# I need help!!! :(



## jamination (Oct 25, 2010)

Im 12 and i really want a pet mouse. my parents think they smell and i wouldnt look after it wen i would. any advice on persuading them? please!!!


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2010)

jamination said:


> Im 12 and i really want a pet mouse. my parents think they smell and i wouldnt look after it wen i would. any advice on persuading them? please!!!


At your age I had a hamster...

Sadly what your parents say goes..all I can suggest is that you tell them you have done your research and that you will clean it out ever 2 days and promise that you will keep it up.

The down side to having pets is that when you want to go on holiday or something you have to make arrangements for them that cant always be done.

Also mice dont live all that long so you need to be sure you will be okay with losing it at some point. As sad as that maybe.

Good luck!


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## jamination (Oct 25, 2010)

thanks for the reply. i found hamsters arent really kids pets so..... ive got 3 greyhounds and lost 1 last october, so i am upto losing a pet. a good point about looking after it wen going away but ill find somewhere  im gonna do a powerpoint to c if that will persuade them


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## jamination (Oct 25, 2010)

jamination said:


> thanks for the reply. i found hamsters arent really kids pets so..... ive got 3 greyhounds and lost 1 last october, so i am upto losing a pet. a good point about looking after it wen going away but ill find somewhere  im gonna do a powerpoint to c if that will persuade them


I really do need help!!!!


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

I used to have hamsters when I was your age, a long time ago.:laugh: I have had mice in the past and I found that they did smell even not long after they had been cleaned out. I had five of them though. They were cute but they got health problems and I ended up having to have the last couple put to sleep. Syrian hamsters are great and if you wanted something mouse size why not go for a Roborovski hamster?


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## Guest (Oct 25, 2010)

Jazzy said:


> Syrian hamsters are great and if you wanted something mouse size why not go for a Roborovski hamster?


Or a winter white!!  Syrian's are great once tame.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Male mice do smell, I have one and hes lovely and I dont mind his smell but they do smell, females arent as bad but you will need to keep females in groups of more than one, if you clean out the cage too often they go mad scent marking and it actually smells more so its better to do partial bedding changes and not to clean too often as it actually makes it worse. They are fantastic pets to own, Ive got a group of 6 girls and a seperate boy and they are so cute and loving. The other thing to consider is vet bills, although they are only small if they become ill and its out of surgery hours it can cost a lot of money so you might need to either get your parents to agree to cover these costs or save up a vet fund just in case.


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

You need to do plenty of research before even thinking about it! Mice are great pets but become ill so quickly and are prone to a lot of health problems depending on how well bred they are. For instance - tumours, respiratory infections (which can be made worse by certain beddings like woodshavings.) Their diet can also lead to health problems - too much protein can cause hotspots (bald, itchy sores), not enough can make them weak, they can also be prone to allergies of peanuts so you would need to find a food that doesn't contain it. And cleaning mice every 2 days will make them smell more because they will get stressed having to remark their territory so often (that goes for girls and for boys) although many people like to do part cleans twice a week which is just right for most mice. If your parents are against you having mice you won't be able to persuade them otherwise. However, if you spend as much time as you can researching them (and that includes finding a good vet who knows how to treat them - a lot of vets won't/can't treat mice and some people don't even bother taking their mice to the vets which is completely wrong ) it means that you will be a lot better prepared should your parents change your mind or if you end up being old enough to move out and get them on your own - whatever comes first!


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

shetlandlover said:


> Or a winter white!!  Syrian's are great once tame.


Yes winter whites are lovely too. I have a Russian winter white.


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## jamination (Oct 25, 2010)

vets bills 

i didnt think of that. the reason im not alowed 1 is because of the reputation that they smell and arnt clean


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

Oh and it is almost never a good idea to have just one pet mouse - they are very social animals and even spending 23 hours a day with you wouldn't be as good as having another mousie friend


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## Guest (Oct 26, 2010)

Jazzy said:


> Yes winter whites are lovely too. I have a Russian winter white.


I have been looking for winter whites in my area for AGES. And cant find any.  I used to have one and she turned from white to dark grey when the seasons changed but she was pure white.


