# Swimming?



## FeralWolf (Dec 28, 2010)

Is it safe (healthwise) to let my meeces go for a swim? In a small tub or shallow water?


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

I couldn't say if they enjoy or not, but I wouldn't risk letting them get that wet personally. They're so tiny, it could easily lead to illness from having cold, wet fur and skin.

Sarah xxx


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## FeralWolf (Dec 28, 2010)

Thanks. I don't think I am going to try. I remember my friend had a hamster and she let her swim, and she died soon after...


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

I know people who let their rats swim. It always seems to me that the rats are panicking, not enjoying it. But really, there's no way for us to know.


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

It sounds silly wanting to let mice have a swim, I know rats are good swimmers and can breathe under water.


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

As far as I know, no mammals can breathe under water, not even aquatic ones like whales and dolphins...


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

What I meant jack was a rat can hold its breath under water for a period of time.Allotment holders near me were over run with Rats, and when they caught the odd one they tried to drown them and couldnt the gardeners kept poultry and were pensioners the rats lived underneath the sheds.The council finnally cleared them out and they were told to get rid of the poultry.


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Oh, that makes more sense. I guess I was thinking too-literally.


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

dont let your mice swim they wont like it lol.


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## zany_toon (Apr 3, 2010)

I have given some of my mice a bath in the past in a tiny amount of water. Only one seemed to like it - so much so that next time I was cleaning his wounds (he had given himself a really bad tear in his skin from scratching) in the bathroom he decided to jump into the sink and go for a paddle. Needless to say he wasn't in for long and he loved being wrapped up in the towels and put on a hot water bottle to dry him off :lol:


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

FeralWolf, your mice were not eating right (thin), then one was pregnant, not you want them to swim? I`m finding your questions a bit baffling to say the least. NEVER put mice in water. They will become stressed and you`ll probably kill them with shock. Mice should only need wetting if it`s to bathe their skin due to fungal infection or similar.

So how are your mice now anyway? Are they pregnant or what?


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## FeralWolf (Dec 28, 2010)

My black mouse, Suki is healthy, happy and curious as ever. She is eating normally now and she is doing fine. Twix however is another story. She is growing larger around her lower back, I can see her nipples too, but, she hasn't been with a buck in two months! I am worried about her. Oh, and thanks for asking. 
P.S. I was only asking because I have seen other people doing it, and I didn't know if I should ask them to stop.


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

It`s true that some people (I use that word liberally) try to get their mice to swim, but they usually do it for kicks and Youtube. It`s not something they require, no.

Your larger female will need keeping an eye on, but if she`s been near a male in the past few weeks, the chances are she will be pregnant. So unless you plan to breed mice from an unknown background, don`t put them near any males. Pregnancy means having to seperate her from her cagemate (which could then cause the other female stress as a result) if you don`t have other females to cage her with, so it`s not worth the hassle or the risk really to put her in a situation where she may or may not be pregnant. Pregnant females need good care and prepared thought. It`s not the end of the world if she is, but then you need to be prepared for seperating male babies at four weeks of age and also have other cages ready. So it might be worth doing that now, just incase.


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

Larger round lower back, larger nipples sounds pregnant to me.If she is pregnant be prepared for up to 12 babies, you will need to feed the Doe extra protein, bread and milk, lactose, mealworms , scrambled egg.Have extra cage/ tank space for the babies , homes for them to go too if you cant keep them all.And also be prepared you may have to cull some as well.


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## FeralWolf (Dec 28, 2010)

Do I HAVE to cull any? Would it do more harm then good? I have more than enough time on my hands, and tons of my friends want the pinkies. But she hasn't been with a male for 1 1/2 months, and she only started getting big last week, a week after she escaped... wild buck?


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## zany_toon (Apr 3, 2010)

racingmouse said:


> Mice should only need wetting if it`s to bathe their skin due to fungal infection or similar.


Have to agree with RM, FeralWolf  The few times mine have had a bath has been because of chronic itching and it was to try bathe the mouse's skin and the 3 other times was to use a flea/mite shampoo for small animals. It's certainly not something most would put up with.


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## MouseHeaven (Oct 25, 2010)

You don't _have_ to cull any mice; but if you want them to be nice and healthy, I suggest culling. Culling allows the runts to be removed, and the stronger mice to succeed. Ultimately, you'll end up with stronger, healthier, and larger mice if you cull early. If you do decide not to cull, the mother is most likely to cull some herself (which leaves you a bloody mess and baby mouse carcasses...). Culling also helps the mom because it's not as much of a strain to take care of 4-6 babies as it would to be taking care of and feeding 12-13. Could you imagine having 12 kids at once? I'd die...


