general temperament and behavior of mice

by alexru Mon 02 Mar 2020, 11:32 am

Hi! I am new here so I hope I am putting this in the right section. I have done research in the past about mice but I thought the best explanation would come from y’all

I am deciding between a hamster and a mouse and would love y’all’s input on their behavior.

if i were to get one i would get a male and keep it in a 20 gallon long (360 sq in)

My questions:
- what do y’all think ab getting feeders at a really young age and raising them with syringe nipples?
- what are the like as pets?
- how is their behavior similar or different to hamsters?
- do they enjoy human interaction?
- will they want to be held or will they just run around your arms?
- can they be litter trained?
- how nocturnal are they? (i am okay with them being nocturnal cause i’m a student so i’m up late every night, i am just trying to get a idea of their sleep schedule)
- i remember learning males scent mark/ little bits of pee everywhere. is this true and is a actual problem or do you not notice it?
- do the boys actually smell very bad or is that a over exaggeration/ can be dealt with often cleanings?

Thanks so much!!!!
Alex

by Robin~ Mon 02 Mar 2020, 12:38 pm

Hello!

I’ll just list through as many answers as I can!

1. I’m not sure how you’d get access to such young pups, but generally keeping the pups with mom until 4 weeks of age is critical for their wellbeing. Mom and siblings will teach him how to find food, drink from a bottle/dish, and even be unafraid of humans if you get one from an ethical location. Having a pup get used to humans with friends makes the experience a lot less daunting.
Of course, mills rarely do this, which can lead to a mouse that’s a lot less accustomed to attention and may need some extra work, but with most ethical breeders, they view this time as crucial and would not sell off a pup too early.

2&3. One major difference is the hopper/popcorn stage which occurs until about 5-6wks of age. In this, mice pups are very skittish and can jump crazy high, even over a foot and a half high! They also don’t have a great sense of depth, so they may bounce right off you and onto the floor. It’s crucial you be very careful with our mouse at this stage to avoid injury or losing your mouse.
Other than that, I think they’re just a lot more sociable.

4. While my girls aren’t super huge on getting attention from me because they have each other, they still sit still long enough for pets and cuddles. However, the need for attention much stronger in males because they don’t have anyone else, so becoming more social with you and trying to impress you basically becomes their goal Smile

5. it really depends on the personality. Some of my girls are content to sit in my hand and get pets/treats, but others prefer running across my shoulders and not sitting still at all. Still, much higher of a chance of you getting a chill mouse than a chill hamster.

6. I’m pretty sure! I’ve never tried it myself but I know it’s doable. What you would do is pick out a bedding that’s different than the bedding in the main cage (as to avoid confusion) and whenever your mouse pees, set the soiled bedding in the tray under the potty bedding. That way the smell of urine is there but the type of bedding doesn’t just confused if that makes sense. Do not use clay-based/clumping litter as they can cause blockages when ingested.

7. It’s say they’re more crepuscular/nocturnal, meaning they’re up at dawn/dusk/throughout the night. My girls are up from about 8pm-5am with naps throughout the night.

8&9. Bucks, being very territorial, will mark. However, wiping down the marked places can make the scent worse as they feel the need to remark the place stronger or mark more places to get the point across. It’s always a good idea to leave in a few smelly toys so your buck doesn’t feel the need to over-scentmark after a cleaning.
Boys can smell bad, but it’s sort of a relative term. For some it’s nasty, but for others it’s just a quick whiff when you first walk in and then you’re noseblind. Airing out the room, especially on nicer days, along with picking a well ventilated cage can help.

I hope this helps!

by alexru Mon 02 Mar 2020, 12:47 pm

Thanks so much for your response!!
Will the boys sent mark on your bed/rug/body? Also male rats have buck grease (smelly oil that comes through their skin), do mice have a similar thing or is the smell just from their urine everywhere?

Thanks!

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