# Super-shy mouse - please can anyone help?!!!



## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Hi everyone! 
So, I've just got 4 female mice! I've only ever had guinea pigs and a hamster before, and that was a while back. I've had my mice for about a week - they're adorable.
Anyway, 3 of my mice are inquisitive and are getting used to my hand in the cage, one will even walk on it. 
The other mouse hides in the bedding whenever she sees me. We had to pick up all the mice to get them into their home, but this one I made the mistake of trying to pick up from the cage, thinking I needed to handle them to get them tame. I now don't know what to do....I've tried putting food next to my hand, but she just steals food from the others! 
She's also rather bigger than the others, though I think she's the same age, and she sleeps a lot more. I am actually wondering if she may be pregnant!! 
Any advice greatly appreciated - thanks! :001_smile:


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## AnnB (Nov 6, 2011)

Mice can have different characters, the same as people and it's not unusual to need some patience in order to win their trust. You could be right however, about her being pregnant and being more tender and more wary. I'd give her another week or so to settle and if she hasn't produced babies in that time, then you can try and coax her into a cardboard tube to begin handling her.


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Dear AnnB,
Thank you SO much for the quick reply! 
The cardboard tube idea is good - I don't want to risk squishing her. If she is pregnant I'm going to be rather out of my depth, but in a way, I hope that's what it is. 
I just hope I've not ruined things for good by trying to pick her up too soon!


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

As Ann said mice have all sorts of different characters, they also come in different sizes, I have small and large mice at the moment, I once had two sisters who couldnt have been more different, one was timid and tiny, the other was huge and bold. Can you post a picture of your mouse, pregnant mice generally dont look pregnant until pretty near the birth and then they look enormous and pear shaped. As far as taming her goes I wouldnt rush things just yet, youve only had her a week and she might just be a timid character.

This is Freckles about 5 days before she gave birth.


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Thank you, that's helpful, I will try to take a picture tonight - if I can get her to come out of her bed/nest!


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Sorry for the delay - bank holiday absence from computer! 
I've only managed to take a photo of my mouse through the walls of the cage, so not ideal! I will keep trying. 
She's getting slowly bolder, but I really don't know why she's so much shier than the other 3 - do you think she remembers me picking her up when I first got her? 
Luckily the shop I got her from put me in touch with the guy who bred her and he's happy to take her back, and/or her babies, if that is the case. 
I do want to keep her, as she's so pretty, but I'm starting to get disheartened - the other three are all sitting on my hand quite happily now! What have I done wrong?! 
And she's a bit of a bully - stealing food from the others' paws! 
:confused1:


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

Yes mice do have different characters....I have nine girls living together at the moment and each has a different personality...some friendly...some cheeky...one who has proven very maternal and protective.

Saying that a particularly skitty mouse...especially if her sisters are so friendly...and she is bigger might certainly point towards pregnancy...my girls got very "hidey" and fast just before they did.

The other thing to check is that all yours are girls...a male in the group could exacerbate any hormones.

But otherwise just take your time and be patient. It might be that she is simply not a cuddly mouse. 

Good luck


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Thanks for that - all very helpful. 
I think if she hasn't had pups in another week, a trip to the vet may be in order! 
What do you mean by hormones being "exacerbated"? What effects should I look out for?
are your mice all different sizes? I didn't think they would vary so much! And sorry for all the questions!


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

I wouldn't worry about her being shy, some mice are just like that the same way that some people are very shy. I have mice who love being handled so much that I can't get them to get off me, and yet their brothers and sisters hardly even look at me at all - their individuality just adds to how lovely they are so I would hope that you don't rehome her because of it. Some mice can take ages to come around as well, my little boy Kipling has been here for almost 4 months and only now comes over to say hello and he is still very wary of me. As Niki said though, double check the sexes as some mice are more withdrawn if another sex is in with them or if they are pregnant - they are normally pregnant for around 21 days so if you haven't seen any babies 22 days after having them then i don't think you will see any at all unless a male is in the cage or a wild male has snuck in. 

And don't worry about stealing food from one another - it's perfect mousie behaviour. Mine have always done it and I actually love watching them charging around trying to take control of the bit of digestive biscuit when I have just put in a pile for them :lol: It's not bullying so don't worry about it  Bullying in mice normally seems to show in the form of stopping others approaching food or water, biting, chasing, ball fighting and things like that 

Edit: Yes, mice even from the same litters can be very different in sizes. I have mice big enough to fill my hand, and others that even full grown are only a little bigger than my thumb!!


