Surprised mouse mama
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Surprised mouse mama
by cuppaginger Tue 24 Apr 2018, 5:43 pm
Hello all 
My little family has had quite the adventure. We live in the southern US and have had such strange weather lately. It's been shifting from very warm to freezing and the other night we found this little guy sitting on our driveway.
It was a cold afternoon and it didn't respond even when our curious dog gave it a good sniff. That evening the weather was freezing and I couldn't get him out of my head so the kids and I head out at 2am to find him in the end of our storm drain just a few feet from where he was that morning. I knew it would be heavy rain the next day and our storm drain would be flooded. I was afraid it just wouldn't make it. So we put him in a box with plenty of air holes for ventilation, a fleece blanket to keep him warm, and some water & food.
We left it overnight not sure the little one would make it. The next day we checked on it and the seeds & nuts were all gone and it was running around as happy as can be. We wanted to release it back into the wild in a safer area but with it being an albino we were concerned. I thought it might have been someone's pet or snake food that had escaped because it was just so calm. So we contacted our local rescue and were told that it would be better to keep it or let them re-home it. So we decided to keep it and start this journey. This has lead to many hours spent on the internet watching videos and reading up on everything I can find to learn more.
I know we need to find out asap whether it's a boy or girl and if it's a girl find it some companions. The rescue said from the pictures that it might be a girl and pregnant. This was the picture that made her think that
So now we have it set up in a 20 gallon aquarium with a reptile metal mesh lid, plenty of ventilation, paper bedding, a large wheel (not mesh) to run on, multiple hidey houses and a few things for it to climb on. We've chosen Tropical Carnival mouse food as it seemed to have a good blend and there are mineral chews and a few sticks for it's teeth as well. I think we're all set for now. If there's anything else we might need please let us know. We've left it alone giving it time to settle in and it's spent the last 2 days showing some serious nesting skills. It's moved almost all of it's bedding up around 1 of it's houses and has only left to drink. It's bringing food into it's nest and settling in.
I've seen it out and about today and have noticed quite a bulge under it's tail and was hoping someone here might have an idea of what we're looking at. Is it just a male with large testicles, or is it a pregnant mama about to have babies? or a health issue we need to investigate further.
Sorry for such a long post but I wanted to add in as much detail as possible. We're new to this whole thing but we're having so much fun learning all we can about these little guys and want to make sure we're taking the best care we can. This little rescue adventure has turned into a new love for us
My little family has had quite the adventure. We live in the southern US and have had such strange weather lately. It's been shifting from very warm to freezing and the other night we found this little guy sitting on our driveway.
It was a cold afternoon and it didn't respond even when our curious dog gave it a good sniff. That evening the weather was freezing and I couldn't get him out of my head so the kids and I head out at 2am to find him in the end of our storm drain just a few feet from where he was that morning. I knew it would be heavy rain the next day and our storm drain would be flooded. I was afraid it just wouldn't make it. So we put him in a box with plenty of air holes for ventilation, a fleece blanket to keep him warm, and some water & food.
We left it overnight not sure the little one would make it. The next day we checked on it and the seeds & nuts were all gone and it was running around as happy as can be. We wanted to release it back into the wild in a safer area but with it being an albino we were concerned. I thought it might have been someone's pet or snake food that had escaped because it was just so calm. So we contacted our local rescue and were told that it would be better to keep it or let them re-home it. So we decided to keep it and start this journey. This has lead to many hours spent on the internet watching videos and reading up on everything I can find to learn more.
I know we need to find out asap whether it's a boy or girl and if it's a girl find it some companions. The rescue said from the pictures that it might be a girl and pregnant. This was the picture that made her think that
So now we have it set up in a 20 gallon aquarium with a reptile metal mesh lid, plenty of ventilation, paper bedding, a large wheel (not mesh) to run on, multiple hidey houses and a few things for it to climb on. We've chosen Tropical Carnival mouse food as it seemed to have a good blend and there are mineral chews and a few sticks for it's teeth as well. I think we're all set for now. If there's anything else we might need please let us know. We've left it alone giving it time to settle in and it's spent the last 2 days showing some serious nesting skills. It's moved almost all of it's bedding up around 1 of it's houses and has only left to drink. It's bringing food into it's nest and settling in.
I've seen it out and about today and have noticed quite a bulge under it's tail and was hoping someone here might have an idea of what we're looking at. Is it just a male with large testicles, or is it a pregnant mama about to have babies? or a health issue we need to investigate further.
Sorry for such a long post but I wanted to add in as much detail as possible. We're new to this whole thing but we're having so much fun learning all we can about these little guys and want to make sure we're taking the best care we can. This little rescue adventure has turned into a new love for us
cuppaginger- New Member
- Join date : 2018-04-24
Posts : 7
Re: Surprised mouse mama
by MerciToujoursMaPetiteBoop Tue 24 Apr 2018, 7:27 pm
Congratulations on the new family member! What a wonderful little thing to find on your driveway!
