Book Review: Quick & Easy Mouse Care

Rating: 4 yogies
(Ratings are on a scale of 0-5 yogies)
Title: Quick & Easy Mouse Care
Author: none listed, published by t.f.h.
ISBN: 0-7938-1030-2
Purchase details: I bought my copy at PetSmart for $4.95.
Review:
There is one thing I have to say right off the bat, many of the photos (including one on the cover) look suspiciously like rats. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they were mislabeled stock photos. Otherwise the book isn't too bad. I purchased it on a whim because it was so cheap and you don't find mouse care books often.
The basics are covered pretty well, the difference between does and bucks, the need for does to have friends, the astounding rate at which a pair can reproduce, and it even mentions the possiblity of having the male neutered!
The housing section is pretty fair with one big exception. The author reccommends aspen and does not seem to be convinced that cedar is actually toxic. The feeding advice is pretty solid, especially given that it is aimed at casual owners who will likely only buy what they can find at the local pet shop.
There is also a decent chapter on taming and handling mice and a chapter on first aid. The first aid chapter covers some of the basic issues, but stresses over and over that vetrinary care is a top priority.
Overall this is a good little book for wide consumption. It will do a lot of good for someone just getting into mice, or someone wanting to keep their mouse care to a minimum. Certainly worth the $4.95!

Beating the heat.

Summer is almost here and several areas have already seen significant heat waves. As gross and uncomfortable as the heat can make us feel, our little friends have to suffer through in fur coats!There are several things you can do to make the heat more bearable.

The first and most important thing is to make sure there is plenty of fresh water available! You may consider adding extra bottles if you don't have many already. Dehydration is a big threat in big heat.

Pea fishing! Rats love this game, and if you haven't tried it before there is no better time than during the toasty summer months. Place some frozen peas (or frozen mixed veggies) in a bowl of water. (Make sure the bowl is heavy or it will get tipped!) Your rats will love bobbing for the veggies, and it will help keep them cool. This game is not reccommending for mice.

Freeze jars of water and place them in the cage. Your rodents will appreciate being able to lay near the mini air conditioner. You may wish to put a sock or other cloth around the jar so they can't lay in direct contact with it. If you choose to use plastic bottles expect holey bottles and a wet cage.

If you keep your mice in a plastic tote or aquarium style cage you can place frozen water bottles near the corners or on the lid of the cage to provide extra cool air.

Wet a washcloth with cool water and rub everyone down, don't forget the tails. This is a nice refresher for hot rodents.

Put a bowl of ice cubes (or freeze cubes of veggie juice*) in the cage. They'll play with them, chew them, and just enjoy them. Be prepared for wet bedding with this one though.

If you choose to use a fan make sure it's not blowing directly on the cage or it could create a dangerous draft effect.

To make sure everyone is staying hydrated you can soak some lab block in veggie juice* and sneak some extra moisture into their diet.

It can be beneficial to provide a flat metal or plastic surface for your animals to spread out on to help them release heat.

Keep a thermomater at least in the room where your rodents reside. It's best to keep one near each cage because the temperature can flucuate greatly, even in a single room. If you have a bin or aquarium style cage for your mice it is vital that you have a thermomater IN the cage. I suggest the unbreakable glass ones you'll find in the aquarium section of your local pet supply store.

Remember no matter how hot it is to always make sure rodents have a warm place to nest.

* When choosing a veggie juice remember to pick one that is organic and low in sodium!

Mousey introductions.

I tried bringing home some more of the mice that were dumped at the store. I brought home a little black weanling girl and an adult whose color I am not clear on. She's a bit of a reddish fawn, in some lights she almost looks chinchilla. In any case, a whole lot of these mice have been dying before quarantine is over, most likely due to improper care, inbreeding, and lots of back to back breeding. There were about forty mixed sexed adults plus babies being kept in a twenty gallon tank being fed parsley and oats. We've managed to adopt out a whole lot of them.

So these two little girls have survived quarantine and we did introductions last night. There are still a few squabbles here and there, but everyone seems to be settling in nicely.


Phase One:






Oh my god what is this place? Who are these girls? Get us out of here! (This place is a small Kritter Keeper, which is used only for introductions and transport, not housing.)






Phase Two:

Oh wait a second, what is this? This tastes pretty good. (This, is a little baby food I rubbed on everyone's back.)










Phase Three:


Wow mom, thanks a lot, friends taste good!

Here's hoping they all get along. The young one already seems to have bonded with Victoria pretty closely, and they all slept in the same hidey together this morning.

Short stays.

Last week I brought two girls home from work with the hopes of nursing them back to health. The first little girl was a female agouti mouse. She had somehow gotten smooshed under the food bowl. (I'd guess she was hanging out under there and some other burrowing mouse cause the bedding to shift and crush her?) In any case she was physically flattened, but there was no hemorrhaging and she seemed to have full control of her limbs, her eyes were bright and she didn't even seem to be in pain. She did not make it through the night, and that surprised me. At least she died with some comfort and dignity.

The other was a little black hooded rat girl. She was suffering from a severe respiratory infection. (She was awaiting pick-up, hence not having been taken to the vet.) She was having a hard time keeping her body temperature up and would not eat. We dosed her with baytril and wrapped her up, but she too was gone by morning.

I really hate when their stays here are so short, but it makes it worthwhile to know that they had a little comfort and a little love before they passed.