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

This is the only photo I could get! 
And thank you to everyone for all the helpful comments. 
Zany-toon - I really want to keep her, she is so lovely, I suppose I'm just annoyed with myself in case I really scared her or something, but maybe that's just the way she is. 

She's really into building her bed at the moment, and has now started building one seperate to where she sleeps with the others so I'm getting increasingly suspicious! I will keep you posted! 

I want to take them all to the vet to get them checked but don't want to scare them even more - what do you guys think?


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

I don't know if anyone's still reading this but anyway.... 

Good news - Super-shy (she's actually called Nutmeg) _finally_ plucked up the courage to take some seeds from my hand last night :thumbup:
I've been sitting there for hours with my hand palm-up in the cage with food on it, and the others (Biscuit, Twiglet and Strawberry) clamber all over, but Nutmeg just couldn't do it. Lat night she pushed up a load of hay in front of her like a shield and then poked her nose through to take a seed - it was hilarious, bless her. 
Got to go out tonight so hope I can keep the momentum going as I won't have time to sit there tonight. 
No babies yet - if she hasn't had any in another week I'll have to assume she's just a big'un!


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## AnnB (Nov 6, 2011)

Well done for persevering with her, sounds like you're beginning to get rewarded for your hard work.

If she hasn't grown any larger in the last week you can probably breathe a sigh of relief that she isn't pregnant.


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## niki87 (Nov 18, 2009)

Its hard to tell from that pic...I mean she is round...but she is also hunched over...which will cause roundness!!

But wow well done!! Bet you were elated!!! That is excellent progress and shows just how much patience and perseverence you have with your mice!! Hopefully she will start trusting you now


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Thanks everyone! 

Yes the picture is rubbish - I will keep trying on that front! 

Friday night I got back late and was determined to keep up the progress so managed to spend about half an hour with them with some treats on my hand. On Saturday I cleaned them out, which meant catching them all, but it doesn't seem to have set things back - last night Nutmeg was eating from my hand and even managed to do it without a wall of hay! :biggrin:

It certainly has taken long hours of perseverance and very sore knees!, but is soooo rewarding. I'm sure eventually I will be able to pick them all up.

And still no babies - I'd never have thought mice could be so different in size! So thanks for that info too


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

I am really glad that persevering worked  It gives you a warm fuzzy feeling when a super shy mousie first comes up to you doesn't it? It is absolutely worth it in the end though isn't it?

I went looking through my meecy pics to get an example of one of my smallest meeces and one of my largest for you. These two aren't related but I've had ones related that had the same size difference (excuse the sizes, I don't know what I've done to photobucket as I've already resized them and they still look huge  ):

Pavlova (around the size of my ring finger) fully grown at 6 months old









And Tweaky (RIP  ) one of the largest meeces (and fattest meeces!) I've ever had:


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Wow! Those pics are fantastic! 
Thanks so much for those, that is VERY reassuring! 
I was thinking that if she wasn't pregnant, she was maybe overweight, and that I would have to change what I was feeding them. Though as I've only had them for 2.5 weeks, it's not like I've been over-feeding her myself. 

And it certainly does give you the fuzzies when you finally win over a shy one! Twiglet seems to be getting all skitty this week, I think she got a bit scared when I cleaned them out - but at least I know that time and patience will do the trick in the end! 

I might have to post this separately but do you have to limit millet the same way you limit sunflower seed and peanuts? I need something to bribe them with, without them getting fat  

Thanks for all your support everyone


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## AnnB (Nov 6, 2011)

I tend not to give my mice too much millet because they do seem to "pig out" on all their favourite fatty foods and ignore the boring stuff. Have you discovered malt paste yet as a treat? Zany introduced me to it some time ago and I wouldn't be without it now. My mice will even take their medicine as good as gold if it's mixed with malt paste. It's made by Beaphar and it's called multi-vitamin malt paste (intended for ferrets really but mice love it). Again though, I don't allow the mice to have more than a tiny blob of it.


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Hi AnnB,

Thanks - I've never heard of malt paste but I will have a look for it! 
I do love browsing pet shops for new mousey stuff!


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## AnnB (Nov 6, 2011)

You sound just like me, I've lost count of the amount of money I've spent on the mice.


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Yup, tell me about it!


