New Mouse - Taming a Feeder

"Flykiller" <flykiller.TakeThisOut@aol.com.com> wrote in message
news:20040411140802.22094.00000140@mb-m06.aol.com...
>
> hate to say this, but I've never seen initial friendliness in a mouse be a
good
> thing. usually it means they're weak and will die soon.
> --

That is completely untrue and I would like to know the basis for you making
this statement. There are many mice out there that are not initially
friendly, and this does not mean that they health problems or are going to
"die soon". Mice that haven't been raised around humans simply are afraid
of humans. It has nothing to do with the their health quality. If it did,
do you think we would have such a problem with wild mice?

In fact, almost all of the mice I have rescued from pet shops ARE scared,
but they all lived healthy long lives.

Kelly
 >> Stay informed about: New Mouse - Taming a Feeder 

Re: New Mouse - Taming a Feeder

Meghan wrote:

<snip re rescuing a black mouse from the feeder-pen>

>So the question is, how do I make my new mouse as tame as
>can be, without completely stressing her out if she hasn't
>been held much before. Should I hold her for a short time
>a few times a day, or once or twice for an hour?

I've found that mice have a very short attention-span and that ten minutes (or
even less) of handling/playing at a time, maybe three times per day, seems to
be about as effective in taming them & accustoming them to me as longer periods
are. (That also happens to be close to my attention-span for taking good care
that a skittish animal doesn't escape.)

The main thing seems to be to let it explore your hands & arms -- the new
environment -- long enough that it's comfortable and no longer chasing-about
excitedly, then pet it gently for a few minutes. and let it re-explore. When
I put it back in its cage, I sometimes leave my hand there for a while;
success is when it checks out the cage, then climbs back on my hand, indicating
that it wants to go out again.

Alternatively, I sometimes put a whole cage-full of mice (usually from three to
five) in a holding-pen (a 20-gallon plastic tote-box, furnished with litter and
a few toys & things to climb on, but without much of a place to hide) while I
clean their cage. After about ten minutes, once they've explored it, they
often start standing up, and will climb on my hand, wanting to get out and have
more Adventures & do some more Exploring, so I play with them for a few minutes
before returning them to their usual cage (with the furniture re-arranged, just
to make life a bit more interesting for them).

Maybe I don't need to mention this, but there's some chance that any doe that's
more than about five weeks old & has been in a pen with bucks might be pregnant
(you'll know within three weeks), so keep your options open (and your fingers
crossed, lest you have more mice than you really want). Some people consider
me dreadfully hard-hearted, but I'll sell a totally-unwanted (by me) litter of
pinkies, or about half of a litter of intentionally-bred ones, to the local
pet-shop that specializes in snakes, sadly murmuring that "snakes & lizards
that were created to eat only live food have as much right to live as mice do,
even though I think mice are cuter".

Don Fitch,
thinking about where to bury the aged rat when she dies, which will probably be
any day now.

--
 >> Stay informed about: New Mouse - Taming a Feeder 

Thanks for the replies. The suggestions are good, and I am eager to see if
I can get this little one to come around. Yes, I've thought of the
pregnancy problem already - she seems quite small, maybe only 4 weeks or so,
based on what the litter I had *last* year from a pet-store mouse, but I
know there are never any guarantees.

I actually wouldn't mind too much if she does have babies, because it's
great to see them born, growing, feeding mom extra special food - all of it
I find fun, and I did a pretty good job finding homes for the babies last
time.

All my mice to this point have been lured into loving me via treats, all
except one that I've had for almost a year, who just is not a "people"
mouse, and will not ever change. She won't take anything from me, and acts
as though my hand smells of vinegar (squinting, running). She's never
bitten me - she's not a "bad" mouse, just not a people mouse. I drop her
favorite treat in her direction, she waits the obligatory 3 seconds and then
pounces on it. Hey we have to love them for what they are right? I just
feel like I might have a chance with this little one.

