How to take care of a mouse (with photos) - tips

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Steps

Until now, people used to call mice "puppies that do not need much care" because they are both intelligent and very loyal. While there are hardly any pets that we "don't need to care for," mice are easy to care for and much more enjoyable than aquarium fish or hamsters. An adaptable and cheerful mouse is also a sweet, curious, very intelligent pet friend who is always interacting with the owner. This delightful animal has always been a desirable pet, and if you are looking to raise a mouse, prepare a clean home first. Any pet, any body size, needs proper care.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: The decision to raise mice

Consider spending time caring for them. The lifespan of rats is usually 2 to 3 years or more. So make sure you care for them during that time.
- Think about time in addition to caring for the pet. This means keeping the cages clean, feeding and taking care of them regularly, and if the animals are sick, they need to be taken to the vet.
- Remember to find someone to care for the rats when you are away from home. In many cases it is difficult for a rat breeder to find someone who is comfortable taking care of them (many are too careful) so try to find 3 or 4 potential candidates ready to take care of them. for your mice when you're away from home. Sometimes rat shops also provide household care.
Consider other pets. If you already have a pet, especially a cat, consider whether to let the pet live with new mice. Research is needed on how to introduce a new friend to your existing pet. If not, you need to find a way to place the mouse cage on high or a closed room so that other animals cannot access. This is probably the best idea to keep your mice and other pets harmonious.
- Cats are another important issue. They love to hunt rodents, including rats. So sometimes you can unintentionally tease the cat and put your rats in danger.
Try to make first friends with the mice. Before deciding to bring the mouse home, visit the friends who are keeping the mice. Many people will not like some features of this animal, so make sure you fully like them before you bring them home. There are many species of rats such as hairless, hairless, or tiny species.
- Rats kept in a clean environment usually don't have a lot of smells, but they have a unique body odor that not everyone likes. Before keeping them make sure you are not allergic to it, or try another good mulch to absorb the odors. Remember that toxic chemicals and pine chips are very harmful to mice - resin can damage their lungs.
- Likewise, many people will be confused by the lazy actions of a mouse. Small claws can tickle! Also, in the early stages, the rat's tail can be a little weird to you as well. Try getting acquainted with your hamster to get used to its behavior and body.
- Prepare a cage that is spacious, airy and safe. Wire mesh cages are better than glass cages, as they allow better air circulation. Be careful with the glass cage as it will easily cause respiratory infections and lead to death. It is important to keep the floor free of the sharp wire mesh, as the hamster can develop inflammation of the feet. If using a wire mesh cage, allow a distance between wires between 1.5 and 7.5 cm.
Consider cancer risk in chuotj. Unfortunately, cancer is a common disease in most mice and this can shorten their life. Although not all mice have tumors, you should pay attention to it. Female mice that have not had their ovaries removed are most likely to develop cancer. Other causes arise from ticks and respiratory infections.
- Consider your financial means to pay for surgery if your hamster has a tumor that needs removal. If the answer is no, then you need to be mentally prepared to proactively end the life of your beloved mouse when it is young to avoid further pain. If you are not an easy person to accept this, do not choose a mouse as a pet. The most important thing here is the responsibility of the owner.
Decide the appropriate number of rats. Rats are swarms in the wild, so it's a good idea to buy more than one and it's best to buy them at the same time.
- A mouse will almost constantly interact to not get bored. So you should buy two or more. No matter how much time you spend with them they will still feel lonely, so get one more if you can. Your mouse will appreciate it.
- A better option is to have more than one mouse so they can be friends.If you do so, buy them at the same location, at the same time to minimize quarantine or getting used to. Getting to know the mice together will be very difficult, especially with male mice that have not mated and have always taken territorial importance.
- Don't be afraid to think that raising two rats will be harder than one. In fact, you will find it easier to care for two or three rats because they always feel happier with someone as a friend. The difference in the amount of feed and the amount of floor covering material is not much. The biggest challenge for you with lots of rats is trying to put all of them on your shoulders as you walk with them.
- Also, if you have a lot of mice, choose the same sex, otherwise you will accidentally create conditions for them to reproduce. If you are not a breeder and understand what you are doing, do not breed mice.
- Some veterinarians will sterilize rats, if you accidentally have a male and a female mouse, ask your veterinarian to sterilize the male mouse. However, remember, normal rats will not be sterilized because anesthesia is dangerous for them.
Buy mice. You should buy mice from rat breeders or rescuers. From their experience, they have a lot of in-depth mouse knowledge and can completely help you find the right mouse. Buying rats from breeders or rescuing rats is always better than buying from stores, as there are many health problems in that place, increasing the cost of long-term care.
- Always do a good job of rat breeders or rescuers before choosing mice, making sure they have been well cared for and healthy.
- Shop rats are typically from "factories" and are less concerned with their physical condition. If you do decide to buy mice at the store, avoid mice that exhibit the following: red rusty eyes and nose, wheezing breath, open wounds, dullness, cloudy eyes or loose stools.
- Male and female rats in shops are often kept together, which is why you should not choose them. Since there may be a case where you initially buy only one or two, after a few weeks you will see the population suddenly increase because one of them is a female, so pay attention to the gender when you choose to buy. If you decide you don't want to raise anymore, it's okay!
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Part 2 of 4: Prepare the house for the mouse

