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New mice! And questions about introductions


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#1 Chel the ham ham

Chel the ham ham

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Posted 01 March 2022 - 11:19 AM

I just got two new mice! Like just now. Twenty minutes ago. I noticed that the new mice are way bigger than my current mice, and a different… shape? Willow and Tara, my first mice, are really round and small, just kinda look like fuzzy golf balls. My new mice are larger, longer, and skinnier. They did come from a rescue, so that may be why they’re so skinny. I was wondering if the size difference is ok for introducing them.

Also here’s some bonus pictures of them
New mice!
Pika is the brown one
Togepi is the black and white one

https://ibb.co/zbwtJKXOh
https://ibb.co/PQzmnQY
https://ibb.co/zb8jv6d
https://ibb.co/KrQktTC
https://ibb.co/DktJ4jh

Old mice!
Tara, light one
Willow, dark one
Bonus points if you guess what their names are from :)




#2 Sparrow

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Posted 01 March 2022 - 04:16 PM

You need to quarantine your new mice for two weeks before attempting introductions.

Once the two weeks are up, set up a bathtub or playpen with a whole bunch of toys and watery veg (like cucumber) scattered around. Make sure it's on neutral ground. No previous smell from the established group on anything.

Place the smallest/youngest mice in first and then your established group one by one, waiting about 5 minutes between placing each of the older girls in. I like to put the friendliest/calmest mouse in first with the young mice first for about 10 minutes, as she is likely to lead the introduction for the others from her established group.

You can leave them there for up to three hours, monitoring them constantly. The longer the better.

Make sure you have an enclosure ready that does not have any smell of any of the mice in it. Brand new bedding, squeaking clean toys, plenty of food sources, no hideouts where a mouse can get trapped by another and loads of things to explore and play with.

Move the youngest in first and then your established group in immediately after. Monitor closely, you will hear a lot of squeaking but there is no need to worry unless one mouse is actively picking on another all the time or draws blood. Mice are very dramatic, sometimes another mouse looking in their direction can be enough to cause them to squeak, so i wouldn't worry about the noise.

Best of luck!
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