After spending a night outside in the cold, little mousie-mouse deserves a visit to a veterinarian. Find one with pocket pet expertise. If there is any hint of respiratory infection, it is important to catch it and start treatment now. A pocket pet vet should also be able to spot any other irregularity that needs attention. At least that's what we hope.
My little mouse April seemed to think Tropical Carnival was OK, but I can't vouch for its ultimate nutritional value. There were things in there April would leave behind, and I'd set them out for the chipmunks -- and she was that way with all the foods we tried. She much preferred to eat whatever I was eating, so it's a good thing I loves my veggies! Read through the "Nutrition" section of this site, if you have not already done so, for lots of suggestions on how to safely supplement the basic mouse chow.
As for male or female, the rear-view close-up would seem to indicate male. If a female was in the birthing process, she would probably be safe in the nest she had made -- not out running to the buffet between deliveries. But I'd reserve judgement for a full view of the undercarriage, since there could be other reasons for under-tail swelling. The Creek Valley Critters YouTube site just posted a video last week that should help you to determine if you have a Mickey or a Minnie.
After spending a night outside in the cold, little mousie-mouse deserves a visit to a veterinarian. Find one with pocket pet expertise. If there is any hint of respiratory infection, it is important to catch it and start treatment now. A pocket pet vet should also be able to spot any other irregularity that needs attention. At least that's what we hope.
My little mouse April seemed to think Tropical Carnival was OK, but I can't vouch for its ultimate nutritional value. There were things in there April would leave behind, and I'd set them out for the chipmunks -- and she was that way with all the foods we tried. She much preferred to eat whatever I was eating, so it's a good thing I loves my veggies! Read through the "Nutrition" section of this site, if you have not already done so, for lots of suggestions on how to safely supplement the basic mouse chow.
As for male or female, the rear-view close-up would seem to indicate male. If a female was in the birthing process, she would probably be safe in the nest she had made -- not out running to the buffet between deliveries. But I'd reserve judgement for a full view of the undercarriage, since there could be other reasons for under-tail swelling. The Creek Valley Critters YouTube site just posted a video last week that should help you to determine if you have a Mickey or a Minnie.
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MerciToujoursMaPetiteBoop- Sr Member
- Join date : 2017-10-18
Posts : 380
Re: Surprised mouse mama
by Jadamouse Tue 24 Apr 2018, 8:22 pm
wow! he/she is so cute!! like mercitoujoursmapetiteboop said a quick vet checkup is a good idea, and he/she does appear to look male, but you never know 
if you cant figure if he/she is male or female you could always check with the vet
if you cant figure if he/she is male or female you could always check with the vet _________________
Luna~ ~Nova~ ~Vega~ ~Apollo~
Remembering: ~Milly~ ~Jazz~ ~Jem~ ~Oreo~
Remembering: ~Milly~ ~Jazz~ ~Jem~ ~Oreo~
Jadamouse- Sr Member
- Join date : 2018-04-02
Posts : 127
Re: Surprised mouse mama
by cuppaginger Tue 24 Apr 2018, 8:49 pm
Thank you for the replies 
We have plans to take it to the vet this weekend. My husband is a lineman and with the storms in the past few days he's been slammed so we haven't been able to make it for business hours. Thankfully it seems healthy, no itching/scratching, eyes are bright and clear, and the nose is clean & breathing is nice and quiet.
It's only left it's house to drink, then it heads right back in and it's moved most of it's food inside as well so we were afraid we might have a mama about to have babies. We're just watching and letting it settle in. We plan to supplement it's food with fresh foods at dinner time so it has a fresh and varied diet but right now it seems like it just needs some quiet safety and security so we've been letting it be and just keeping an eye on it.
It's our little Despereaux and if it's a girl just Desi for short.
We have plans to take it to the vet this weekend. My husband is a lineman and with the storms in the past few days he's been slammed so we haven't been able to make it for business hours. Thankfully it seems healthy, no itching/scratching, eyes are bright and clear, and the nose is clean & breathing is nice and quiet.
It's only left it's house to drink, then it heads right back in and it's moved most of it's food inside as well so we were afraid we might have a mama about to have babies. We're just watching and letting it settle in. We plan to supplement it's food with fresh foods at dinner time so it has a fresh and varied diet but right now it seems like it just needs some quiet safety and security so we've been letting it be and just keeping an eye on it.
It's our little Despereaux and if it's a girl just Desi for short.
cuppaginger- New Member
- Join date : 2018-04-24
Posts : 7
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