Buy a suitable cage. Buy a cage with strong floors, steps and slopes. Metal wire floors, if not cleaned properly, will cause foot inflammation. If you intend to keep 2 rats, a cage of about 18 x 28 x 31 will be needed. “Don't” let the rats live in containers, as they will be affected by the ammonia in the bin.
- Each hamster needs a minimum of 60 square centimeters, but it's best if it gets 75 square centimeters or more.
- The distance between the mesh lines should not exceed 1.9 cm for adult mice, and not more than 1.25 cm for pups. If the distance between the mesh wires is larger, use the trellis to shorten them. The bars should also be powdered to avoid corrosion by the rat's urine. Rats are great acrobats and climbers, so make sure that the action doesn't push them off the net.
- Another option is a perspex plastic cage, like a Rotastak cage. These usually have colored floors (which make the mouse feel safe) and transparent walls that make them visible. The cage is designed to connect with other parts, allowing you to freely build your mouse a fun city. When you clean the other parts the hamster can be kept in a certain area. Scouring plastic materials is very easy because of its smooth surface structure (rather than scouring the nooks and crannies of the trellis or metal bars).
Food and liquid foods. Make room for your hamster to have a place to eat and drink, prepare separate bowls for food and water, or use a pet bottle. Always remember to provide enough food and water if you have a lot of rats to avoid competing for each other's portions.
- A pet bottle is the optimal choice as drinking water is kept clean inside, and it is firmly attached to the cage so that it does not break down by rats. Choose glass jar material, as mice will not be able to gnaw them.
Choose the appropriate floor coverings. The bottom of the cage should be covered with a soft material and good moisture absorption.
- Use a wood mulch mulch for a mouse cage purchased from the zoo. Avoid buying pine or cedar chips, as fumes released from these wood chips mixed with rat urine can be toxic. Pine and cedar are quite dirty and oily, making them easy to irritate the respiratory tract and cause difficulty breathing, so stay away from these materials. Wool or soft towels are fine too, especially when used to cover the metal mesh floor, but they need to be cleaned once or twice a week, depending on the number of rats you keep. Alternatively, you can choose to buy coatings with paper chips, but they are expensive and smelly. Newspaper is fine, but ink can stain mice with light hair. The straw is also quite dirty and causes an unpleasant odor when mixed with urine.
- Another option might be Carefresh, a store-available cellulose floor covering material, or recycled newspaper like Yesterday's News. Avoid using paper cutters and use pieces of paper that come from your home - ink can also make mice sick.
Build a home. Rats naturally want to hide before they are at risk of harm, for example when they sleep, so build them a nest, or a place to sleep.
- You can also buy a regular plastic cage at the pet store, or buy a wicker ball with holes in it. These objects are similar to what rats love when they live in their natural environment.
Place for rats to go to the toilet. Like dogs, rats do not like to contaminate their eating or sleeping areas, and you can rely on this feature to build a toilet for them.
- Mouse toilets are small plastic boxes with holes or corner-cut plastic boxes. The lining can be poplar wood, newspaper or Carefresh about 2.5 cm thick under the floor of the hamster's restroom.
- Place the restroom on the opposite side of the hamster's nest and dining area. Most mice will quickly learn what the box is for, and will enjoy having a place to visit while keeping the rest of the area clean. For best results, before you put the box in, you need to wait and see if the hamster chooses the corner of the cage as the place to "go". However, some mice will not be so neat, so you just put the box in, which is quite effective.
- Building a hamster's toilet also makes cleaning the cage easier, because in a few days you can clean the toilet, spraying the bacteria with a spray that's harmless to small pets (vinegar can also be used). and re-filling the floor coverings.
Shopping for toys. Equip the cage with the toys, hammocks and places where they can hide.
- Rats always want something to do, and they'll play with this series of toys when you're not around.
- Toilet paper tubes, cat toys, table tennis, hammocks ... mice love it all, along with anything you add to their entertainment. Find miscellaneous items around your home and turn the cage into a real home (it shouldn't be too small as it can be swallowed or suffocated by the rats).
- Don't choose string or string toys, they will choke the mouse. Think carefully when choosing toys and make sure your pet is not harmed by any items in the cage.
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Part 3 of 4: Keep the mouse healthy

