New mouse owner; starting to tame and handle

by AnnaF Sun 17 May 2020, 11:38 am

So I’m a new mouse owner- I got him from a breeder he’s about 5 weeks old. I think this breeder bit off more than they could chew and had too many litters at once and wasn’t able to handle all of them. So I have him home now he’s been here for about three nights and three full days. My concern with handling and playing with him at this stage is he’s new here, and I want to give him time but because he wasn’t handled much I want him to get used to it so I’ve been doing like anywhere from 20-60 minute tub or bin sessions with him a day and when he seems to just want out I’ll put him back in his cage. However I don’t want to bug him and he seems to be sleeping a lot - I know mice tend to come out more at night time but I’m a bit of a night owl myself and never really notice him coming out if he sees me around sometimes I can coax him out with a Cheerio or something and get him in a roll to come out but like I just always feel like I’m waking him up or bugging him
Thanks sorry for the long questions here

by Robin~ Sun 17 May 2020, 5:45 pm

Hello!

To start, was your breeder a backyard breeder/in a hoarding situation? If so I would contact a rescue asap so they can get that sorted for the sake of the mice.

How long did you give him to settle in? Is his cage crowded?

by AnnaF Sun 17 May 2020, 6:37 pm

Robin~ wrote:Hello!

To start, was your breeder a backyard breeder/in a hoarding situation? If so I would contact a rescue asap so they can get that sorted for the sake of the mice.

How long did you give him to settle in? Is his cage crowded?

I think so probably? I would say it was a hoarding situation .... though everything did look well kept and properly maintained the tanks were a good size but she said she just had too many litters. She did say she originally started breeding for feeders but then started taming them but I guess she got in over her head ? I gave him just over 24 hours before I did anything . Right now his bin Dosnt have too much to prevent him from running I have a wheel his water , food a couple small chew toys a small wicker ball to push around a few layers of bedding a toilet paper roll and two hides . Today he did come out for a bit and I did manage to get him into the tub he hung out on my shoulder and what not for a while actually and just kind of crawled all over

by Robin~ Mon 18 May 2020, 9:08 am

It would probably best if you filled up the cage a bit more. I understand you really want to see your mouse and spend time with him, but trust me, just by adding a few more toys and really crowding up the cage you should see his confidence flourish. Smile

I would also look into getting him a wheel—something of at least 8-9” would be ideal. I personally use Silent Runners from ExoticNutrition and they’re completely silent. Flying saucers are also a nice option—the medium one is perfect for mice. I find giving my mice somewhere to exercise gives them something they can really stretch their legs on helps them come out more. Smile

by AnnaF Mon 18 May 2020, 2:30 pm

Robin~ wrote:It would probably best if you filled up the cage a bit more. I understand you really want to see your mouse and spend time with him, but trust me, just by adding a few more toys and really crowding up the cage you should see his confidence flourish. I would also look into getting him a wheel—something of at least 8-9” would be ideal. I personally use Silent Runners from ExoticNutrition and they’re completely silent. Flying saucers are also a nice option—the medium one is perfect for mice. I find giving my mice somewhere to exercise gives them something they can really stretch their legs on helps them come out more.

Thanks ! I went and put a bunch of little things and stuff for him to climb up on too, I do have a big wheel for him that’s one thing I made sure of was to look into how big that had to be he has used it quite a bit in the last little while I think adding more stuff for him to explore definitely is helping . Thank you!

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New mouse owner; starting to tame and handle

New mouse owner; starting to tame and handle

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Re: New mouse owner; starting to tame and handle

Re: New mouse owner; starting to tame and handle

Re: New mouse owner; starting to tame and handle