Tips on taming very scared mice?

by Illumimoe666 Tue 22 Nov 2016, 4:48 am

After luna and sol died a couple months ago I got 3 new mice (One gray, one Siamese and a white one). Of course they were very nervous as most new mice are. I did the usual process of letting them get used to their home ect. It's been about 2 months and they're one of the most scared mice I've ever seen!
Fortunately they get along well with other mice. But with humans, not so much. They seem comfortable in their new home just don't like me at all and are SCARED of me.
Like whenever I need to clean their tank they jump and do whatever they can to get out. Usually withen a few weeks (Actually less) my other mice were able to lick peanut butter from my finger but these mice... not really. Now it has gotten better. The gray one licks peanut butter off of my finger and is the more social one out of the 3.

The other 2 while not as scared as they were before still are pretty scared of me (Sometimes the Siamese will lick peanut butter but barley. When she does she keeps a distance and her eyes are closed). And it seems I'm able to put my hand in the tank and while they usually run they come back out and do their normal thing while my hand is near, and the gray one usually comes and sniffs my hand Smile

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So I am making progress, but this is definitely the hardest taming process for me yet. But I think the reason why they are harder to tame is because Luna, sol and Fudge were not full grown when I got them, so I think it made it easier to adjust. I'm not asking to rush the process, I understand mice can take time and if it does take a while that's ok! I'm just asking for advice. I've heard of plenty cases where people own mice that were scared and even aggressive at first but became affectionate and loving after a few months! So I hope these 3 girls eventually open up. Kiss

by stephlisa Tue 22 Nov 2016, 7:41 am

I hope they open up to you soon. Do you think that taking them out of their cage for a bathtub taming session would work? Wondering if maybe they will open up more if they aren't in their cage - but I guess that could scare them more.

Is the grey one the alpha do you think? Maybe the others will follow if you work on taming her?

by CallaLily Tue 22 Nov 2016, 8:25 am

I agree that moving them to a safe play area (the tub, a bin, etc) can go a long way. If they won't climb on your hand willingly, use a tube or box to move them over. Most mice I've had open up a lot easier in the play bin and with time and patience are willingly climbing into my hand from their tank too. I'll add that I don't recommend hand feeding treats at this stage. It can (though not always) lead to nipping/biting behaviors, which you want to discourage. Instead I recommend hiding treats around their tank for them to find after you return them from play time. I know there's a few that disagree with me on this but it's just what I find works better.

by Illumimoe666 Tue 22 Nov 2016, 8:46 am

Great suggestions! Thank you! The grey one is definitely the alpha, I noticed that when shes sniffing my hand the others are a bit less weary of me. I'll keep that in mind more!

by EverythingAnimal Tue 22 Nov 2016, 10:52 am

One of my girls- Millie, was very, very scared of people when I first got her. She would run and hide, and one time when I was holding my hand very still for her to sniff while she was out in a bin, she ran up my arm and out onto the floor. After that, taking her out was definitely not an option. So, I really just did nothing. After a couple months of just replacing food and water and cleaning the cage, she got used to having me around and basically tamed herself. So if all else fails, just give it time.

by Peachy Tue 22 Nov 2016, 11:36 am

Oh gosh, I've had a mouse very politely climb up on my hand... and from there she leaped onto the floor without a second thought! Laughing

If you're worried about escaping from a room, you can block the exits (like a door gap) with a towel. I've only had two mice "purposely" create an opportunity to make a break for it, and they both turned out to be the sweetest. Good luck with your trio!

by CallaLily Tue 22 Nov 2016, 12:23 pm

My Hazel was that way too but I still made a point of getting her out of the main tank, once she settled in, by luring her into a box. I just made sure that I could block the exit in whatever I was using to transfer her over until I was ready for her to come leaping out. Though I did give her more time to settle in than most of my other mice before bothering her more than cleaning/feeding/water too. And it took her a while to come around once I started but I found she was a tiny bit calmer in the play bin than at home. She's still a nervous, jumpy mouse if I accidently surprise her with moving too quickly or a noise.

by Illumimoe666 Sat 26 Nov 2016, 3:45 pm

Oh I can relate. When I was transferring them to a temporary tank while I cleaned their main one, the Siamese one (Who i'm calling Orchid) jumped out of the house she was in onto the floor! I had to chase her lol. Fortunately she isn't that scared anymore Laughing

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Tips on taming very scared mice?

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