Always remember to feed and drink water. Check food and water intake at least twice a day. The bowl may spill over, or floor coverings get into the drinking water, so be on the lookout.
- If you are using a dedicated bottle, the drinking water still needs to be replaced daily, and be sure to disinfect the faucet at least twice a week.
- Prepare your hamster with 12 ml of rodent fodder per day, which can be easily purchased in bulk online. This type of feed is very nutritious for a diet mixed with many grains, because the ingredients are mixed together so that the rats cannot choose only the best portions (usually contain little nutrients) and leave them alone. back to the less delicious part of the bowl.
- Prepare fresh foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables for the combined diet. Rats have similar nutritional requirements to humans, and they can eat almost anything. Make a list of the things they "can't" eat and the rest of the things you can feed them. Rats can also eat chocolate! Giving your hamster a piece of fruit or even a piece of leftovers on your table once or twice a day can also make them happier and healthier.
- Rats also love sweets and cheese. However, sweets can cause tooth decay and fatty foods will cause rats to gain weight and become puffy, so it's best to avoid feeding them.
Keep the cage clean. Daily “on-site” checks will keep the cage clean, and weekly general cleaning will keep the hamster healthy.
- For on-site inspections, buy a small plastic or metal shovel, similar to the shovel used to clean the cat. Use this to scoop up any dirty floor coverings, and place them in a plastic bag and seal the top of the bag. Eliminate wet, dirty or smelly parts of wood chips.
- Total cleaning the cage at least once a week. Place the mouse in a separate box or safe place, away from the cleaning tools. Remove all contents inside out and discard old floor coverings. Scrub all with vinegar and soapy water from the inside out, then dry. You should have a separate sponge, pot and towel for cleaning the cage.
- Use the disposable cloth to wipe the entire surface of the cage in one go. Then scrub and dry. Now you can put new coverings in the cage and replace the necessary items.
- Strong chemicals such as bleach can damage the rat's sensitive respiratory system if inhaled, so avoid using this detergent on your hamster's home. Pet-friendly disinfectants like Nil-Odor are pretty good, and you can find any disinfectant that is safe for your pet from a pet store or vet clinic period.
Maintain the right temperature. Do not expose the hamster to extreme temperature changes or drought. Ideal temperature is between 18 and 23 degrees Celsius.
- If you experience a long, rather hot day, give the hamster a cool and shallow enough amount of water (about 1.5 cm) to play with; on cold days, thicken the floor cover so the hamster can find shelter and stay warm.
Pay attention to signs of pathology. Caring for a hamster includes attention to problems related to veterinary diseases. Common signs are loss of appetite, rapid thirst, pink urine, loose stools, weight loss, shortness of breath or wheezing, and red rust from the eyes or nose.
- Check the hamster once a week for any skin lumps or bumps.
- Also, pay attention to their skin to make sure there are no red blemishes, and that they don't scratch too much.
- Rats can get the parasite from the mulch, so watch for skin irritation or scaling.
Take the mouse to the vet. If you suspect your pet is unwell, take it to the vet as soon as possible.
- You should plan ahead and find a veterinarian who specializes in rodent treatment before you adopt a rat, or at least while your hamster is healthy.
- Ask about the veterinarian at pet stores or other rat breeders. You can also search online pet related forums and ask for suggestions. Most people are willing to share their good (or bad) experiences with rodent health care.
- Call the veterinary clinic of your choice. Ask your veterinarian about the pets they treat and whether they specialize in treating rats.
- One question you might ask is whether the veterinarian has any rodents. Having a pet can help to better understand the concerns the owner is experiencing.
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Part 4 of 4: Keep the mouse happy

Make sure your hamster is well watched. Keep the cage in the area where you are normally present and can see what's going on around them. This will help keep them from feeling abandoned.
Spend time with your mouse. The more time you spend with them, the more caring, active, healthy and cheerful they are. Living alone can be very lonely, and this can cause behavioral problems. Unless your hamster is too aggressive, it's best not to leave it alone. Even if they are aggressive, love and care can help them feel better.
- Take care of rats daily, preferably 2-3 times a day for ten minutes or more.
- Rats love to learn and solve problems, so think about building small obstacle courses to train and mentally train your hamster.
Teach them tricks. Teach them the tricks by starting slowly, then reward and reinforce the exercises and praise them if they listen.
- The mouse is very intelligent, and can learn a variety of things, such as jumping over a rim, spinning in a circle, standing up, and even shaking hands, all based on your words.
- Don't punish them if they fail. The mouse doesn't understand the negative penalties, and the penalties will only confuse them. Instead, reward them when they get it right.
- If your hamster rips, don't tap it and say "No". Instead, try hissing like a mouse and pulling them out. Eventually your mouse will understand.
- Don't forget that each hamster has its own personality, meaning that the learning style can be different. One teaching method may work for one mouse, but it may not work for another.
- The key to successful coaching is to be persistent and build lots of short training courses with lots of rewards.
Go for a walk. Rats love changing landscape environments, so if your hamster is obedient, take them out and rest on your shoulder.
- If you move the mouse outside, a string will give you good control over the hamster if it becomes frightened.
- Join Mouse Forums and many other useful mouse websites for lots of helpful information!
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