Nugget and Berry

by violetindigo Mon 15 Jan 2018, 2:55 am

Hi. I am a first time mouse owner. Honestly, normally they are purchased as feeders, but this time, I couldn't resist the cuteness. These two are too cute to be tarantula snacks. Then I discovered they give Eskimo smooches, like being held, are totally tame, so sweet that well, now I am attached. I have them on a substitute peat moss, a coco husk substrate and they dig till their little heart is content. They have dubias and superworms that cohabit with them, just a few to see if they will eat them. I placed a few lidless jars in the substrate and covered them, leaving the opening visible, gave them a coconut shell roof and Nugget and Berry seem to love them and digging. Did I mention digging. I think i will put them on the excavator reptile substrate and let them loose. It is substrate that holds burrows so they do not collapse on the animal. I have an under the tank heater on one side that is meant for hermit crabs, but it gets cold, so if they want warm they can find it. 01.15.2018 pink eyes, that is nugget a male, kind of lilac, or a khaki brownish almost with pink eyes, no white on nose, then berry the female is yellow and white, piebald i think it is called. anyway he sleeps with his head down on the ground, like almost tucked underneath him. i hope that is normal.

looking for an easy way to insert a photo of the two. too cute.

umm.. new to this so if there are repeat photos, sorry. they are just so cute, you have to see. blurred photo, not exactly easy to get a mouse photo. Anyway.. Holy Sheep

thanks!

by Peachy Mon 15 Jan 2018, 8:39 am

Welcome!

I'm glad they didn't get eated, they're too adorable!

Do they have a nest box? Curling up like that isn't unusual, but they normally don't do it in the open. lol

by CallaLily Mon 15 Jan 2018, 11:27 am

by stephlisa Mon 15 Jan 2018, 11:58 am

Welcome to the forum **waves hello**
They are cute mice Smile

by River Mon 15 Jan 2018, 12:04 pm

They're cute! I'm glad they found an owner, they look very happy.

by violetindigo Mon 15 Jan 2018, 4:17 pm

how very sweet. thanks for the welcome. like a regular "mischef" Wink

in here. oh, here is another pic of nugget, (and berry but she looks a little orange in this) his color is really just amazing. 16:10:25

i had to put them in a lidless cookie jar to grab this shot. they are back in their habitat, now of course. i am glad they didn't get scarfed by a tarantulas as well. such cuties.

by violetindigo Mon 15 Jan 2018, 4:23 pm

Peachy wrote:Welcome! I'm glad they didn't get eated, they're too adorable!

Do they have a nest box? Curling up like that isn't unusual, but they normally don't do it in the open. lol

are birdhouses any good for that? they have a coconut hut for now. they have been tunneling in their substrate. We are going to let them do their tunneling thing in excavator substrate and see how that works out. cost efficient, easy, entertaining.

by chiroptera Mon 15 Jan 2018, 6:30 pm

violetindigo wrote:
Peachy wrote:Welcome! I'm glad they didn't get eated, they're too adorable!

Do they have a nest box? Curling up like that isn't unusual, but they normally don't do it in the open. lol

are birdhouses any good for that? they have a coconut hut for now. they have been tunneling in their substrate. We are going to let them do their tunneling thing in excavator substrate and see how that works out. cost efficient, easy, entertaining.

birdhouses would probably be fine, as long as it's made from a mouse-safe wood (and non-toxic paint if it's painted)! though i don't see why they wouldn't use the coconut hide. other options are plastic/wood hides designed for mice, ceramic tea light holders with large enough holes, or just regular little cardboard boxes. Mice love their cardboard!

by CinnamonPearl Mon 15 Jan 2018, 6:54 pm

Welcome!

by violetindigo Mon 15 Jan 2018, 8:37 pm

chiroptera wrote:
violetindigo wrote:
Peachy wrote:Welcome! I'm glad they didn't get eated, they're too adorable!

