Eating an object that probably should not be eaten

by SoBrill Fri 03 Jun 2016, 9:23 am

Hey there! So I am uncertain which section this should go in exactly since it could be considered a health issue, a nutrition issue, or a mouse behavior issue. I hope I made the right decision, I apologize if I didn't.

So, onto the issue. Today I witnessed Ivy, my last surviving girl mouse, ripping up bits of the cardboard(?) cupholder I put in her cage and then eating it. She stopped doing this after three pieces and then sat for a bit on her coconut house before she decided to go and eat her actual food. I was immediately concerned, for obvious reasons.

Does anyone know what this might be or what's causing it?

I noticed that she looked a bit more round than she used to be and was a bit slow, but I figured it was just her old age, could this have been a side effect from eating (potentially large) amounts of this?

Please and thank you in advance. Smile

by CinnamonPearl Fri 03 Jun 2016, 9:25 am

Hmm. Are you absolutely certain she ingested it? Oftentimes mice will chew up cardboard or bedding without actually ingesting, and it could look like eating to us.

by SoBrill Fri 03 Jun 2016, 9:28 am

I'm pretty certain. There are no leftover bits lying around and I watched it get smaller as she ate it.

by CallaLily Fri 03 Jun 2016, 10:23 am

Like Cinnamon said, mostly they will chew and rip without actually eating any - sometimes really shredding it into fine pieces. But if she did ingest some, it shouldn't cause any harm.

by SoBrill Fri 03 Jun 2016, 10:25 am

Alright, thank you. Guess I'm a bit paranoid, haha.

by MouseLover Fri 03 Jun 2016, 12:45 pm

I've had new mice eat a piece of their paper-based litter before. Sometimes I think they just want to "check" if something's worth eating, but they usually figure out it's not worth eating Laughing

But that's exactly why we use paper and cardboard in their environments, because it won't do any harm if they do decide to eat a bit Thumbs Up

by peas Sat 04 Jun 2016, 4:45 am

She's probably fine. Just keep an eye out to make sure she is pooping normally.

by scaredymouse Sat 04 Jun 2016, 6:47 am

it's unlikely that she is actually eating it but if she is, it won't harm her. I think it was mentioned already, but that's why we are so careful about what we put in the tanks. everything we put in, like paper products, are safe if ingested.