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

jamination said:


> vets bills
> 
> i didnt think of that. the reason im not alowed 1 is because of the reputation that they smell and arnt clean


Is there no way you would consider a hamster? I have had loads of hamsters over the years and never had an unhealthy one yet - touch wood.:laugh:


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

jamination said:


> vets bills
> 
> i didnt think of that. the reason im not alowed 1 is because of the reputation that they smell and arnt clean


They are generally very clean but TDM is right - vet bills can be expensive. For one mouse in the last 2 months I've had to pay out £40 in vet bills because she has a blood circulation problem. Another of my girls has cost £30 in the last 3 months for medication for her tumour which developed an infection. I've spent out well over £600 in vet bills and consultations in the 19 and a half months that I've had my mice. ANd my vet is very good in that i don't pay for consultation fees - expect costs to double or more if you have to pay a consultation fee!


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

shetlandlover said:


> I have been looking for winter whites in my area for AGES. And cant find any.  I used to have one and she turned from white to dark grey when the seasons changed but she was pure white.


Well my winter white is more a grey colour to be honest. I did have a pure white one once that stayed white, she was so pretty.


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

jamination said:


> vets bills
> 
> i didnt think of that. the reason im not alowed 1 is because of the reputation that they smell and arnt clean


They do smell.. I had 4 males in sets of two.. and they really stank.. I reckon more than my rats.. And it didn't matter how I cleaned them out they just pee on everything and stink the place out.. 

Gerbils dont smell...


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

momentofmadness said:


> They do smell.. I had 4 males in sets of two.. and they really stank.. I reckon more than my rats.. And it didn't matter how I cleaned them out they just pee on everything and stink the place out..
> 
> Gerbils dont smell...


You just didn't appreciate Ew de Mouse :lol: I love the smell of my mice  Of my 40 mice 22 are boys and all in my bedroom, only smells when it is warm because the heating makes the hay warm


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## jamination (Oct 25, 2010)

the reason i wont get a hamster is because there life span is 1 yr. 
i mean cum on. ginue pigs well i dunno, is there anything else like these?:


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

jamination said:


> the reason i wont get a hamster is because there life span is 1 yr.
> i mean cum on. ginue pigs well i dunno, is there anything else like these?:


Your wrong they can live over 2 and a half years.. And I had a 4 year old gerbil.. he was virtually all grey before he died.. I dont know how he kept going.... I say four cause he was our class gebil and i was in it for a year and then he seemed to live on and on.. He was given too me at the end of the year cause I had always looked after him...


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

jamination said:


> the reason i wont get a hamster is because there life span is 1 yr.
> i mean cum on. ginue pigs well i dunno, is there anything else like these?:


Depends on the type of hamster what their life span is - and mice have fairly short life spans too. Generally they live 12 to 24 months although on very rare occasions they live to 3 years old. I've only kept mine for 19 months and already lost 13 mice all under the age of 18 months.


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## jamination (Oct 25, 2010)

any god hamster types?:thumbup:


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

zany_toon said:


> You just didn't appreciate Ew de Mouse :lol: I love the smell of my mice  Of my 40 mice 22 are boys and all in my bedroom, only smells when it is warm because the heating makes the hay warm


Hey even though they were stinky.. I still loved em.. and I still go and see Paul with his new homies.... Just really upset me what happened and I felt very cruel.. Especially after having the oldies put to sleep not long before... Im afraid.. I love looking at mice and have to really hold my hands in my pocket when I see them.. I just couldn't get any more.. 
Unless I owned my own house and had a room dedicated to them with a cage all the way round with diff rooms in it for them...

Thats how me mum kept her gerbils when I was a kid.. and her mice.. My dad was very good at building things out of not much.. 

And too think I still have there tanks here.. So if anyone needs a tank holla me..


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

jamination said:


> any god hamster types?:thumbup:


All hamster types are good - you need to start researching them so you know what you are getting into. This stands for any animal - no one should be allowed an animal without doing some serious research!


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## jamination (Oct 25, 2010)

might think about Gerbils now  how long do they last:


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

jamination said:


> the reason i wont get a hamster is because there life span is 1 yr.
> i mean cum on. ginue pigs well i dunno, is there anything else like these?:


No Syrians usually live around 2 1/2 years on average and Roborovski hamsters up to around 3 years so probably longer than mice because I think there average life span is around one year isn't it - might be wrong though as it's quite a few years since I had mice. Guinea pigs are lovely - we have 13 of them as well as 4 hamsters.


