Would It Be Wise to Get Another Mouse?

by CinnamonPearl Sun 05 Jun 2016, 11:04 am

So over the past couple weeks, I've been heavily debating with myself whether or not it would be wise to get another mouse. It's not that I necessarily really want to add a new colony member right now, but the prospect of choosing, buying, and naming new little critters is always so exciting to me! I want to be open to getting a new mouse at this point... but the problem is college.

Right now, my deal with college is that I'd prefer to not have any mice left over when it's time to leave home. None of the colleges I'm interested allow pets, anyways. Originally, this was a huge anxiety for me, but due to the kindness of a very nice lady (thanks Scaredymouse!) and a couple of other options, it's more than likely that any mice I still have will have a place to go when I leave for college, so I'm not as worried about it now. So do you guys think I should avoid getting any new mice, only get one if an opportunity arises, or perhaps start looking around?

Another thing I've been considering is getting a boy mouse. I made a sort of plan that when all my sweet little girls have passed on, if I still have a lot of time before college, I'll get a boy. But now I'm kinda tempted to get one now? AAAH! I'm just not sure! Help me choose what to do guys!

by MouseLover Sun 05 Jun 2016, 2:23 pm

When do you expect to be starting college? And where will you be living when you go?

I had mice when I was at university Very Happy

by CinnamonPearl Sun 05 Jun 2016, 2:41 pm

I'm starting college September of next year. I would absolutely bring mice if I could, but none of the colleges I'm looking at allow them. Sad

Edit: Forgot to mention that I'll be living in a dorm my first year, but I'll be moving to off-campus, pet-friendly housing the instant I'm able.

by MouseLover Sun 05 Jun 2016, 3:39 pm

Would a parent or family member be willing to care for them while you were at college? So that you could keep in touch and see them over Christmas, or any other time you might visit home?

I'm mostly thinking of how attached you might get to a lone boy, and how you might miss him lots if you had to give him away. I heard often bond to you even more than girls, because they are alone. It would break my heart to give up a bond like that Crying or Very sad

by CinnamonPearl Sun 05 Jun 2016, 3:47 pm

I wouldn't trust any of my family with my mice, but I have a couple of options. I could consider returning them to the woman who gave me my first three girls, and Scaredymouse has been kind enough to offer all my remaining girls a home when the time comes. So they have safe places to be when the time comes, should anyone be left over.

by peas Sun 05 Jun 2016, 4:45 pm

If you get a mouse that would otherwise be sold for food, then you will be just giving another mouse a good life that is slated to die anyways.

If i was awaiting the guillotine, i would want someone to adopt me even if they didn't have a plan for what to do with me next.

by Peachy Sun 05 Jun 2016, 5:45 pm

Maybe you could try to find an older mouse that needs a home? If I found a mouse that I really liked, and was positive that I'd have a good home for the mouse when I left, I'd probably give it a go... I don't know how old your current girls are, but if they'd be likely to leave you in the next 15 months, a boy would probably be a good choice. And a fun one!

by CinnamonPearl Sun 05 Jun 2016, 6:12 pm

Aaaaah now I'm tempted to get a boy! I've decided to set myself on no more girls, because I don't wanna have to deal with more colony antics and then finding them friends and such.

BUT... I think that when I only have three more girls and I move them into a 10gallon, if it happens before college is too soon approaching, then I'll really look into getting myself a boy. So I've decided. No more new mice for now, but once I'm down to 2-3 girls, there may just be a new face around here!

But of course, I have to think about the future. Scaredy, I know you've already agreed to give my remaining girls a home, and that's more than I could have ever asked for. But if I end up getting a boy, would you be willing? If not, I completely understand.

by scaredymouse Sun 05 Jun 2016, 10:53 pm

Actually, a boy would probably be better. But lets try not to give me boys and girls! Do you have a plan for how you would get them to me?

by CinnamonPearl Mon 06 Jun 2016, 5:51 am

So you'd prefer it if I gave you either one or the other? I understand. Then either I'll have to wait longer to get a boy, or I'll just start exploring some of my other options for rehoming.