Meghan


"Don Fitch" <fitchdons.TakeThisOut@aol.comDonFitch> wrote in message
news:20040411185459.22631.00000156@mb-m19.aol.com...
> Re: New Mouse - Taming a Feeder
>
> Meghan wrote:
>
> <snip re rescuing a black mouse from the feeder-pen>
>
> >So the question is, how do I make my new mouse as tame as
> >can be, without completely stressing her out if she hasn't
> >been held much before. Should I hold her for a short time
> >a few times a day, or once or twice for an hour?
>
> I've found that mice have a very short attention-span and that ten minutes
(or
> even less) of handling/playing at a time, maybe three times per day, seems
to
> be about as effective in taming them & accustoming them to me as longer
periods
> are. (That also happens to be close to my attention-span for taking good
care
> that a skittish animal doesn't escape.)
>
> The main thing seems to be to let it explore your hands & arms -- the new
> environment -- long enough that it's comfortable and no longer
chasing-about
> excitedly, then pet it gently for a few minutes. and let it re-explore.
When
> I put it back in its cage, I sometimes leave my hand there for a while;
> success is when it checks out the cage, then climbs back on my hand,
indicating
> that it wants to go out again.
>
> Alternatively, I sometimes put a whole cage-full of mice (usually from
three to
> five) in a holding-pen (a 20-gallon plastic tote-box, furnished with
litter and
> a few toys & things to climb on, but without much of a place to hide)
while I
> clean their cage. After about ten minutes, once they've explored it, they
> often start standing up, and will climb on my hand, wanting to get out and
have
> more Adventures & do some more Exploring, so I play with them for a few
minutes
> before returning them to their usual cage (with the furniture re-arranged,
just
> to make life a bit more interesting for them).
>
> Maybe I don't need to mention this, but there's some chance that any doe
that's
> more than about five weeks old & has been in a pen with bucks might be
pregnant
> (you'll know within three weeks), so keep your options open (and your
fingers
> crossed, lest you have more mice than you really want). Some people
consider
> me dreadfully hard-hearted, but I'll sell a totally-unwanted (by me)
litter of
> pinkies, or about half of a litter of intentionally-bred ones, to the
local
> pet-shop that specializes in snakes, sadly murmuring that "snakes &
lizards
> that were created to eat only live food have as much right to live as mice
do,
> even though I think mice are cuter".
>
> Don Fitch,
> thinking about where to bury the aged rat when she dies, which will
probably be
> any day now.
>
> --
>
>
>
 >> Stay informed about: New Mouse - Taming a Feeder 

>That is completely untrue and I would like to know the basis for you making
>this statement.

personal observation.
--

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the father, but
through me." john 14:6
 >> Stay informed about: New Mouse - Taming a Feeder 

>She won't take anything from me, and acts
>as though my hand smells of vinegar (squinting, running).

to her, it might.

>Hey we have to love them for what they are right?

yep.
--

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the father, but
through me." john 14:6
 >> Stay informed about: New Mouse - Taming a Feeder 

Kelly wrote:
: "Flykiller" <flykiller RemoveThis @aol.com.com> wrote in message
: news:20040411140802.22094.00000140@mb-m06.aol.com...
::
:: hate to say this, but I've never seen initial friendliness in a
:: mouse be a good thing. usually it means they're weak and will die
:: soon. --
:
: That is completely untrue and I would like to know the basis for you
: making this statement. There are many mice out there that are not
: initially friendly, and this does not mean that they health problems
: or are going to "die soon". Mice that haven't been raised around
: humans simply are afraid of humans. It has nothing to do with the
: their health quality. If it did, do you think we would have such a
: problem with wild mice?
:
: In fact, almost all of the mice I have rescued from pet shops ARE
: scared, but they all lived healthy long lives.
:
: Kelly

Read Flykiller's post again....he said *initial frendliness* in mice
is usually a sign of weakness, and I have to agree although I'd never
linked it before, it does ring true now he's said it.
 >> Stay informed about: New Mouse - Taming a Feeder 

"Phil L" wrote:

>Read Flykiller's post again....he said *initial frendliness* in mice
>is usually a sign of weakness, and I have to agree although I'd never
>linked it before, it does ring true now he's said it.

I haven't had enough experience with alien mice to form
an opinion on this -- all those in my 30+ cages are
descended from the two females and one male I was given
a bit over two years ago, and few have gotten sick (though
the latter seem to become not so much "friendlier" as
"disinclined to run away") -- but I _have_ observed that
certain color strains are conspicuously friendly (especially
the solid black and the silvery-gray ones) while others
require much more handling or training. Within this
general aspect, however, there seems to be a considerable
variation by cage (just as there is with how picky they are
about eating the various components of their feed mix --
those in a couple of cages, for example, ignore the rice &
millet, while those in another one love them but never eat
the sunflower seeds), so there seem to be both genetic and
cultural aspects involved.

I suspect that, within the cultural aspect, there's also a
crucial or important early-development period; when a
litter has always been handled very carefully & quietly in
the "roamer" and pre-adolescent stage they tend to be
much more friendly later on than if they were startled or
handled abruptly (as in rushing to clean out the cage, or
accidentally dropping something into it) then. But of
course there are also individual differences, like the
agouti-colored one that doesn't like me at all, and the
Champaign-colored one with the crooked tail who insists
on climbing up my hand whenever I reach into the cage.
(No-one else has ever handled them, so I don't know what
effect human scent variations might have; washing my
hands first with different kinds of soap doesn't seem to
confuse the mice.)

