Ok, I know rats are awesome and have had them. But my brother was feeding two of those tiny white feeder mice to his lizards... they wouldn't eat them so I took them in as pets! I hate seeing animals suffer. Anyway my main question, do they get bigger or do they stay a little bigger than the end of someones thumb? How long do they live? Are they similar to rats? Now I know how to care for rats! I just couldn't leave these guys! Thanks!
2007-08-20 08:03:33 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Rodents
They were my brothers lizards- I have no intentions of giving these guys back to them. They are nile monitors and enjoy frogs more... ewwww
2007-08-20 08:17:33 · update #1
Ok, I have 2 girls! They have newspaper bedding for now, a jar for a hut and a toilet paper roll to play in. They occasionally go at each other but only for a split second. They are doing pretty good considering what they came from! Thanks everyone!
2007-08-21 08:39:22 · update #2
OK, you were a nice guy. Congratulations!
Now to answer your questions as well as possible:
Yes, they get bigger. Depending on the care they get, they may live to be about the same age as a hamster.
Nice touch with the toilet paper roll. Add more of them if possible, so each can have a hiding nook without having to compete for it. Please keep good ventilation in mind since your using a jar. The ammonia smell from urine residue around the edges of the jar could build up in time.
Suggestion:
Try to get them a running wheel. Every pet shop mouse I ever saw with one of those in their cage was very happy and occupied.
2007-08-25 12:35:44 · answer #1 · answered by Joe H 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just so you know, the only difference between "feeder" and regular mice is how carefully they are bred. They are the same species and breed, but feeders are allowed to breed with no interference, meaning there is a lot of inbreeding, over-breeding, and breeding of animals that are too young to support a healthy litter of offspring. Because they are meant to be fed, there is no thought put into genetic health or personality. If you want to get mice, don't get feeders. They usually don't live very long and are often really, really bitey due to all those breeding issues. Plus, they're really poorly cared for, both at the breeding warehouses and in the store. Get yourself some real mice, or better yet some rats, which are far friendlier and more intelligent. As far as the number goes, three would be a good choice both in terms of cage size and group dynamics. Just be sure you choose one gender and stick with it! Mice breed fast, and you don't want to go from three to thirty in just a few months.
2016-03-17 03:23:38 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have fuzzies, about 2 weeks old and just barely weaned. Luckily they will survive without mom at this age. No need for an eye dropper or syringe or formula once the eyes are open. A lot of people kill rodents by squeezing the formula in their mouths and accidentally drowning the critters. They will get about 40grams, 4 inches long. They will be very friendly if you handle them everyday. If they are the opposite sex, seperate them in a week. If males, they may or may not live well together, its luck of the draw. Rats are omnivores, mice are not. Mice should be fed grains and some vegetables. Mice should not eat lab blocks whose protein content is over 10%. Lab blocks made for rats should not be used for mice (even though they are advertised for both). The 4 week mark is a milestone in their lives, if they live past the first 4 weeks, they should live past the next. Sudden death is not uncommon in mice weaned and sold for feeders this young.
2007-08-20 12:11:10 · answer #3 · answered by bzzflygirl 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Good work! I would have done the same thing!
Feeder mice are no different to pet mice, except that they are more likely to be more inbred, and more afraid of you...
Basically, they CAN live for years and years, their life span isn't SO different from rats...
They will get bigger! DO they seem to still be kind of clumsy with walking?
I would say that they could be anywhere from 2 weeks old, to 2 months old... depending on their genetics, and also what kind of cage they were kept in... I had a baby boy and two girls that were TINY for ages...
If they were kept in a small tank with lots of other mice, then they are likely to be older but small... But i would say that you are looking at them being about two weeks old...
I suggest that you get some puppy, or kitten, or baby formula for newborns, and mix that up for them, with some wheat cereal, or maybe some oats... also try and give them some veggies and some seeds... But if they are really young then they will be less likely to eat these...
Basically, just make sure that they are eating and getting a lot of fluids... and give them somewhere to hide out... Like a little cardboard box in their cage with tissues or toilet paper, for them to make a nest where they feel safe...
Their eyes are open right?
If you see that they are not eating, you will need to make up some of that formula and use a needle less syringe, or an eye dropper to get it in their mouths, and make sure that they are getting nutrients that they need!
Give them attention each day... It will be easy enough for them to fear you, you need to show them love!
They are not as easy to train as rats... You probably COULD, but it would take a lot of effort!
They will constantly pee and poo on you... But you get used to it!
And they will come to be a little less timid around you... But as a rule, mice are USUALLY more timid than rats...
MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE THE SAME SEX!
They are not as easy to tell apart as rats... The boys don't have quite such an endowment... The best way to be able to tell, is to hold both of them up, on their backs is best, and have a look at that area... If the gap is larger between the tail and the urinary opening on one, and the other is small comparatively... You have a boy and a girl... In which case i would suggest that you separte them in a week or so, once they get used to the environment, as it sounds like they are still quite young... You don't want 13 mice instead of just the two that you tried to help!
And once you separate them, providing that they are not same sex, you will need to get them each a friend... But DON'T leave it up to the pet shop to tell the difference!
If you want to email me some pictures of them, i can probably tell you roughly how old they are, and what sex!
Good Luck!
If you have any questions, feel free to contact me!
**EDIT** The ONLY reason that SOME feeders will bite, is that they have had a rough life, people haven't handled them or shown them any love... So their reaction is to think that you will hurt them...
As these two are pretty young, you are probably safe!