I've been thinking about transportation. Most likely I'll enlist the help of a couple friends or my mom and just make a big road trip to get them to you. I've considered going by plane and passing them off as Chinese hamsters or gerbils on that one airline that allows those types of animals, but not sure how great that'd work. So a road trip sometime next summer is the most likely option. I know you're on disability, so I'm guessing that a meet in the middle situation wouldn't be possible? I don't mind bringing them the whole way though. I love car trips.

I'm not too worried about transportation yet since it'll be over a year before I have to make this work, but I've given it a lot of thought.

by scaredymouse Mon 06 Jun 2016, 3:17 pm

Excellent. Yeah, I would need you to bring them all the way. Just to be safe, I only want to commit to taking on one more tank, boy or girl. It's fine if there were a couple girls or if it was a lone girl, I would do my best to find her friends or place her in my colony. I put a ridiculous amount of time into tank cleaning and set up... Which is hard to maintain when I'm not feeling well or recovering from surgery. I love my critters, but we are definitely at maximum capacity as far as tanks go and time in the day to spend quality time with all of them. I did find a way to play with 4 solitary animals at the same time, though! I put one hamster in the playpen, Splotchy in the roller ball, Murray goes free range (usually chasing Splotchers around), and i can hold Goose! All safe in the critter room away from the cats. How's that for multi tasking Clap

Anyway, i have an extra tank right now with Annie & Bits, so i know i can handle one more tank but i noticed the extra work. It's possible i won't have as many animals next summer... But you know me, i accidentally bring animals home all the time.

by CinnamonPearl Mon 06 Jun 2016, 5:39 pm

I'll keep that in mind, thank you! You're helping me out in such a great way, I won't ask you to bite more than you can chew. And of course I'll bring them the entire way.

Do you think that if by next summer I end up having a girl or two and one boy, would it be possible to have those girls live with your colony and then have the boy just live in his own tank? Quarantine would of course be a thing to consider, of course. Sorry for asking so many questions, I just want to get all straightened out before I go picking up anymore mice. I certainly do have other options though. I have a friend who has a hamster, but she had a mouse for four years (imagine that, a mouse living to four years old!), so I could probably trust her with a boy. BAH! I don't know why I'm thinking about this so hard with over a year to go before it even becomes an issue! I'm just glad I'm not so anxious about it anymore; thinking about this stuff used to make me physically ill.

by goldfishfanforever Mon 06 Jun 2016, 5:42 pm

CinnamonPearl wrote:I'll keep that in mind, thank you! You're helping me out in such a great way, I won't ask you to bite more than you can chew. And of course I'll bring them the entire way.

Do you think that if by next summer I end up having a girl or two and one boy, would it be possible to have those girls live with your colony and then have the boy just live in his own tank? Quarantine would of course be a thing to consider, of course. Sorry for asking so many questions, I just want to get all straightened out before I go picking up anymore mice. I certainly do have other options though. I have a friend who has a hamster, but she had a mouse for four years (imagine that, a mouse living to four years old!), so I could probably trust her with a boy. BAH! I don't know why I'm thinking about this so hard with over a year to go before it even becomes an issue! I'm just glad I'm not so anxious about it anymore; thinking about this stuff used to make me physically ill.

Haha I don't go to university for over 3 years time but I'm already having to sort out my pets like I can keep all my rodents at home and most my fish but my goldfish needs large water changes a lot more frequently than the other tanks even thought they all get weekly water changes so I have no clue what to do with my goldfish Sad

by scaredymouse Mon 06 Jun 2016, 8:19 pm

Sure, that's possible. But like you said, it's over a year away. I don't know my colony will look like, or if it will be full. But best case scenario, if i had a small colony that could take in a girl or two... I could also take a boy

by CinnamonPearl Mon 06 Jun 2016, 8:26 pm

Yeah, let's save this discussion for much later down the road. We've got oodles of time to sort everything out.

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