justmice

[justmice]

Penny is hard to photograph because she is very nervous in her tank. She almost always has to be herded into a toilet paper tube to be picked up. She’s such a pretty girl though. If her temperament was better I would have wanted to breed her, but I don’t want to risk passing on her skittishness.

[justmice]

Lilith is such a sweet little girl ;u;

[justmice]

Sorry for literally only taking pics of Luna recently but…….. LOOK AT HER

[justmice]

I gave my girls a dog box like the one you posted the other day and when i came back a few hours later they had taken all the bedding put in it and spread it around the entire tank, leaving an empty tall box they use to nap and put food in. Mice are an adventure lol

PFFFFFFFFFF I LOVE IT

Mice are amazing

[justmice]

Hey about your dig box! I did almost exactly the same thing but I filled it with paper shreds and tissue shreds, it works just as well and they totally love making it rustle

yesss, different materials are great. Some people also make dig boxes that have soil in it (personally I recommend Eco Earth which is made from coconut fibers and is nice and sterile, you can find it in the reptile section of pet stores) ^-^

[justmice]

Hi, I'm trying to learn about the genetics of mice coat colors. I've done research but I'm still pretty confused. Do you have any resources you could link me to that explain it well (or maybe you can discuss it yourself, if you have time)? I also have trouble phenotyping because so many coat colors look similar to me, do you have any tips? Thanks so much ❤

Ohgosh! You and I are in the same boat, nonny! I’m still learning a lot about meecers colors and how they interact with eachother.

Unlike in rats, because mice have more modifiers ontop of genotypes- some take priority over others? Which- is an entire new ballpark to me! 

Some of the best resources that I have been suggested to purchase and read has been: “Color inheritance in small livestock” Which can be purchased here: http://www.furandfeather.co.uk/shop-2/bookshop/general-small-livestock-titles

However, the best online resource would have to be these!

http://www.informatics.jax.org/wksilvers/frames/framepreface.shtml

http://www.afrma.org/geneticsagoutimse.htm

http://www.afrma.org/geneticsblackmse.htm

http://www.afrma.org/geneticsmkdmse.htm

http://www.afrma.org/sales/afrmabks.htm

Of course the AFRMA isn’t the only club out there and you may want to research around to see what club works best for you! I.e: I’m registered with: “Fancy Mouse Breeders Association”  as I love their standards and the community more so than the AFRMA! You can find their page here: http://www.fancymousebreedersassociation.com/

and they have a link to their standards and what not! 

Then of course honestly just finding a good community of mouse people and talking with them is always great, I’m learning slowly (very slowly LOL) but I often ask questions in the FMBA group on facebook! They’re so friendly and kind on there it’s refreshing! 

I wish I could explain them better, but rat genetics were my thing- mice are a whole new ballpark for me! 

[justmice]

Yesterday I bought a mix of mealworms, crickets, and grasshoppers to add some variety to my mice’s diet. Out of everyone, Luna loves them the most :)

[justmice]

I mentioned dig boxes earlier and I wanted to show just how easy they are to construct. Dig boxes (or digging towers as they are called sometimes) are great for pretty much any species of rodent. Too much loose bedding can make it difficult for their wheels to work if they rest on the bottom of the cage (like most do) so a dig box/tower allows them to still have an area with bedding deep enough to dig and tunnel into. This one rests against the side of my mouse’s tank, so I cut one extra side of the box out, allowing me to get a nice side view of her nest and tunnels.

This box isn’t very pretty, but it took me less than ten minutes to make, with only a crafting knife (you can use scissors instead) and a cardboard box. I took the box, which my mom’s alarm clock came in, and simply cut out two of the sides, and a little hole at the bottom which I stuck the toilet paper tube through. You can just cut one side if you only need the top open and don’t care about being able to view the tunnels/nest. I also glued a few bits of cardboard in the box to allow my mice to grip and climb up the inside, but I don’t know if that part is actually necessary.

If you want your dig box to actually look nice, you can also paint it, or you can construct it out of a wooden box instead if you want something sturdier.

[justmice]

after EXTENSIVE hunting around for info on the internet, i've had success at treating my girls for mites with Revolution for puppies and kittens, and it takes care of fleas and mange and intestinal nasties too! 1-3 drops (depending on body weight) on the back of the neck is all they need. though as an american i did have to order from like, australia to get it without a prescription, and once you open the small tube it'll dry out after a couple days since it's intended to be single-use

(not sure what effect revolution would have on lice, but i image it’s similarly lethal to all biting-type parasites)

Awesome! Thank you! ^-^

[justmice]

You seem very knowledgable about mice, and I was hoping you or your followers could perhaps give me some tips for making my mouse's life as comfortable as possible. I adopted her from a high kill shelter along with five sisters, however unfortunately she has a shortened spine as she is manx & while she is not completely disabled she finds strenuous climbing hard and dislikes the wheel. Is there any toys/tips/cage setups literally anything which I can use to make her more comfortable? Thank you!

Poor baby, that sounds rough. :( The best thing you can do for her is make sure she has enough things to do on the ground floor of her cage. Mice need to be able to explore, hide, forage, chew, nest, and dig, so make sure you provide plenty of things that allow for these behaviors.

Tunnels are great for mice that can’t or don’t like to climb. You can buy plastic tunnels at pet stores, which last a very long time, or just use paper towel/toilet paper tubes, which don’t last as long but are still good because they are cheap and are able to be chewed on and shredded.

Things to chew on are important for any rodent, but for one that can’t use a wheel and needs something to do it is especially crucial. Wooden or pumice blocks, apple sticks, nylabone, actual bones, deer/elk antlers… there are lots of options for chews, and if your mouse doesn’t like one kind, you can try another.

