Update on My Mice

[Die Fledermaus]

Thankfully, all me 'free range" agouti wild mice around the house have been dealt with. The only three left are in a tank awaiting warm weather to be released in large Prospect Park, where dozens of their relations already were released.

Spiny mice. The only problem is seven lone males living alone. If I had a really big tank I might put them together, but past experiences suggests this is problematic - and dangerous for them.

I have one 45 gallon tank of spiny mice, a 20L tank, what appears to be a 30 gallon, and a few tens with fewer mice. The tanks have many things and tubes for them to climb on, which they love to do. Watching them run about at great speed is a lot of fun.

I believe all the spiny's, and all the fancies, are properly sexes and separated.

Fancy mice. Four single males living in four small habitats; two pairs of males; and then three large tanks filled with females, and a few with males which is not as crowded as sometimes they fight. But that has mostly stopped.

The fancy mice are ravenous hungry, like shrews! The male groups are indeed odiferous!

Funniest thing with the fancy mice is when I toss a combo snack (or similar) in their tank. These cracker and cheese things are vastly popular and the mice go nuts for them! ;D It looks like a demented rugby scrum. Instant entertainment to see that.

I hope someday to get the very best colored fancy mice from a breeder. The last breeder, I believe, gave me two pregnant mice (hence the wild mouse problem I had for almost two years!). He denies it. The fancy mice I have are mostly white with colored splotches and spots, and different colored eyes; some are more satiny in their furs' sheen (very pretty!).

There are too many to individually name; and the spiny's mostly look alike anyway.

[Die Fledermaus]

Sadly, just today I found one fancy mouse dead of natural causes in a Habitrail mini. His brother remains there.

All deceased animals reside in the freezer until the Spring thaw when they can be buried in a cemetery.

[pinky]

Tomorrow--with highs predicted to be in the 60s in the region--would be a great day to do some burials. Is the ground frozen? I have no idea.

[Die Fledermaus]

I am not sure how the ground is, but likely somewhat hard and real muddy. it may also be much harder and colder deep down.

Nothing else new with the mice, although it is still hilarious to toss a cheeto or such in their and watch the battle begin! But usually I give them mix - more peaceful that way. a new 25 lb bag came in tonight, and I added some ingredients, such as assorted variations of Kashi.

[Die Fledermaus]

Not a whole lot to add about the mice. . . lots of sexing and separating. One mistake in sexing a juvie and WHAM! babies down the line. But I am getting better and better. But it is quit a chore.

The tank topper has a bunch of spiny guys in it now; the big 45 gallon tank is all female spiny's. Only the tall 25 gallon tank has babies/young juvies too young to separate. I found some mites there and applied permethrin carefully.

I also now have two ten gallon tanks with juvie spiny males in each. they are getting along, but with most all-male enclosures they end up usually having tails biten off.

I have only one tank with fancy juvies the result of an unexpected pregnancy, and one with babies. I'll combine the females with the adult females. The guys might be more problematic. One toughie was chewing up the butts of his two fellow males: I pulled him but one brother passed away; the other is recovering with a ten gallon tank all to himself. The tough guy is in a Coast Cage in with me.

I need to clean soon the 20L tank near me with male spiny mice. They seem to spray or some such and the sides get dirty. But no one has been attacked and that is good. I am about out of habitats: I even had to buy a mesh top for a tank I found abandoned, and which got a good washing.

Oh yes, Corinne, the female spiny, is the last of a group of nine girls; when there were seven they moved into the tank topper and lived there for over a year. But she is the only one left and I needed the space, although now I have to clean it more often with all those guys in it. Corinne I can see in a ten gallon to my left.

As natural attrition occurs habitats will open up for further usage.

Anyone with any mice stories??