going outside

by boofandkara Mon 09 May 2016, 4:07 pm

It is totally lovely here in Western Massachusetts after a solid week of rain, and I am in love with it. I think the boys would love it too. I have a nice fenced in grassy area behind my apartment, in a suburban/vaguely urban area where there don't seem to be any animals of prey. Can I put the boys in their little plastic balls and hang out with them outside?

by CinnamonPearl Mon 09 May 2016, 4:14 pm

Letting them run around on their own outdoors seems unnecessarily risky. Even if you don't think there are predators, those plastic balls are notorious for failure. If one of them open up and your boy hops out, he could be gone forever, and a pet mouse will not survive for long outside on their own. Besides, even if you don't think there are predators around, they don't exactly make themselves known. All of them would love an easy meal like a domestic mouse, and they can bust through a hamster ball with ease. There are stories of eagles and hawks swooping out of nowhere, busting open metal, powder coated bird cages, and grabbing parrots inside or taking small dogs with ease. A plastic ball is a foraging toy to them. If you decide to take your boys outside, I wouldn't let them off on their own, and I would also wait until they're perfectly tame so you know they won't jump or panic.

by Windmilla Mon 09 May 2016, 4:29 pm

I agree with CinnamonPearl. Also, putting them in a plastic ball and exposing them to sun... Seems like they can be easily overheated in there.

by Peachy Mon 09 May 2016, 5:35 pm

I agree with the other answers. lol
I let my very first mouse run in a ball in the driveway. It was fun, until she suddenly seemed so sick. We decided she must have gotten too hot or something, even though it wasn't a hot day. It was scary!! No way would I ever do that again. A few bad experiences (including one death) has made me against balls in general, though, so... Razz

by boofandkara Mon 09 May 2016, 7:09 pm

How did your mouse die?

My mouse really seems to like the ball, though after a bit it does seem to get gross with urine and feces and then it's like he's just bathing in his own strawberry...honestly I don't think he minds but as soon as I notice it looking gross I take him out.

by boofandkara Mon 09 May 2016, 7:09 pm

boofandkara wrote:How did your mouse die?

My mouse really seems to like the ball, though after a bit it does seem to get gross with urine and feces and then it's like he's just bathing in his own strawberry...honestly I don't think he minds but as soon as I notice it looking gross I take him out.

Strawberry? What, I can't say sh*t?

by CinnamonPearl Mon 09 May 2016, 7:24 pm

boofandkara wrote:Strawberry? What, I can't say sh*t?

I'm pretty sure it's in the rules. No cursing on the forum.

by Peachy Mon 09 May 2016, 8:16 pm

It's one of the few words on the censored list, and "No cursing" is stated in the rules. You can read the rest of them here:
http://petmousefanciers.forumotion.com/t79-forum-rules

The mouse who died actually LOVED the ball, it was just a weird accident that happened too fast. Another mouse came out of the ball with a bloody foot, not really sure what happened. I'm sure the balls are fun for many others, but they're not for me. That's all that I meant. Smile

by peas Sat 14 May 2016, 12:23 am

There are all sorts of germs outside. You don't need to risk exposing them to any bird or bat or rat or cat that could of come by and pee'd anywhere or tracked something on its foot. You know how when you bring a dog out, it sniffs everywhere, that's what it is sniffing, gross smells left by god knows what. And little bacteria make homes in those smells as well as viruses that hibernate, sometimes for months just waiting for a host.

There's no real point in risking their health by exposing them to situations like that. Not to mention they dehydrate fast and need access to water every 30 minutes, especially if it's hot out and they are exercising.

It's far better and safer to keep them inside. Build them a play pen so they have a new place to hang out besides their cages.

by boofandkara Sat 14 May 2016, 9:29 pm

tips on building a play pen? like a homemade fence?

by Brynne Sun 15 May 2016, 5:10 pm

A play area needs to be safely contained. A huge plastic storage bin or a dry bathtub is good.

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