Give your mice plenty of paper and other things to shred and add to their nest. Toilet paper or tissues are nice and soft; newspaper also works. Scrunch some into a ball and put it into a toilet paper tube along with a few treats so they have to work to get it out!

Make a dig box for your cage. I love dig boxes; rodents enjoy them too, and they are super easy! Usually people don’t have enough bedding in their cages for the mice to be able to dig very deep, and tbh I understand that because too much bedding messes up their wheel, among other things. But since digging is such a vital behavior for mice I strongly recommend making a dig box for them. Literally just take a cardboard box and fill it with enough bedding that your mice can actually dig and make tunnels, and sprinkle in some treats to encourage them to forage. Cut a small hole near the bottom of one of the sides of the box, so your manx mouse can get inside without having to climb to the top (you can add a ramp or ladder as well for your other mice). If you want to get creative, you could also make something like this!

[justmice]

Hi thank you for answering my questions! I have decided to return the mouse as he continues to scratch and the pet store said to me that they've had issues from this breeder in the past and will no longer be sponsoring them. They have let me pick another mouse from another breeder in a separate litter and so far he is very sweet and explory! Thank you for being a good sport and helping me as I have never owned mice before.

My pleasure!! I hope you have lots of fun with your new pal. Feel free to send me more questions if you have any :) ❤

[justmice]

I still have to put in some climbing stuff and take advantage of the vertical space in the tank (and take out the reptile gauges) but this is what Luna’s new home looks like so far! It’s a large exo-terra with lots of space to explore and climb. She loves my snake’s old log thing and enjoys perching at the very top.

[justmice]

Hey I already asked about bonding with my new mouse however I now have concerns. He keeps scratching himself, he has been sitting in the same position for forty minutes just scratching an area above his left hind leg and his face. He also seems very irritated, doing little jerky jumps and he also literally stopped drinking from his water bottle to scratch and this doesn't seem right to me. I feel like something is amiss but have no experience. 1/2

He has a 48 hour guarantee and return policy, should I return him so they can treat him if something is wrong? He is from a highly esteemed pet store, not a chain btw they source from local small breeders of fancy mice & have an on-site vet. I do not want a mouse that could potentially have mites or lice because of my other small animals, & I know if I return him he will be treated excellently. I don’t want to return him I love him but I am not sure what to do. ~could~ it be an OCD condition?

It sounds to me like there is definitely something wrong. It could be parasites, it could be OCD, it could be something neurological– there’s no way to really know without him seeing a vet. I’ve returned an animal before and requested to re-purchase them after being treated for illness, so you could ask if this store would also allow you to do that. I think that would be the best course of action. If you can’t get him back, I think it would be best to return him anyway, so he can still get some medical care, unless you’re willing to take him to a vet yourself and pay for whatever this issue ends up being.

[justmice]

Hi I got my first mouse today and he is very calm for just being brought home. I have not yet attempted to handle him at all and when I interacted with his cage I left something good to eat behind so he thinks of me as a friend. How should I go about trying to bond with him?

You’re doing great so far with your new mouse pal!! Always give something tasty when you interact with your buddy so he’ll associate your presence with good things.

Give him a chance, at least a day or two, to explore his new home without constantly trying to grab and hold him. Even if he seems calm, he’s probably a bit shaken up by the move and needs some time to get used to his new digs.

I encourage you to visit his cage often and speak to him softly, and maybe stick your hand inside for a few minutes at a time with no pressure for him to interact. If he does crawl onto your hand, it may be tempting to immediately lift him out of the cage, but it’s better early on to just let him climb on and off as he wishes while he builds up confidence that you aren’t a danger to him.

Putting a teeny dab of peanut butter on your finger and allowing your mouse to lick it off is a fun and really cute bonding exercise, and it’s one of the first things I do with new mice after they’ve been given some time to settle. Peanut butter is an especially high value treat and most mice like it a lot, so even if your mouse is very shy they will come out to investigate eventually!

The more time you spend with your mouse, making sure that you don’t do anything overly frightening, the more he will trust you and the more receptive he will be to being handled and maybe even petted. Keep in mind, however, that some mice really aren’t into being handled or touched much, and you may find that nothing you do will change their mind about this. Trying to handle them unnecessarily when they dislike it will only make them resent you even more, so always respect their wishes and keep holding them to a minimum if that’s what they prefer! :)

[justmice]

This is how I found Luna just now.

I put her back in the bin and am now trying to figure out the best way (and fastest, and quietest… it’s 3am) to fix the mesh at the top. Meanwhile, she’s already planning her next escape.

#this was a temporary bin

[justmice]

Hi I have three girls and they keep covering over their food bowl with paper and bedding and things, and while it's a natural behaviour I don't like it as they have very deep bedding and often i cannot find their bowl lol! I can't put it on one of their levels or high up as one of the three is elderly and doesn't like to climb anymore. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you!

Really the best option is to elevate the bowl, but if you can’t do that then you could try using a food hopper instead, and hang it on the side of the cage just above the floor so they can’t bury it. A hopper is like a little cage for your rodent’s food; the mice can stick their snouts through the holes to eat, but can’t pull any of it out and make a mess or hide it in their bedding. Here is a link that explains how to make a simple one using hardware cloth.

Another option is to just forego the bowl altogether and scatter their food over the floor of their cage, which encourages foraging, a natural behavior for rodents and a good form of enrichment. If for some reason you need to monitor how much food your mice are eating, I suggest the hopper.

[justmice]

Tumblr won’t let me upload the whole video, so here’s a gif instead.