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## momentofmadness (Jul 19, 2008)

jamination said:


> might think about Gerbils now  how long do they last:


I think about the same as mice and hamster and Rats.. Its cause there small and have very fast heart beats...

They are very interesting to watch very busy rodents that you can interact with.. but you would need to get from babies.. And prob get a couple of the same sex so they dont get lonely..


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

My syrian Buffy was over 5 when she died and one of my syrians (Angel) is well over 3 now.


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

I don't think you're going to win your parents around any time soon if you get caught surfing online aged 12 at almost 1:30am :lol:

You reeealy want a mouse don't you? Or is it a hamster or gerbil now?


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## jamination (Oct 25, 2010)

im up researchin lol. im interested in a girbil now


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## jamination (Oct 25, 2010)

im not gettin any pets as i have 3 dogs


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## Argent (Oct 18, 2009)

Hey count your blessings - I wish I had a dog...


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## SophieCyde (Oct 24, 2010)

Maybe a Hamster?

They are a bit easier to hold than mice but ,to persuade my parents to get my my dwarfs I just did my research, and then bought the caqge out of my pocket money, they weren't happy but two weeks later I had rocky & rambo


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Could you take over some of the responsibility of the dogs eg feeding, brushing etc to prove to your parents that you would be able to care for a rodent (whatever you decide on), I know my 10 year old officially owns the mice but she does virtually nothing for them so she wont be getting another pet any time soon.


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## SophieCyde (Oct 24, 2010)

jamination said:


> might think about Gerbils now  how long do they last:


Snowy died at 4 (almost 5)

Misty died at 3 (she was ill)

Gerbils are amazing to watch if they're burrowing ( i kept mine in peat and they made there own burrows , so cute


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## Jazzy (Apr 15, 2009)

thedogsmother said:


> Could you take over some of the responsibility of the dogs eg feeding, brushing etc to prove to your parents that you would be able to care for a rodent (whatever you decide on), I know my 10 year old officially owns the mice but she does virtually nothing for them so she wont be getting another pet any time soon.


Yes same as my nine year old. Two of the four hamsters we have are meant to be hers and nine of the guinea pigs but she never bothers with them now they have grown up. The Bichons are meant to be my eldest daughters but does she ever walk them - does she heck.


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## Gemmish (Oct 26, 2010)

Hello! I have three female mice and absolutely adore them! They do make good pets, and if handled reguarly become very friendly! They do smell, quite a lot and they need quite a bit of space as they are very active. They make quite a bit of noise at night time as well! Health wise they are very prone to developing tumours im afraid, and they pop up very quickly. Some vets can remove them (my willow had hers successfully removed) but sometimes they get too big to be removed. You do have to be careful what you feed them as well as they will always pick sweeter things over anything else and can become plump!

If you havent had a small pet before id be tempted to get a hamster, they are a lot cleaner and a lot less smelly and handling wise, they defo arent as quick as mice! Plus, a lot of people dont like the idea of mice in the house, so you might find it easier to persuade them to let you have a hamster!!!


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## jamination (Oct 25, 2010)

thanks everyone but my parents dontlike the smell and think rodents would upset my dogs :|


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## dee o gee (May 21, 2010)

Your only 12 yet, wait until your older and things will change. When I was 12 I wanted one of every type of animal and begged my parents the whole time. Spend your time now reading up on different animals and when your older you can decide if you still want one. Count yourself lucky that you have 3 dogs, when I was your age I wasn't allowed a dog, I had to wait until I was 16 before I got my first dog. 

Im nearly 19 now and it's only now Im realising I could have any pet I want but common sense is kicking in and Im starting to understand just how much they cost and how they wouldn't suit my lifestyle. Even though Im not really living at home anymore I still have to pay for everything for my pets, and trust me it's only when you start paying yourself you actually understand how much things cost, even for a little mouse/hamster/gerbil costs add up and they actually become quite expensive. 
Edit: Just as an example I payed nearly &#8364;50 yesterday and I still have cat and dog food to buy this week. That was only cat litter, hamster bedding and a few bits and bobs. By the end of this week Il have nearly &#8364;100 spent on my pets.


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## Yorkshire_Rose (Aug 5, 2009)

Mice are fantastic pets even when you have over 100 of them


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