Don Fitch

--
"The Creator has made
a marvelous world.
Come and see it"
.. Pima Indian song.
 >> Stay informed about: New Mouse - Taming a Feeder 

In article <20040411140802.22094.00000140 RemoveThis @mb-m06.aol.com>,
flykiller RemoveThis @aol.com.com (Flykiller) wrote:

> every mouse is different. most untame mice will see an approaching
> hand as a
> threat, but when they're in your hand they act as if they no longer
> understand
> where they are or what is happening.
>
> the trick is to get them to associate your hand with good things.
>
> if your mice like to go places and see new things then you can pick
> them up and
> take them places.
>
> if they like going somewhere and doing something they'll learn to come
> for
> that. I used to take red on cheese trips, my daughter used to take
> rainbow out
> to the yard to play in grass houses she'd build for him, and some of
> our mice
> liked to be taken out to the flower boxes to dig in the dirt and play
> in the
> plants.
>
> if they like company and interaction then just picking them up and
> playing with
> them should be enough.
>
> most prefer treats. if every time they see your hand coming close
> there is a
> treat somewhere then they'll come running.
>
> hate to say this, but I've never seen initial friendliness in a mouse
> be a good
> thing. usually it means they're weak and will die soon.
> --
>
> "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the father,
> but
> through me." john 14:6
>
I give my mice 5 Sunflower seeds every evening. My mice have become much
more tame over time. they will take food off my hand now. If you feed your
mice Sunflower seeds, only feed the most 5 as they are fatty.

Chloe <:3>>---
 >> Stay informed about: New Mouse - Taming a Feeder 

In article <20040411185459.22631.00000156 DeleteThis @mb-m19.aol.com>,
fitchdons DeleteThis @aol.comDonFitch (Don Fitch) wrote:

> Re: New Mouse - Taming a Feeder
>
> Meghan wrote:
>
> <snip re rescuing a black mouse from the feeder-pen>
>
> >So the question is, how do I make my new mouse as tame as
> >can be, without completely stressing her out if she hasn't
> >been held much before. Should I hold her for a short time
> >a few times a day, or once or twice for an hour?
>
> I've found that mice have a very short attention-span and that ten
> minutes (or
> even less) of handling/playing at a time, maybe three times per day,
> seems to
> be about as effective in taming them & accustoming them to me as longer
> periods
> are. (That also happens to be close to my attention-span for taking
> good care
> that a skittish animal doesn't escape.)
>
> The main thing seems to be to let it explore your hands & arms -- the
> new
> environment -- long enough that it's comfortable and no longer
> chasing-about
> excitedly, then pet it gently for a few minutes. and let it
> re-explore. When
> I put it back in its cage, I sometimes leave my hand there for a
> while;
> success is when it checks out the cage, then climbs back on my hand,
> indicating
> that it wants to go out again.
>
> Alternatively, I sometimes put a whole cage-full of mice (usually from
> three to
> five) in a holding-pen (a 20-gallon plastic tote-box, furnished with
> litter and
> a few toys & things to climb on, but without much of a place to hide)
> while I
> clean their cage. After about ten minutes, once they've explored it,
> they
> often start standing up, and will climb on my hand, wanting to get out
> and have
> more Adventures & do some more Exploring, so I play with them for a few
> minutes
> before returning them to their usual cage (with the furniture
> re-arranged, just
> to make life a bit more interesting for them).
>
> Maybe I don't need to mention this, but there's some chance that any
> doe that's
> more than about five weeks old & has been in a pen with bucks might be
> pregnant
> (you'll know within three weeks), so keep your options open (and your
> fingers
> crossed, lest you have more mice than you really want). Some people
> consider
> me dreadfully hard-hearted, but I'll sell a totally-unwanted (by me)
> litter of
> pinkies, or about half of a litter of intentionally-bred ones, to the
> local
> pet-shop that specializes in snakes, sadly murmuring that "snakes &
> lizards
> that were created to eat only live food have as much right to live as
> mice do,
> even though I think mice are cuter".
>
> Don Fitch,
> thinking about where to bury the aged rat when she dies, which will
> probably be
> any day now.
>
> --
>
>
>
>
Personally I could not give the off spring from my mice to Snakes and
lizards but it is good that some people are happy to do that. I do agree
what you said Snakes and Lizards have as much right to live as mice
although I prefer mice to any other pet as they are my fave animal.

Chloe <:3>>---
 >> Stay informed about: New Mouse - Taming a Feeder