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

FeralWolf, you should`nt even think about culling anything if your new to all this. As I understand it, pinkies are culled within a few days old? But if you don`t fully understand what this entails, you should not do it. If your mouse/mice are/do become pregnant for whatever reason, let them have their babies and let nature take it`s course. Skilled breeders are used to reducing their litters. Anyone attempting it without the right mind-set can be troubled by it (I know a member who was), so slow down, see if your females do produce any babies and if they don`t, then don`t go there. If they do, then you`ll have to deal with any babies she/they produce and learn how to sex them and wait to see how many arrive and how many survive.

Breeding mice should be a carefully thought out process. Remember, your dealing with lives.


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

I'm afraid personal views don't enter into this, Racingmouse. People have the right to keep, breed and raise their mice as they feel fit.

Feralwolf, you don't _have_ to do anything you don't want to! If you want to raise and home a full litter, then that's what you should do 

A word of warning though, if the doe has been caught by a wild mouse, the babies will be extremely skitty, fast and in a lot of cases, unhandleable - you might end up stuck with a lot of mice you can't home because of their temperament.

Sarah xxx


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

Too true Sarah. I was just concerned that FeralWolf is`nt truly aware of what culling entails and it`s proper proceedure and whether he/she has the mental ability to cope with doing it. The mice also seem to have been with a male at some point so I don`t know where the wild mouse theory is coming from? It`s a matter of wait and see and be fully aware of how your mice are kept and managed. I also noticed FW is looking for more mice to breed from, so there is intention there anyway. So not a total surprise if they are pregnant.

I just feel that members should be fully aware of the concequences of their actions even if they appear keen to breed mice. Especially if they are new to it. I don`t breed myself, but even if I did, I would want to be fully aware of what I was doing and also decide whether having one accidental litter was worth keeping or whether I was breeding for the sake of numbers and show. It`s a matter of knowing good breeding practice and why you want to breed in the first place. Rehoming them to people with mouse knowledge is one thing, but many people stuggle to find these good owners a lot of the time, so that needs careful consideration, otherwise, you have to be prepared to keep a group/groups of males that people say they want and then change their minds. They can`t cope with the smell and that`s excuse enough for them to not want them. It`s the complasency of some people who never think this through.


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## geordiesmice (Oct 26, 2010)

You soon learn how to cull racingmouse , you can keep the whole litter if you want Feralwolf i love breeding mice and Im determined to get something decent for a show.Im being a bit more choosey now because I want to keep better quality mice.I had a fawn satin I had to cull this morning because it had a white blemish on its skin which is not true to the colour I dont greve when a mouse dies to me there livestock but I do like them.You need quite a few cages lol too but I find I cant keep all the litters.


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## m137b (Sep 22, 2010)

It's a completely personal decision if, when, what and how to cull a litter.

If I were to have an unintentional litter I'd at least reduce it just females[cull the males], since they are easier to house in the long term.


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## racingmouse (Jan 12, 2011)

Culling them when a few days old probably is a good idea yes, as it reduces the males down and also the litter size. I totally agree with good husbandry and I know many breeders know what they are doing and are very well practiced at it. Geordie mentioned the word `livestock` and when you breed for show, then you probably do view your mice as `stock` rather than individual pets because you become more aware of size, shape and markings, but not all litters out there will be show stock standards. Some are just accidental or are planned but the owner is`nt an actual breeder just a pet owner, so when the word culling comes up, it can be interperated as killing by any means without the person knowing what proper protocol is. Obviously nobody would practice this without first knowing what they were doing and hopefully, be well aware of proper practice before even attempting it.

I just like to see people being a bit more organised when they show an interest in breeding from their `pet` mice. Totally understand the need for culling personally, especially if you breed on a larger scale, but anyone showing an interest in breeding should be made aware of this, but not necessarily told they should do it.


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## FeralWolf (Dec 28, 2010)

She's not pregnant, it's been 4 5 weeks, and nothing. She hasn't even gotten bigger. But she seems happy, curious and active so... is she just really fat? :lol:


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## Bella (Aug 15, 2010)

My rats loved to swim. I always kept my hand in the water and they would wander around in the tub, sometimes dive under and swim across to the other side, and when they were done they would come and hop on my hand...

...but I wouldn't recommend it for a mouse.


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## Kage Davies (Dec 21, 2008)

lol, what colour is she? Mice with red/red dilute tend to get fat. Also, if you have two, sometimes you get one greedy and one not greedy cagemate so one gets larger than the other.

I wouldn't let them swim if you can help it. They do get chills and since they easily get resp issues you really don't want them to inhale any water .


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