# Hello from New Jersey!



## Queenofchaos (Jul 7, 2015)

Unintentional Mouse Breeder
Sooo...here is what happened...
I knew I had a mouse in my closet. I didn't know how he got in a closet on the second floor of a fairly tight, relatively new house...but he was here....all the signs of his happiness were around the closet. A chip bag that was suspiciously empty with a perfect tiny hole bored into it....little black caraway seeds here and there...he was definitely here.
I sent for a humane trap and set it with some peanut butter.
He was caught within a few minutes of setting the trap.
Of course there was a raging thunderstorm going on outside...so how could I let him go with that going on?
I got a plastic bin and put some shredded paper towels, a little dish of water and one of food ( crumbled crackers) and put a metal mesh tray over the top. I put the entire trap, (which looks like a little green plastic motel) with him in it, into the 'cage' and put the tray on top.
Just for the heck of it, I set a second trap.
Caught another mouse 15 minutes later.
Deposited him into temporary cage.
Went online and ordered a Habitrail cage.
Reset trap.
Caught mouse #3 by the following morning.
Oh no.
All three mice were in the temporary cage..all huddled together in the little green house ( trap).
I moved the little green house trap to the brand new Crittertrail habitat.
Within minutes they were enjoying all the amenities of their new 'home'...drinking from the water bottle ( how did they know how to do that??), running on the wheel, and running up through the tube to the 'petting area' which I had designated as the dining area.
The next day...The three of them were huddled in the dining area together....on closer examination, I saw that the dining area was now a maternity ward...there were at least 5 babies ( see pic).
I ordered another Crittertrail cage.
Although I have kept the traps baited, I have not had any more visitors...but my original 3 mice are now about 12. I have four Crittertrail cages with all kinds of extra attachments...and they seem to enjoy themselves. I feed them a varied diet ( no dairy, nothing high in sugar or fat)... their favorites are peanut butter and finely chopped cucumbers. I put their food only in the top floor petting area...so it is very easy to clean up every day. I clean and put new food in every afternoon when the activity is at a minimum.
I have tried to convince myself to release them, but from everything I've read, they wouldn't last very long outside....so inside is where they shall live.
Sexing them is useless...we've tried. They are all pretty skittish and trying to hold them in an attempt to find nipples or testicles is nearly impossible. I just keep adding cages and separating them so I have fewer in each cage so the chance of more babies is lessened...but one cage that has only one mouse in it seems very sad. I think I will have to put another mouse in that cage.
I joined this group because I want to give them the best lives possible and want to learn everything about mice that I can. They were accidental pets and do not have lofty DNA but they are so smart, clean and hard working and extremely amusing to watch. One of my dogs think these mice belong to her. She is very protective of the cages and the mice all seem to like her...they come right up to her face and jump around happily inside when she is watching them.
Just wanted to give some background on why I am here.
Sorry for the epic novel.


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

Hello, and welcome.  That was quite a story indeed. A very cute one, too. I do have a few comments, please don't be offended by any of it. I only mean to help.

First of all, my advice would without a doubt be to release them. Yes, they will do just fine. I don't know how the law is where you are, but in a lot of places it's illegal to keep wildlife without some sort of permission. Apart from that, they can carry all sorts of diseases, and they are not carefully bred for generations to be pets. They are still wild animals. However, that's just what I think. If you intend to keep them:

1. Drop the peanut butter.
2. I don't know what your plan is, but please don't evey buy fancy/pet mice to put in with the wild ones.
3. If you cannot sex them, prepare to get A LOT of babies. Mice reach sexual maturity when they are 4-5 weeks old - even though we recommend 12 weeks for breeding, to give them time to develop properly.
4. Males can't always be housed together. They are very territorial, and will most likely start fighting at some stage.

How ever it goes, I hope you enjoy your stay!


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## Queenofchaos (Jul 7, 2015)

Hi...and thank you for the input. No, I wasn't planning on buying any mice to intermingle with the ones who were born in my house. As I said, these were accidental pets. My sons are in the process of building a 'safe house' outside for the mice. A simple structure with a tarp over it and chicken wire to prevent the Owls and Hawks on our property from thinking our mice are snacks. We have over 100 acres so this 'Mouse House' will be deep in the woods. I just didn't feel right about releasing them into the storm....with the many snakes and birds just waiting for them....and then the babies were born, so I really couldn't dump them outside in the elements. Thank you for the concern about disease, but I am pretty certain these are healthy mice. The 3 that I first found were very small and may have been born somewhere in the house ( we searched for signs of a colony but have found nothing).... and the subsequent babies were definitely all born in the house. Once their house is ready, they, along with their open cages, will be moving out there...but for now...they are here. Why no peanut butter? They love it...that and the cucumbers are their most favorite food. I have also given them dry cat food, dry dog food, Cheerios, cooked rice, cooked pasta, carrots ( they hate), seeds, nuts ( no almonds), Apple ( not the seeds), saltines, raw oatmeal, uncooked rice, barley, dried fruit ( no raisins), milk bone dog biscuits, and whatever I find that I think they might like.


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

Sounds like a good idea with the mousey house.  If you intend on keepin them there, just remember to secure the bottom of it as well.
The reason I mention disease is not that I think they are ill. They can be healthy carriers, meaning they can carry something that they can pass onto humans or other animals, that won't harm themselves.
No PB because it's quite fat and salty, plus nuts in general are quite high on fat. It's not just sugar and fat you need to be mindful of, it's also the salt - so away with the saltines as well. Just like dogs, they can't sweat, which means they have no way of getting rid of the extra salt.
Nuts in general are quite fatty, they can have them but not too much.
Also remember that wild mice are not accostumed to processed food - not saying you have to avoid it completely, just keep it in mind.
Raw pasta is also fine to give, and they love it.


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## Queenofchaos (Jul 7, 2015)

I think the House of Mouse will be good too. I'll take pictures when we have it up. I posted a pic of the pinkies here but it didn't show up. I must be doing something wrong.


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## Fantasia Mousery (Jul 16, 2011)

I don't know how you're doing, but here's what I do:

1. upload my pictures to Imgur
2. copy the direct link
3. paste it in my post on here with img tags, so [img*]link[/img*] without the *s


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