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

OMG I really think she has had pups, I'm _sure _she looks smaller. 
On Wednesday night there were some squeaks coming from the bedding compartment and only one of my mice is a chatterer - and I don't think it was her. And they were taking it in turns to come and get food. 
But last night - no squeaks at all  I'm afraid she might have eaten them!! :scared:


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

I hardly heard my two litters, they only seem to yell when they are hungry and sleep the rest of the time, leave it a couple of days then remove the adults, rub your hands in some of the dirty bedding and it will be safe enough to look for babies.


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

ooh! exciting!
I'm dying to look. 
She doesn't seem to be spending much time in the nest, but maybe leaves them when they are asleep.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

I would leave it for two days, a lot of breeders check straight away but it scared me to death. Mice are a lot less likely to cull a litter than other rodents but it does happen so it would be safer to leave it for a couple of days so she builds up a bond if there are babies.


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Thanks! 
I think she had them on Wednesday so I think Saturday (tomorrow) should be safe?


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

I dont know if Im wishing for babies (because theyre cute), or no babies (because you didnt really plan to have them)...... who am I kidding, Im wishing for babies


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

me too!!!!


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

BABY MICE!!!!! 

Am totally out of my depth - I hadn't even got the adults to the picking-up stage, and now it's so hard to manage because I have to be so careful not to stress them. 
I am wanting to treat them for mites as well, but I can't stress them out in case they eat the babies! 

but awwww the babies are soooo cute!


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

How many do you have? I would firstly read this thread http://www.petforums.co.uk/rodents/87493-omg-nooooooooooooooooooooooo.html anything that wasnt asked and answered on there that you still want to know you can post on here :thumbup:. It is terrifying though, I will also add this video, just to remind you that it isnt the end of the world and as you will most likely never do this again you should enjoy it while it happens 

baby mice 003.avi - YouTube


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

aw thanks! 
I don't know how many yet. I just spoke to the shop and they're being helpful, so fingers crossed all will be ok! 
Will have to try and get some pics!


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## polishrose (Oct 26, 2011)

Congratulations on baby meeeeeces  And yes pics please!!


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

Aww, congrats - I know you are scared but you will manage fine  Use TDM's thread for a start, if you hit a problem ask  Give mum's some extra food just now that are full in protein (egg, egg biscuits, baby food, chicken) and if you are up to handling the babies make sure that mum's don't see you. You could get them out for a little play, wipe your hands in the bedding and go into the nest carefully to see and handle the babies before putting mums back  Just make sure that you don't handle the babies too long as they can get cold very quickly  


And piccies if you can please :wink:

ETA: Don't treat mums for mites while they are nursing the babies, I'm afraid that it will need to wait until they are finished. Most mite treatments end up in the bloodstream by being absorbed through the skin which means that it could get into mum's milk and be fed to the babies which can be dangerous.


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Thanks guys. The girl from the pet shop who breeds mice came and took a look at them last night  I think they felt a bit responsible! 
So now I know that all my "adult" mice are female - :thumbup: I actually feel a lot better now. She also gave me some good tips and helped me rearrange the cage so that it's easier to manage and I can hopefully catch them a bit easier! Otherwise she suggested I put the cage in the bath and open it all up in there - genius idea! 
She recommended not disturbing the nest until the weekend, but I'll get pics asap. One of the babies crawled out of the nest on Sunday night - so tiny! With a little bit of fur coming through, eyes still shut. And it yawned, which was the cutest thing I've ever seen! 
Will get some egg biscuits - I've seen them in my local shop. At the moment they are going mad for brown bread!


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## Rilenceny (Dec 17, 2011)

Hi all; I've got myself 2 "feeder" mouse from a shop yesterday, too...

They're kind of scared of me and if I ever approach they'd get startled, is it normal?

I've had a lot of hamsters, and even rats but I am still very squeamish about handling mice.


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

yup, it's normal! Especially if they think they are going to be fed to something! 
Start by putting some food in the palm of your hand and sit there quietly with your hand in the cage. Don't make any sudden movements. If you do it when they are hungry, they will gradually pluck up their courage and come to you. Eventually they will climb over your hand or sit in it.
This works to a point, but eventually you will just have to be more confident than they are, and pick them up - they will wriggle a bit, but they will be fine, and will get used to it. 
You can also put them in a carry case and sit watching tv with your hand inside, just to get them used to you and your smell. Try rubbing the bedding in your hands when you put clean stuff in their cage, so they get used to your smell. 
And don't give up! It may take a while, but it's sooo worth the effort


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## Rilenceny (Dec 17, 2011)

Thanks for replying!

One of them actually flew like a superman and off the ground and start scrambling away and you could literally hear me screams! :mad2:


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

What are you keeping them in? 
Mice don't generally jump off a height but it might be worth opening the cage with it in the bath if they are little escape artists!


