Mouse is biting

by tkstefan Wed 01 Jul 2020, 2:27 am

Hi! One of my mice, Marshall, is biting my hand. I've had her for about 5 days, and already she's perfectly fine with being held. She's a very chill mouse and very brave. She'll really go anywhere, especially if there's food involved. However, whenever I put my hand in her bin to give her a treat or just for her to get used to, she'll come up to it, crawl on it a little, and then bite it. It doesn't hurt much, but I would like her to be a bit tamer. What do I do to fix this issue? My other new mouse, Chester (Marshall's sister) is very active and energetic. Although she doesn't like to be picked up or touched quite as much, she'll crawl on my hand and take treats. Occasionally she'll let me pick her up, but she NEVER bites. How do I make sure Marshall doesn't bite, either?

by tkstefan Thu 02 Jul 2020, 12:51 pm

Update! I think what's happening is Marshall is associating my hand with treats (as that's how I am currently taming her), so she thinks my hand is also a treat. I read that a few others have had this problem, and the best thing to do is move around bedding or toys with my hand so she knows it's not just food, and to make a high squeaking noise when she bites, so she knows she hurt me. Another suggestion was to make a high squeaking noise, pull away, and lightly tap her on the nose. Does anybody have any ideas?! I really need help, as her bites seem to have gotten harder. Thanks!

by Robin~ Sat 04 Jul 2020, 6:27 pm

Hello!

I haven't dealt with nippy mice but I have dealt with nippy hamsters. I found working with gloves works really well. This allows her to bite you without you wincing, so she knows she's not going to get away with anything by biting you.

Are you washing your hands before handling them?

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Mouse is biting

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