# Mice peeing and pooping in food bowl!



## grrrlcrimson

I have 4 female mice from a show breeder, I've had them about 6 weeks and they are constantly pooping and peeing in their food bowl! When they had a wire tank topper, I tried securing it on the top mesh level - didn't help. Tried higher and lower edged bowls, didn't help. Moved away from and closer to their nest -- they still do it! Has anyone else had this problem?? I mean they actually start using it as a toilet once the first one of them goes in there. What do I do?!


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## Serena

hi

mine pretty much do the same thing. So I just scatter their food in the cage and use the bowl as a litter tray  makes cleaning the wee-corner easier.


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## grrrlcrimson

I do that too when I don't have time to clean their bowl out -- but they also have a litter pan they use AND they've started peeing in a plastic bottomless igloo recently. They like to keep it contained -- just in many places apparently! :s


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## SarahY

Morning! I don't use bowls for feed for this reason. If you just scatter the food on the substrate it'll stay much cleaner and the mice will be able to forage for it, which provides natural behaviour enrichment


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## Miceandmore64

I tried to scatter it before it just goes all mushy and dirty. Still manage to pee on it


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## Cereal Killer

It is normal I have read they can eat their own scat in dire times and still burn it for energy.


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## PPVallhunds

If when you scatter feed you get alot of left over food going mushy your giving them too much so just give them less


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## Denise--

It's exactly the same here.. I stopped using those bowls because it only gets very dirty. So I just lay it on the floor and believe me, they don't mind


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## raisin

biologically, mice are programmed to defecate where they eat to indicate to other mice that the eating location is a safe place. the logic I think is if they are there long enough to poop and still haven't been eaten, it's safe for their pals to do the same. I just flick the poo out everyday when I feed them. lots of other animals poop where they eat also- namely rabbits, actually. it's okay for them to get some pee and poo on their food as long as you offer fresh food daily.


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## moustress

Giving meeces bowls for food or water is just a wasted effort. Sometimes, if the bowl is large enough, it gets turned into a little nest.


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## I got mice

Hey so my mice like to pee in there water dish and I am not shure if they still drink it but I read somewhere that mice get diarrhea when dehydrated and I think they have diarrhea😰

Also my baby mouse (I had 8 but 7 died because the mother decided to be a cannibal and some babys jumped out of my hand) keeps putting bedding in its food and water dish which I know it can dig for food but the bedding sokes up all the water and I can't put a bottle because it will climb out and it's a fish tank 

And one last question is it okay that I separated the mom and dad from the baby or should I put the dad in with the baby?

Sorry for a long one but if someone could answer these questions I would really appreciate it. 😅

I didn't have this much drama when I had my hamsters.😅🥲


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## mouse boi

dont put in dad he will eat the babies/harm them/try to mate with the girls if they are old enough!


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## I love little cuddles.

grrrlcrimson said:


> I have 4 female mice from a show breeder, I've had them about 6 weeks and they are constantly pooping and peeing in their food bowl! When they had a wire tank topper, I tried securing it on the top mesh level - didn't help. Tried higher and lower edged bowls, didn't help. Moved away from and closer to their nest -- they still do it! Has anyone else had this problem?? I mean they actually start using it as a toilet once the first one of them goes in there. What do I do?!


I got some of these on eBay. They can reach in and take their food or treats out, but can't get in themselves.
I also have a bird feeder that works pretty well.
But I'm not a breeder or an expert, I've just ended up adopting a few unwanted pets.


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## colly40westy

grrrlcrimson said:


> I have 4 female mice from a show breeder, I've had them about 6 weeks and they are constantly pooping and peeing in their food bowl! When they had a wire tank topper, I tried securing it on the top mesh level - didn't help. Tried higher and lower edged bowls, didn't help. Moved away from and closer to their nest -- they still do it! Has anyone else had this problem?? I mean they actually start using it as a toilet once the first one of them goes in there. What do I do?!


🤗 Grrlcrimson all you have to do is gently chastise your micey and keep spreading their food around their cage


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