Hi, I'm Taylor!

by dragonmyst Sat 24 Dec 2016, 4:29 pm

I started taking care of mice two years ago. I live in an apartment, so I wanted to get a small pet that lived in a cage. I was watching the green mile one day, and was so charmed by Mr. Jingles, I wanted to get a pet mouse. At the time I didn't know that people bred mice specifically for pet keeping, but I tried to look up information about keeping a mouse anyway. I was really surprised when I found out a ton of information about them, so I did a ton of research. They seemed a lot easier to take care of than the pets I was used to (I have owned twenty one chickens, cats, dogs, rabbits, hermit crabs, ducks, etc. Before I moved out of my parent's house.) So I got one, and named it Mr. Jingles. He lived two years, and passed away a few days ago. He died in his sleep, curled up in his little house. From what I understand, two years is average for a mouse, so I think it was old age. I just now got a new one, because having a pet to distract me helps from grief. Ramoth has a totally different personality than Mr. Jingles. He likes playing with his toys a lot more, and running on the wheel a bit less. He likes to jingle his bell that hangs from the cage top, where mr. Jingles just ignored it. He likes to burrow more too. I still miss mr. Jingles, but Ramoth really is a sweetheart. I'm a little worried about him though. I didn't know that you have to watch out for fatal yellow, not fatal white like with rabbits. So I just checked to make sure he wasn't too timid, that he looked healthy and bright eyed, and had healthy looking fur, but didn't check to make sure he was not yellow with red eyes, because I was on the look out for red eyes and white coat. He is a fatal yellow, and I want to give him the best life I possibly can for as long as he lives it. But I have a question, he keeps making a chattering noise off and on. He didn't do it when he was in his cage at the pet store, just when he was in the transporting box on the way home and in his new home. He is eating and drinking fine. The internet doesnt really help me much when I checked it. I got everything from happy, anxious, angry, content, and having a respiratory infection. Also, since I had a problem with mice attacking mr. Jingles through cage bars, I got him a terrarium instead of a cage, was that ok? I just didn't want wild mice to hurt my pet. I know that there is less ventilation, but would it be ok if I just cleaned out his cage more frequently? Anyway, I'm glad I found a little community.

by Peachy Sat 24 Dec 2016, 4:43 pm

Welcome to the forum! I don't know much about the lethal yellow variety, but I know that if you're in the United States it's more than likely that Ramoth is just regular, old recessive yellow. Smile

A 10 gallon tank is what we most often recommend for mice... You can spot clean a few times a week and do a full clean once a week.

How long have you had him now? Sometimes new mice get "box shock" which sounds like a respiratory infection, but if he's still making noises after a couple weeks, you might want to try to find a vet to check him out.

He sounds like a cutie! We'd love to see pictures if you have any.

by dragonmyst Sat 24 Dec 2016, 4:52 pm

I have only had him for a day. Mr. Jingles never did that. I have been leaving him alone for the most part while he gets used to his home, since it really picks up when I reach my hand in. I will probably give him several more days to get used to his new home. And yeah, I'm in the US. Oh, and yeah, it is a ten gallon tank Smile

I made sure of that.

by Unicorn Sat 24 Dec 2016, 5:32 pm

Aww I'm sorry for the loss of Mr Jingles. Welcome to the forum! Looking forward to hearing Ramoth's adventures. :3 I keep Flynn in a 10 gallon tank right now and so far he's very happy with it- actually I have a hard time convincing him to come out of it and have a climb on my arms or go play in the Mouse Wonderland in the tub. Razz

Silly boy.

by dragonmyst Sat 24 Dec 2016, 5:39 pm

How are you guys keeping the water bottle in btw? I'm using tape at the very tip top of the water bottle, where he can't reach it, without anything he can climb on to gain access to it. But I have some suction cups coming in that I'm going to try to attach it to. It won't hang off of the edge. The water bottle attachment and poor ventilation seems to be the main two drawbacks of using a terrarium.

by Peachy Sat 24 Dec 2016, 5:53 pm

I use one of these. There's a piece in the back that rotates so you can fold it over the edge of your tank.

http://www.petsmart.com/small-pet/food-and-care/food-and-water-accessories/grreat-choice-chewguard-bottle-holder-14351.html?cgid=600006

by CinnamonPearl Sat 24 Dec 2016, 6:29 pm

Welcome to the forum!

Ramoth is almost definitely a recessive yellow unless you got him from a breeder. So don't worry about the lethal yellow stuff! As for water bottles, velcro works for keeping them up.

by dragonmyst Sat 24 Dec 2016, 9:59 pm

I just caught him sleeping, and there was no chattering. In fact, now that he is awake he still isn't doing it, so maybe it was just a stress thing.I'm really relieved about him probably not being a fatal yellow, it has already been a day and I'm super attached to him already, it would be really sad to see him struggling with hereditary health problems. When Jingles was attacked by wild mice I just about cried to see his poor little tail and foot all chewed up. I set up a wall of non lethal traps around his whole cage after that happened. With the terrarium, nothing can get at him. That was my main deciding factor when I was getting a cage for him. The pet store I go to is typically super reliable. They treat their animals well, though they do house multiple hamsters and male mice together. They tend to feed them the good food, not the cheap one, and the advice the employees give us for the good of the animal, not for profit. For example, they steered me away from the twenty two dollar hampster and told me that the six dollar mouse was better if you want to touch your animal on a regular basis, then advised me to only get one mouse since they were male. And they don't keep a ton of animals in the cages, six at the maximum. It is worth the longer trip and higher prices to support a place that will treat the animals well. The petsmart that is closest to me makes me really sad when I see how crowded the cages are, and it is pretty obvious that they are just in it purely for money, and don't care about animals. That is why I was really surprised when I thought I bought a sick animal from them.

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