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## Rilenceny (Dec 17, 2011)

They jumped off my hand.

I'm keeping them in a 10 gal until they get used to me.


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

First pics everyone! 
No idea how but 5 of them escaped the nest last night - I turned around and there they were! Mum put them back in pretty quick, but I managed to get 2 pics. They are now one week old. 
Don't ask how many hours I have spent staring at mice this week!!!


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## polishrose (Oct 26, 2011)

They're so sweet


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

:001_wub: Shouldn't be long before their eyes open now  And when they do, I would strongly recommend putting the cage in the bath before opening it, baby meeces soon learn to jump (very high and very fast) after opening their eyes and they can be a nightmare to catch!


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Ah! thanks for that - yes I have heard of the "flea stage"!!! 
They are 10 days old tomorrow so apparently it's ok to have a look in the nest and take some of the soiled bedding out. Can't wait to know how many she has!


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

I managed to pick them up!!
Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on macro - doh! :rolleyes5:
And it was rather stressful and the babies were rather jumpy, so I wasn't able to adjust the camera. But I will try and get some better shots tonight. 
I think there are 6 - 4 black and white and 2 beige and white. 
Awww......
It's sooo nerve wracking and but they are so worth it!


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## polishrose (Oct 26, 2011)

Awwwwwwww:001_wub:


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

eyes now open! Awww they are adorable! :001_wub:

So they are all in the Habitrail - well at least they can't escape....
but I want to pick them up and take photos! 
But doing that would me a mad scramble to catch the adults, who are being all protective.
Sigh. I really am too soft for this, I hate scaring the poor things! 
Any ideas /opinions anyone? The cup/tube idea is great except there's too many other places to hide - and as soon as you go after one, the others leg it!


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

Holy mackerel, I missed baby mousie pics!! They are gorgeous, I love little splodgy meeces :001_wub: 

How is your cage set up just now? It's habitrail isn't it? If you set it up in a line you could attach a box to a tube at one end, then check each compartment individually, then seal it off by packing the tube with something. They should, in theory then run through all the compartments into the box at the end. If you can get the adults out first that might be easier, baby meeces are always nuts :lol: How old are the babies now?


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Thanks - I think sealing off the compartments individually is the only option. At the moment I've got "main compartment (with wheel)-bedding compartment-cube-bedding compartment-water bottle-main compartment (minus wheel)-T tube-round ball with flip lid thingy" in a line- tried to limit the tubing. 
Big clean out planned for tomorrow, and I want to add a tube run in a loop on the end. 
New cage has arrived but I can't get it to fit together - might be faulty  
Baby meeces now 2 weeks and 2 days


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Here are a few pics - with eyes open and jumping around like fleas!


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

and the last one!


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Awwwwwwwwwww they are adorable :001_wub:


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

I didn't get them all - they move so fast, it was a bit hit and miss! 
but yep - big case of "awwww so cuuuuute!"  
How on Earth am I going to part with them?
Just trying to find homes now - the shop will take them but then I don't know where they'll end up... :S


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## polishrose (Oct 26, 2011)

Awww they're gorgeous


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Where abouts are you and how many babies (and what sexes) do you need to find homes for, it would be a lot better if they didnt end up in the pet shop, far too many pet shop rodents end up in poor homes or as part of the food chain. Hopefully we can find homes for some from here


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

Thanks, I was hopeful of that too - when I bought my 4, I was served after 3 little girls (with their parents) who were arguing about who had flushed the last ones down the loo 
:frown:
The couple who breed mice for the shop seem very clued-up and know how to care for their mice, and at least I know who bred them - and they popped to see me at my home to check on them when I first realised one was pregnant. But I would prefer to know where mine are going! 
I have 7, two silver and white and 5 dark brown with white, but they are only 2 weeks and 4 days, so haven't been sexed yet. 
I will probably keep one or two but I need homes for the others. 
Will keep you posted!


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

oops sorry, I am in Norfolk.


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## zany_toon (Jan 30, 2009)

I can cross post for you on another forum when I get a chance tomorrow if that would help? I've no idea if any of the members are near you but it's worth a try. I would avoid giving baby mice to a pet shop with a barge pole, you won't know where they end up or who they will end up with


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## mices4 (Aug 24, 2012)

zany_toon said:


> I can cross post for you on another forum when I get a chance tomorrow if that would help? I've no idea if any of the members are near you but it's worth a try.


Oh yes please! That would be great!


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