How to keep a lone female happy

by samandsheen Thu 05 Sep 2019, 11:20 pm

Hey everyone. So I used to have 4 mice (2 moms, 2 daughters), and two of the moms and one of the daughters passed away already. The most recent passing was one of the moms, and that was today. That just leaves me with one lone female, and while the decline in the other three mice was evident, she seems perfectly healthy (1.25 years old) so I am sure she will live a lot longer. I understand that mice get lonely and need companions, but I cannot get another mouse. What can I do to make her happy and keep her living a long life? She doesn’t really like playing with me, but she will jump onto my hand and recognizes me.

Any advice in general would be very appreciated! Jester

by CallaLily Fri 06 Sep 2019, 3:38 pm

Pretty much the same way you’d treat a lone male mouse. Lots of play time outside of the cage - if she doesn’t like spending a lot of time with you, it’ll still help getting plenty of play time in a safe play space full of things to do. Also switch things up in her cage a lot too, moving things around and swapping things out often. Provide new toys (diy is great), arrangements, (safe) textures, smells, treats.

You can find a lot of great ideas in the Housing Pictures, Homemade Popsicle Stick Toys, Totally FREE Toy Ideas, and the rest of the DIY Section.

by Echoe77 Fri 06 Sep 2019, 9:42 pm

My current mouse is now alone. The first couple of weeks she was a bit depressed, but now she jumps into my hands and demands extra attention. She seems to enjoy not having to 'fight' for treats. I tried making her a diy friend, however she never goes nears it. She is currently on my elbow and says "hi!"

by MerciToujoursMaPetiteBoop Sat 07 Sep 2019, 1:36 pm

Miss April was an only-girl for all the time she was with me. I got her in mid-August 2015, and she hid in what seemed like abject fear for several days. But before the end of the month, she had apparently accepted me as her "giant mouse" companion, and she was running up my arms, climbing around inside my shirt, and curiously investigating the running water whenever I'd wash my hands. (Which made it easy to help keep her cool during a nasty heatwave that hit town right then.)

During the next month she took to chirping out what seemed like little orders and directions to me when she'd had enough of whatever we were "doing together". Eventually she figured out that she could convey her little mousie messages to me through her body language, and she no longer had to chirp at me -- except when she'd panic if she woke up in a twist inside my camisole.

We never did very much "playing" together, although there was some. April just seemed content to spend parts of her day climbing around on her "giant mouse", traveling around and visiting other "giant mousies" (more of the two-legged variety, and a few of the four-legged barking variety), peeping out at the world from sleeve cuffs or collars, or cuddling on a shoulder safely camouflaged behind some of my hairdo, and to have her "giant mouse" close by nearly every hour of the day and night. I had the advantage of being able to have her with me at work, and (under tight restrictions) at home, but if I had to be away she could always smell stuff that smelled like me.

So, with more time spent together, as the days pass you may see your little girl develop more of a one-to-one connection to you. And if you remember to leave things that smell like you nearby, or even inside her mousehouse, she may feel that you are there even when you cannot be.

by CallaLily Sat 07 Sep 2019, 2:03 pm

MerciToujoursMaPetiteBoop wrote:
We never did very much "playing" together, although there was some. April just seemed content to spend parts of her day climbing around on her "giant mouse", traveling around and visiting other "giant mousies" (more of the two-legged variety, and a few of the four-legged barking variety), peeping out at the world from sleeve cuffs or collars, or cuddling on a shoulder safely camouflaged behind some of my hairdo,

This is mostly what I mean when I say “play time” (minus the dogs). Running around on their person and/or a safe play space. Most of my girls weren’t comfortable staying on me for a length of time so we stuck to the play bin, though they would still run up and down my arms and accept rides in my hand. Daryl “played” more like your April. It definitely doesn’t have to be any more complicated than that. Cool

by AmyLynn Wed 18 Sep 2019, 4:33 pm

If you are not too tightly restricted on funds they do sell many play mat/play pens for rodents for under $20.

I have a boy who gets lonely so we bought a Kaytee back to school Bus. It is super small little carrier that has a water bottle and food dish. The back opens up so they can climb out. We use it to take him around from room to room we open the back and put down a towel works great on a table or raised area. He can run around but has easy access to food water and a place ti hide if he is scared. It lets him be close to us. (It is VERY SMALL and should not be used as a cage...but it works for a traveling base for where ever we might be.) You can make shift something similar on your owns as well. It may just be a great visual or idea.

You can also make mazes out or paper towel, toilet paper rolls, small boxes, and fruit and vegetable mini-baskets. It is fun to build and fun for them to play with and if totally free of you use the items that you would usually just but in the recycling.

Make eating fun! wrap seeds in little pieces of paper, sting oat ohs and cereal on a sting and hang them in the cage, stuff treats and food in origami animals, stuff toilet paper rolls with a mix of food, paper, and bedding and have her dig it out. be creative! Mice in the wild spent most of their time looks for food. Pet mice naturally love to forage. The more busy she is the less time she has to be lonely.

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