My little mouse died and I am wondering if I should get another for her left behind friend?

Question

My little mouse died today. She was part of a pair. They were very close! One would run in the wheel while the other would hang on and spin. They were always licking and snuggling together. Now I am worried that the one left behind can adjust to being alone?

She is in the cage now which has been fully cleaned! She seems to be very upset. She is not running in her wheel and I really can't tell if she is eating. She has built a new nest in a part of the cage she normally eats from.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

Ok.. First off , it should be a slightly younger mouse. Make a divider in the tank, put one mouse on one side, and one on the other side. Let them stay like that for 2-3 days, then switch sides on them so they can get used to each other's smells. Remove the divider, but have a glove or something near by to break up a fight if one should start. If a fight starts , try the divider a couple more days. Good luck.

Answer 2

I'm so sorry for you and your little mouse - that's so sad.
The same thing happened to me - I had 3 white mice who were brothers, and their little coffee-colored sister, all from the same litter, and they were never separated from each other, and got along very well, except for the occasional "sibling rivalry". The 3 brothers shared a cage, and they all slept together in the same little bed and were very close, and played together. Then one time when I had to go on a trip and I left them with someone to take care of them, two of the brothers got sick and died very suddenly. The person was a reliable pet sitter though - they just hadn't been able to see there was anything wrong with them.
When I got him home again, the remaining brother was acting like you describe with your little mouse - clearly upset and missing his brothers' company. He slept more and just seemed sad.
I started off by just spending alot more time with him - for example, each evening when he'd be awake I'd bring him in his cage into our livingroom or wherever we were so that he'd at least have the company of my husband and myself. That seemed to eventually perk him up a little. I petted him more often, and fussed over him alot - extra veggie treats, etc. Plus he and his brothers had always loved listening to classical music (I'm not kidding!) and so I played some for Silky almost every evening - he appreciated that.
His little sister was still with us, so we soon decided to put their cages side by side, so they could sniff each other through the bars and take comfort knowing that the other was there. I didn't want to actually put them together, because of obvious reasons! - the sister was too old anyway at that time to have had babies - it could have been dangerous for her.
Being together like that made both of them happier - but then last spring the little sister passed away - after that I spent even more time with Silky, and he seemed to be handling it OK. He seemed to appreciate our company, and he became very close and affectionate with us. He liked to sit as close to us as possible in his cage, and kept running over to be petted. He's gone now too, but until the end he seemed happy and peaceful with just us as companions.
Sorry for the long story, but I just wanted to show that your little friend could be happy with just your company, if you make a point to include her as much as possible in your daily activities (when she's awake). Of course no one can replace another mouse's companionship, but there's a risk that she and the new mouse wouldn't get along and that would be very sad. Also, unfortunately, there would always be one of the two that would eventually wind up alone, unless you continue finding new mousey friends. Maybe try first just spending more time with her, and if that doesn't make her better then think about a new friend.
Good luck to you and your little one!

Answer 3

well, i don't know to much about mice, but since hamsters live solitary, and gerbils can live in pairs, but it's hard to introduce new gerbils to your old gerbils, so apparently all small animals are different, so your best bet would be to search the internet to see if mice get along with new mice. if not then give your old one lots of attention.

Answer 4

Yeah, the oother mouse s probably lonely and sad

Answer 5

It can never hurt. I know that they can sometimes be social animals. They are very closly related to rats and they ARE very social. If you think she would be better with a companion, get one. Even if just for your ease of mind.

Answer 6

Flowers for Algernon ;(

Answer 7

that is so sad..I have a hamster. yes, get another one so she wont be lonely...

Answer 8

Rodents? Ugh.

Answer 9

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