Do they have a nest box? Curling up like that isn't unusual, but they normally don't do it in the open. lol

are birdhouses any good for that? they have a coconut hut for now. they have been tunneling in their substrate. We are going to let them do their tunneling thing in excavator substrate and see how that works out. cost efficient, easy, entertaining.

birdhouses would probably be fine, as long as it's made from a mouse-safe wood (and non-toxic paint if it's painted)! though i don't see why they wouldn't use the coconut hide. other options are plastic/wood hides designed for mice, ceramic tea light holders with large enough holes, or just regular little cardboard boxes. Mice love their cardboard!

thanks for the advice. a site called oriental trading has all kinds of cardboard stuff with a theme. the critters could "go to the fair" and chew up a card board ferris wheel, or other stuff, all kinds of fun there to watch and let the mind unwind. might lead to a good piece of art or a fun short story creation. but anyway, you just have to look around there are all kinds of things that you can decorate with.

by MerciToujoursMaPetiteBoop Thu 25 Jan 2018, 2:18 pm

I don't think there is much to worry about if a mouse has some "odd" sleeping positions, as long as there are no other indications of discomfort. It could be that the mouse gets a little hot sleeping in its hut or under bedding, it could be that it just wants a little space, or maybe it prefers the nice fresh air on the outside. I even saw a mouse in a pet store once that was asleep ON TOP OF THE WHEEL, with no visible means for climbing up there!

For all I could tell, there was nothing wrong with little April when any of these pictures were taken:

Top left, she's curled up head-down, as you described your mouse does. (Also note the little "decoy" she made: The tissue-origami mouse head figure, including a poopie "eye", pointed toward her from the top right corner of the picture. She did that every so often, and I remember seeing that phenomenon in other rodent cage situations before.)

Top right, she's sleeping inside my shirt. The sort-of tea-stained-looking swath to the right is the inside of the garment. She slept here for at least an hour, and sometimes much MUCH more than that, almost every day we knew each other.

Bottom left, she's sleeping on top of a pile of stuff in one of her travel cases. There might even be a yogurt cup on its side under that fleece hill.

Bottom right, the angle is looking down on her sleeping on some fleece that HAD been folded into a structure for her to sleep under, like a yurt, but she climbed on top, flattened it out, and made it into her personal king-sized bed.

Mousies sleeping out in the open just make it easier to get lots of pictures of little sleeping mouseiekins.

by violetindigo Thu 25 Jan 2018, 3:27 pm

MerciToujoursMaPetiteBoop wrote:I don't think there is much to worry about if a mouse has some "odd" sleeping positions, as long as there are no other indications of discomfort. It could be that the mouse gets a little hot sleeping in its hut or under bedding, it could be that it just wants a little space, or maybe it prefers the nice fresh air on the outside. I even saw a mouse in a pet store once that was asleep ON TOP OF THE WHEEL, with no visible means for climbing up there!
...

utterly adorable. thanks for sharing. i too have something to share. i have discovered that grain mites make coconut coir unusable as a substrate, and are a ridonkulus huge aggravation to research and actually find more than the basic info on. but. somehow. those stinky super worm lovelies can withstand a hoard of grain mites and still thrive. now, at this point it is like a matter of nit picking over cleanliness to deal with the mites. no allergic reactions from them, no grocers itch in other words, and the mice, they are so spoiled they prefer the paper bedding like care fresh. I haven't decided exactly which mode of disposal the grain mites will be subjected to.. but superworms.. they are a hardy feeder and believe it or not so are dubias. anyway i am beginning to ramble. i would take in a ridiculous delight in flash freezing the grain mites that sprouted out of old dog food. Lightbulb

by violetindigo Thu 25 Jan 2018, 3:30 pm

but yeah anyway, letting the mice play in fresh coconut coir is a joy to watch as they dig.. but to heck with it for every day bedding.. carefresh is a much better alternative and so much easier to clean.. oh and of grain mites.. those little white mobile bugs that sprout up in humid environments after feeding some sort of grain based feed or feeder raised on infested grain.. the thing about them is they are carnivorous, i did an experiment when i had a population unfortunately flourish with a chicken bone that had some meat on it. they scavenged it clean and were able to eat a fine layer of bone. now they can carry tapeworms as well as hookworms. so that is one of the major reasons to get them out of any environment, besides them being bitey itchy things. gives one a whole new level of appreciation for grain products that are human food grade.. makes one think.. just to share because i have heard people mention they are nothing to worry about.. well they are incorrect, they are meat eating scavengers that survive a ride down the intestinal tract to only be emitted and somehow come alive out of feeders.. know what i am talking about? common problem in herp care and husbandry. then disposal becomes a wonder.. what is the safest most logical way to get rid of the things? do them like anything else considered possibly invasive and freeze them before tossing out in the trash? i guess so.. input is always welcome on this topic, feel free to put me in my place if it is needed. Hug

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thanks for the welcome!

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