6 replies to this topic

[rose1618]

Hi everyone-

       So wow this is going to be a long one. first of all, im really sorry for dropping off the face of the earth for a really long time (like a year). really miss this forum, but tbh i got really busy with school, and forgot to keep checking in.

Anyway, as you can see from the title i got 4 female mice! They are pretty sweet, however i adopted them from a petstore so they are pretty nervous. They are also still pretty young, probably around 4 months. Anyway, the gray one named Mercury is absolutely tiny. She is only 18 grams, and I have been feeding her separately to try to get her weight up. The 2nd largest one, named neptune really picks on mercury. I think she is the alpha, but she will chase mercury around and bite her butt, and mercury will squeak really loud. Neptune doesnt do this to any of the other girls. Any advice on how to deal with this?

 

       Another small issue i have is the girls are pretty friendly out of their cage (an ikea detolf), but inside of it they are very afraid of me. Like if i go in the cage everyone except mercury runs away. Mercury is really special, and seems to really like me. They also wont take food from  me. Any advice on how to tame them when they wont come out of their cages? 

 

       Thank you guys so much for any advice, and it is great to be back on this forum again <3

 

edit: i also considered asking this on a mouse forum, but the ones i found are very inactive, and i really trust this forum so i thought it would be best to ask this one

Edited by rose1618, 01 March 2022 - 09:26 AM.

[oDrifted]

Hi!

 

I'm much more experienced with male mice, and can't help with handling, but will also be getting a group of females soon.

 

Can you see Mercury's ribs, does she look skinny? She might just be a naturally smaller mouse, and if you don't know their exact age, she might still be growing.

Has Neptune drawn any blood? A big rule of thumb in the mouse community is, "No blood, no problem" If Neptune hasn't drawn blood, Mercury might just be being dramatic. (This does happen, in both mice and rats.)

Lastly, do you see Mercury eating? If not then monitor closely when you feed them too make sure Neptune isn't stealing all of her food.

 

Hope this helps!

[rose1618]

Hi!

 

I'm much more experienced with male mice, and can't help with handling, but will also be getting a group of females soon.

 

Can you see Mercury's ribs, does she look skinny? She might just be a naturally smaller mouse, and if you don't know their exact age, she might still be growing.

Has Neptune drawn any blood? A big rule of thumb in the mouse community is, "No blood, no problem" If Neptune hasn't drawn blood, Mercury might just be being dramatic. (This does happen, in both mice and rats.)

Lastly, do you see Mercury eating? If not then monitor closely when you feed them too make sure Neptune isn't stealing all of her food.

 

Hope this helps!

Okay, thank you so much! I do think that Mercury is just naturally smaller. Neptune hasn't drawn any blood, but the squeaks are pretty loud and it is happening a lot. Mercury is a pretty dramatic girl haha.

She is eating, she actually is probably the one i see eating the most, but she is also the only one who isnt afraid of me at all, she is a very sweet girl, and grooms me. Thanks so much for the advice! Is it a normal thing for the dominant mouse to pick on one specific mouse? Sorry, I just cant seem to find a lot of info about this online.

 

edit: i was just watching them, and it seems like it is neptune chasing mercury out of anywhere where she is.

Edited by rose1618, 01 March 2022 - 12:11 PM.

[oDrifted]

Okay, thank you so much! I do think that Mercury is just naturally smaller. Neptune hasn't drawn any blood, but the squeaks are pretty loud and it is happening a lot. Mercury is a pretty dramatic girl haha.

She is eating, she actually is probably the one i see eating the most, but she is also the only one who isnt afraid of me at all, she is a very sweet girl, and grooms me. Thanks so much for the advice! Is it a normal thing for the dominant mouse to pick on one specific mouse? Sorry, I just cant seem to find a lot of info about this online.

 

edit: i was just watching them, and it seems like it is neptune chasing mercury out of anywhere where she is.

Hi!

Some mice will just be dramatic, and if there is no blood, I would just monitor them, they will work out hierarchy's on there own. It sounds like Neptune is at the bottom of the hierarchy, or they might be playing, although it isn't uncommon for the alpha to pick on the mouse at the bottom of the rank. Something I might recommend is lurking on something like r/PetMice on reddit, lots of people ask questions and you can learn a lot, although some of the care standards can be a bit out of date. 

