (:

by AnonymousMouseOwner Sat 08 Jul 2017, 2:34 pm

That sounds like a good routine to me! My boys like to bite, so I don't really handle them with bare hands much. I try to handle them with gloves sometimes, but they really just don't like me. So I let them explore new places for their playtime. Sometimes it's a bin filled with toys, sometimes it's the lid of my hamster's tank, I always try to let them run around somewhere and explore new things to keep them happy. Rocky, one of my two boys, is a lot less bitey than my other boy, so I let him walk around on my bare hands sometimes, he likes to pee on me too. I don't know why, but he does it every time!

Mice throw bedding in water dishes because they think they are hiding the water source from anything or anyone who might take it. Water bottles are usually best for mice, because they are just more reliable than a dish.

by Superman Sat 08 Jul 2017, 2:56 pm

Oh wow they bite? That doesn't seem like much fun to me. Are they housed together?

I actually was not planning on getting a mouse, I've never owned one. I was taking my niece to get her her first hamster and the sales associate just kept offering to show me the mouse I now own. She put him right in my hands and he has never bitten me once. I do have long fingernails though, he does like to try and nibble on them, sometimes he will get my skin a little but it has never hurt at all. If he's awake and I call to him he will come looking for me, although I have found the best way to get him into my hand quickly is with a long sleeve shirt covering my hands partially. Since he can grip onto my shirt he gets onto it fairly quickly. That may help you handling your boys possibly? I'm not sure though

Also, since you have male mice I'm sure you're also aware of the odor lol. I was researching and ended up getting corn cob bedding along with Carefresh natural on top. But I've noticed he seems to like eating the corn cob. I don't know if I should be concerned about that. Or if you possibly have any other tips on keeping the odor down?

That makes so much sense about the water dish! I was laughing about that. He has a water bottle and dish.

Sorry for all the questions, I'm new to owning a mouse and want to make sure he's getting the proper care.

Thank you again!

by Rodents rock! Sat 08 Jul 2017, 7:38 pm

Congratulations on you new little man! I have a male mouse, Mickey. I've had him for a little over a year now. When I first brought him home he was SUPER stinky. But as time has gone by, he got less and less stinky. I chalk that up to him feeling very secure and happy, so not as much need to scent mark. I could be totally wrong on that conclusion, but either way you only get a whiff of him once in a blue moon now. He's such a sweet little guy.

by AnonymousMouseOwner Sat 08 Jul 2017, 8:09 pm

Superman wrote:Oh wow they bite? That doesn't seem like much fun to me. Are they housed together?

I actually was not planning on getting a mouse, I've never owned one. I was taking my niece to get her her first hamster and the sales associate just kept offering to show me the mouse I now own. She put him right in my hands and he has never bitten me once. I do have long fingernails though, he does like to try and nibble on them, sometimes he will get my skin a little but it has never hurt at all. If he's awake and I call to him he will come looking for me, although I have found the best way to get him into my hand quickly is with a long sleeve shirt covering my hands partially. Since he can grip onto my shirt he gets onto it fairly quickly. That may help you handling your boys possibly? I'm not sure though

Also, since you have male mice I'm sure you're also aware of the odor lol. I was researching and ended up getting corn cob bedding along with Carefresh natural on top. But I've noticed he seems to like eating the corn cob. I don't know if I should be concerned about that. Or if you possibly have any other tips on keeping the odor down?

That makes so much sense about the water dish! I was laughing about that. He has a water bottle and dish.

Sorry for all the questions, I'm new to owning a mouse and want to make sure he's getting the proper care.

Thank you again!

Yes, one of my boys is extremely aggressive unfortunately. I've been bit countless times, two of those times he actually drew blood. I'm working with him to make him not so bitey, but he's just got a very aggressive, territorial personality. My other boy just randomly decides he wants to bite sometimes, not sure why, he's never drawn blood though. It doesn't look aggressive with him. I just have some unusual males, most males tend to be really nice and bond to their owner well. And no, they are definitely not housed together! Males should never be housed together. Mice in general are usually a lot less bitey than hamsters. I have a hamster too though, and he's never bitten me. They are all different. My female mice have never bitten me. Mice are normally very well behaved, they might be a little skittish but rarely are they aggressive.

I wish I had some magic tip for you, but the truth is, I haven't found anything that works. Male mice just smell bad most of the time, and there isn't a whole lot you can do. Some members have air purifiers, but I've never had one so I can't say if I know it works. I've tried corn cob bedding with Scout, it didn't really do much for me. It works for some though. He ate the bedding at first too, but eventually stopped after he realized food and treats are more tasty. Just keep an eye on him, make sure he isn't eating so much that he stops eating his food.

by Superman Sun 09 Jul 2017, 1:09 am

@Rodents rock!

Thank you so much! I considered naming my little mouse Mickey also, but he isn't black so I decided against it. Speaking of, and I know this sounds really silly but I'm actually going to give my mouse Disney day lol. I just bought this wooden castle from michaels and a ship, I'm going to have mini tea cups and set it all up on a huge fold out party table for him. I want him to have mouse Disneyland in his life. My niece's are so excited and want to help make stuff for the set up lol.

Getting back to the topic, since I have put the corn cob bedding down along with baking soda on the very bottom it has helped a lot wit odor control. I hope it gets better with time though.

Thank you (:

by Superman Sun 09 Jul 2017, 1:13 am

@AnonymousMouseOwner

well it sounds like you are quite experienced in dealing with and handling small creatures (:

I will continue with the routine I have for keeping his odor down currently, it seems to help for the time being.

I'm sure I will have more questions as time goes on. Thank you so much for all of the helpful information so far! (:

by Rodents rock! Sun 09 Jul 2017, 9:00 am

Superman wrote:@Rodents rock!

Thank you so much! I considered naming my little mouse Mickey also, but he isn't black so I decided against it. Speaking of, and I know this sounds really silly but I'm actually going to give my mouse Disney day lol. I just bought this wooden castle from michaels and a ship, I'm going to have mini tea cups and set it all up on a huge fold out party table for him. I want him to have mouse Disneyland in his life. My niece's are so excited and want to help make stuff for the set up lol.

Getting back to the topic, since I have put the corn cob bedding down along with baking soda on the very bottom it has helped a lot wit odor control. I hope it gets better with time though.

Thank you (:

Disney day sounds fun! You will have to share some photos!!! Very Happy

by Bandit Cat Mon 10 Jul 2017, 9:23 am

Ooh! I'd love to see Disney day!
Just want to share some of my experience with my male:
For me, the smell has gone down greatly. I don't notice it any more.
My male has never actually drawn blood, but he'll give me a little nip if I smell like food.
Also, when he pees on you he's just scent marking. He's saying, "You're mine!"
Hope I helped a little ! Very Happy

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