And if you let a family of mice live together (mum, dad, babies) the mum will have a litter every three weeks, and any daughters will too... And those litters could contain anything from 2 to 20 mice! Not to mention that that is really unhealthy for the females, they will all die young, and their babies will be weaker and weaker by the litter!
2007-08-20 08:45:34 · answer #4 · answered by Figment 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
yes they will grow. they are smaller that regular hamsters and a bit bigger than dwarf hamsters. They are the same as regular pet mice just usually pretty inbred and not as fancy colors. mice have a life expectancy of 1-3 years. Feed them the same food as you would for rats ( its usually a mouse/rat blend). Or you can feed them strictly nutriblocks with fruits and veggies on the side. If you want nice glossy healthy looking coats, feed them a small amount of just flax seeds once a week.
They behave alot like rats. They can also learn to come to their names or certain noises. A glass aquarium is the best to keep them in. They can squeeze through some pretty tiny holes. They are a bit jumpy but not as bad as wild mice and once they know you are their friend they usually are pretty content just climbing on you. make sure they have lots of hiding places and things to climb on
Check what sex they are. males may or may not get along. 2 females shouldd do fine. If you have one of each, your female will be pregnant by the time she is 6 weeks, you will see babies 3 weeks after that, and she can and will be pregnant again within 24 hours. If you do plan to breed, make sure they have cat or dog food, just 2or 3 bits of kibble a day (for 2 mice) so they do not eat the babies. families can live together but you will still have the occasional fight between males.
good luck!
2007-08-20 08:35:42 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Care of mice is very similar to that of rats, although mice are often more nervous & less friendly toward humans. Yours sound really young though, so with frequent, gentle handling they'll probably become very affectionate.
Our mice are about 2 years old, maybe more & see as active & playful as ever. We feed our mice & rats the same things, but give the mice *much* smaller bits of veggies & fruit & on a less frequent basis. We use Softsorbent bedding for everyone. Although we give our rats hammocks, we don't bother with the mice-- once I gave them a 'Snuggle Sack' & they had it demolished within a week. Like disintegrated!
Good luck with the little guys, it's so great that you saved them!
2007-08-20 19:47:03 · answer #6 · answered by Catkin 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The mice are are going to get a lot bigger, probably about 2-2 1/2 inches long and an inch to 1.5 inches wide. They are pretty much the same as rats, but sometimes they are a little more fiesty and deadly fast. I don't know what sex the mice are, but they have the same mating cycle as rats, so you should beware if you are not interested in breeding ;) Hope that helps
2007-08-20 08:34:18 · answer #7 · answered by supermillie37 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Very considerate of you to rescue these two lil mice from your brother's lizards! Before we talk about mice :), may I suggest you talk sweetly to your brother and encourage him to NOT feed his Nile Monitors live rodents. It is better for the monitor to have pre-killed and much kinder to the rodents too. Have him check out
http://books.google.com/books?id=bFwyw_kDf-kC&pg=PA51&lpg=PA51&dq=%22nile+monitors%22+%22pre+killed%22+food&source=web&ots=PLANwUEpMj&sig=id_ULSTQypUb4rdWJyMsP-02rp0#PPA51,M1
it is a complete care book on Nile Monitors (that gives reasons for not feeding live).
Now, about your new pets :). From your description of their size I would say they are very young. If you want to take a look at the development of baby mice there is a day by day picture of baby mice at
http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/daybyday...
(it loads a bit slow, but very nice pictures of the growth of baby mice)
If I am right and they are as young as I think, you may find these two will remain on the smaller side of the "average mouse" size (so probably closer to six inches nose to tail tip than eight). Make sure they have a good quality grain food or lab blocks (I prefer lab blocks because then your mice can't pick out the yummy bits and leave the less favoured foods - which still have vitamins they need - behind). You can supplement these with treats and those treats can be used to help socialize them to human attention.
Mice do much better in an aquarium, especially young mice, since they can get into such tiny spaces and could escape from a wire cage more easily. They also do not like drafts or changes in temp. An aquarium protects them best from both.
For bedding, use Aspen shavings as a base (does a great job of absorbing odours). You can use just Aspen or you can add shredded paper or other bedding to make it more "fun" for the mice. They love to dig and burrow, so the more bedding the more they like it. Make their aquarium a playground. Use toilet rolls or paper towel rolls to make tunnels (bury them too if you like), use clean boxes (food stuff boxes are safest) and cut holes in the ends, burying them in the shavings for the mice to snuggle in. Add ladders, rope (again, make sure it is clean and not treated rope) and have fun with it!! Wood chews are great too, and help keep their teeth trim.
Mice tend to live 1.5 to 2 years, though there have been cases where they have lived to 4. Take the time to get them social with you and they are quite similar to ratties, though I find them to be more "hyper" than rats in most cases (always exceptions to the rule :) - and males tend to be more laid back than females, just like rats).
First thing to do is to sex them or have them sexed if you are not confident enough to do this. If they are older than 5 weeks (which it really doesn't sound like) and opposite gender it is possible the female is already pregnant! A vet or animal care technician should be able to help you sex them. If they are the same gender you will be fine, if they are opposite gender and you don't want little ones you had best separate them.
Good luck with your "meeses" :). They are really very fun and amusing pets!
2007-08-20 14:39:51 · answer #8 · answered by DreamQuestin 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
aw Im glad you "took in" the little mice :)
i dont really know anything about mice sorry :) lol
i'm just glad that you were nice enough to take them in.
i hate seeing animals suffer myself.
good job! :)
2007-08-20 08:16:32 · answer #9 · answered by Mum2Cavies 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
they get big but not really big I know how you fell I have three mice all saved from my brothers snakes
2007-08-23 13:06:34 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