 

Hope this helps!

[rose1618]

Hi!

Some mice will just be dramatic, and if there is no blood, I would just monitor them, they will work out hierarchy's on there own. It sounds like Neptune is at the bottom of the hierarchy, or they might be playing, although it isn't uncommon for the alpha to pick on the mouse at the bottom of the rank. Something I might recommend is lurking on something like r/PetMice on reddit, lots of people ask questions and you can learn a lot, although some of the care standards can be a bit out of date. 

 

Hope this helps!

that helps a lot, tysm. it does seem like she is at the bottom to me. i will check out the reddit!

[Sparrow]

If you see a mouse picking on another one, the best thing to do is remove the "bully" from the group for up to three nights. Majority of time, time-out works wonders with mice. The bullying should stop, it almost always does. If it doesn't, keep reading on

Another thing you could try is placing the girls in a smaller enclosure temporarily - this will also help with taming. Please don't hand feed your mice, instead of taming them (like with hamsters) it teaches them to bite fingers. The only exception is when training for tricks but even then, i would recommend using a spoon as opposed to your fingers.

Anyways, back to the smaller enclosure - sometimes if the space is too large (and not filled to the brim), the group can kind of separate or exclude a single member of the colony. Placing them in a smaller, but not tiny, living space will get them to bond again. Another benefit is that if one of the other mice sees the dominant mouse picking on the tiny girl, they are more likely to interfere in a smaller enclosure.

They might only need to stay there for a week or two, or a month. Basically until they become a bonded unit.

Lastly, so long as there is no blood, there is no need to panic. You don't want bullying, or one mouse actively picking on another but squabbles or arguments in a group are normal. Picking on a single mouse is not though.

As to taming, every night put your hand in their enclosure and just leave it there. Don't chase the mice with your hand, let them come to you. They are curious little creatures and will approach you and climb on your hand on their own. Do this while reading to them or talking. Having them used to your presence.

A taming box works wonders but since you have issues removing your girls from their enclosure, i would wait a little while until they are more comfortable with you. Using a taming box is the fastest and most effective way to tame mice so if you do want pointers as to how to go about it, just let me know!

Best of luck!

[rose1618]

If you see a mouse picking on another one, the best thing to do is remove the "bully" from the group for up to three nights. Majority of time, time-out works wonders with mice. The bullying should stop, it almost always does. If it doesn't, keep reading on

Another thing you could try is placing the girls in a smaller enclosure temporarily - this will also help with taming. Please don't hand feed your mice, instead of taming them (like with hamsters) it teaches them to bite fingers. The only exception is when training for tricks but even then, i would recommend using a spoon as opposed to your fingers.

Anyways, back to the smaller enclosure - sometimes if the space is too large (and not filled to the brim), the group can kind of separate or exclude a single member of the colony. Placing them in a smaller, but not tiny, living space will get them to bond again. Another benefit is that if one of the other mice sees the dominant mouse picking on the tiny girl, they are more likely to interfere in a smaller enclosure.

They might only need to stay there for a week or two, or a month. Basically until they become a bonded unit.

Lastly, so long as there is no blood, there is no need to panic. You don't want bullying, or one mouse actively picking on another but squabbles or arguments in a group are normal. Picking on a single mouse is not though.

As to taming, every night put your hand in their enclosure and just leave it there. Don't chase the mice with your hand, let them come to you. They are curious little creatures and will approach you and climb on your hand on their own. Do this while reading to them or talking. Having them used to your presence.

A taming box works wonders but since you have issues removing your girls from their enclosure, i would wait a little while until they are more comfortable with you. Using a taming box is the fastest and most effective way to tame mice so if you do want pointers as to how to go about it, just let me know!

Best of luck!

okay, thank you so much! i do currently have a bin cage, but my hamster is living in it. how big is a good size? 

 

i have been taking them out of the cage using toilet paper tubes, and when they are out they are all very friendly, its just in the cage thats the problem.

 

it does seem like mercury is being picked on, and i dont want her health to suffer because she really is just the sweetest little girl