# Spiny mice problem



## cherry.chops (Jan 1, 2011)

Hi there,
I dont know exactly know what exactly im expecting to get from this thread, but maybe you can all give me your opinion.

Ive recently rescued 13 spiny mice of variying ages and sexes that have been living together.
There are 5 babies, that are around a week old, a larger mouse that i defo know is a male and a couple look around a few months old and the rest i think are fully grown females. I dont know who the babies belong to.

They have never been handled and are pretty wild, although they will all come and sniff my hand and they are very inquisitive.
I have not seperated them yet, as i cannot sex them due to them not being handled and well, i have never done it before. Also as the babies are too young to wean yet so i didnt want to take away someones mum.

They are great to watch and they are gorgeous and healthy but i want a pet i can interact with and hold and cuddle and i know that i wont get it from these, although im sure they will get more tame if they are in smaller groups and are handled on a daily basis, which i am trying to do.

I dont know whether i should keep the babies once they are old enough and sell the adults (i suppose a few of the females may be pregnant) or sell the lot.

any opinions and advise welcome


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## Cherpi (Nov 19, 2010)

Sell them? Why not just give them away :S I really hate people who try and make profit from their pets... no offence.


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## cherry.chops (Jan 1, 2011)

im not trying to make money out of them. I want to at least get my money back spent on cages accessories etc. but thats not really my concern atm


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## miniloo (Feb 7, 2011)

sounds like your first job is to get the male out, and try really hard to get the others sexed, removing any males that you find other then the babies that is, other wise the problem is only going to get bigger, 

other then that i would try to handle them as much as you can and make a desision on which you can keep after you have had time to get to know them, 

as for selling them to make your money back on cages and things i think you will find that a no go, there are plenty of mice that need homes and so they are not going to make much money, plus if the others are pregnant then thats a lot of mice to get rid off, 

good luck with it all,


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## purple_x (Dec 29, 2010)

Sometimes it's best to ask for a donation as this way you will just get people serious about keeping them as pets. If you offer them for free then I'm sure lots of breeders and people wanting snake food will want them 

If I were you I would sell/rehome what you cannot afford to keep. But do make sure that they are going to nice homes.

Perhaps if you haven't seperated the mice yet as you're having difficulty sexing them you could ask for help from someone on here or take them to a pet shop/local rescue who can sex them for you. You dont want anymore pregnant females, sounds like you have enough mice on your hands now!


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## cherry.chops (Jan 1, 2011)

yes, i need to take the male out, but i know they are not meant to be kept by themselves and he is the only one that is obviously a male, so i didnt know whether to wait until the babies are old enough to be seperated, and then if there is a boy, then they could be kept together?

thank you


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## miniloo (Feb 7, 2011)

i don't know about spiny mice but male mice fight, so i keep them seperate, and if you leave then together tell then you will have more babies then you can handle, the mum of these will be pregnant again and she might kill the litter, don't mean to scare you but he will be better on his own, females are best kept together,


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## cherry.chops (Jan 1, 2011)

ok thanks, il seperate them tomorrow


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## zanda99 (Oct 27, 2010)

Because Of The skittishness of spiny mice the easiest way to sex them is to place them in a see-through box and look underneath it, the females will have visibly large black nipples and the males will not, this is the only way i advise sexing spiny mice, it will save alot of trouble,
Good luck,
Xander.


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

zanda99 said:


> Because Of The skittishness of spiny mice the easiest way to sex them is to place them in a see-through box and look underneath it, the females will have visibly large black nipples and the males will not, this is the only way i advise sexing spiny mice, it will save alot of trouble,
> Good luck,
> Xander.


^^ Good idea. I know how difficult it can be to sex well handled mice...especially young ones. I would try appeal to someone who has lots of experience with spiny mice and get them to sex them for you. Best of luck!


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