Do you talk to your mice?

by Soren Wed 08 Jun 2016, 2:01 am

I often find myself talking to my mice. When they are being cute while I'm holding them, i find myself complimenting them and telling them how cute they are. When one is being difficult with medications, I scold them.

My roommates must think I'm crazy... But anyways,

Do you talk to your mice? If so, what kind of discussions do you have? lol

by scaredymouse Wed 08 Jun 2016, 2:54 am

I sure do talk to them! Mice are able to understand their names and simple commands. So, I call them by name, ask them to come (they come up to the hammock if they want to come out) and tell them how cute they are and how much I love them. With my mouse that has cancer, I tell her everything I feel. Sure, she doesn't understand what I'm saying but she understands that I care about her. And it's therapeutic for me to express how much she means to me and how sorry I am that this has happened to her.

by Brynne Wed 08 Jun 2016, 3:58 am

I don't do long conversations. It is important to communicate, so I address them each by name and use words like scaredy does.

Of late, 2 more of my mice brux back at me when I chomp my molars at them! I am truly honoured. Bruxing ranges from purring to molar chomping. With one brief exception in the distant past, my mice only do the tooth variety. Sarah Jane, the tiniest of my 5 lab mice, has always bruxed at me when she climbs my shoulder. Now my two non-lab mice have started to do it! A few days ago, I bruxed at SJ's roommate, 27 month old Lorca, when she was out climbing on me. For the first time I can remember, she replied! Too cool.

Boris, a pet shop buck, loves to do a call-and-response bruxing session if I walk over to his barred cage when he is on the corner platform.

Molar chomping isn't the most melodious of sounds, but I'm thrilled that they understand me. Instead of the mice always responding to my human words, I can actually speak mouse!

by scaredymouse Wed 08 Jun 2016, 5:22 am

Oh yeah, I forgot! They do talk back sometimes! My girls make noises that I can replicate. So if I start making those noises, they will reply with similar noises. And about half of them brux at me. And if I start talking to Delilah, she will start chattering. We don't know what the other is saying but that doesn't stop is from telling each other all about it.

by CinnamonPearl Wed 08 Jun 2016, 5:44 am

I go 50/50. Sometimes I'll talk to my girls in full-blown conversations about whatever, other times I don't say anything. For some reason, my girls have never figured out what their names are, so I don't really call them in that manner. But Little Cow sometimes responds if I make kissy sounds.

by MouseLover Wed 08 Jun 2016, 9:05 am

Mine don't respond to their names, but they respond to the sound of a bag of treats rustling Rolling Eyes

Mostly I say little things to them "Hello, sweetie, how are you today?" or "Goodnight guys, have a fun night". I compliment them lots "you are such a pretty mouse aren't you?" and tell them I love them (accompanied with a kiss) when I put them back in the cage.

If they are sick and dying, I (like scaredymouse) tell them that I love them, I tell them that I will miss them and that they have been a great mouse. I know they can't understand, but I think that even if they just pick up on the tone of my voice, they may be able to understand in some way that they are loved, that I will be gentle with them in their fragile state and they are safe with me.

I've had a few who bruxed/purred loads when stroked in my hand. They're the ones I miss the most when they leave me Crying or Very sad

by Peachy Wed 08 Jun 2016, 9:54 am

I'm not a talkative person anyway, so I'm usually silent except for the initial hello, playtime/treat call and going home goodbye. Sometimes I'll mumble compliments, but everyone comes for the kissy sounds or the Cheerio bag crinkling so I tend to just do that. The other day I walked in the room, called, "Cheerios!" made the kissy noise and Yoshi shot up his bars, all the way to the top. It was funny. Love

by MesaMouse Wed 08 Jun 2016, 8:43 pm

I've always talked to my mice, calling each by name with the same formula (i.e., "Tara, Tara, Mouse, Mouse or "Buffy, Buffy, Mouse, Mouse") until she'd come out from a hide or hammock. Over the years, they were all very good about learning their names: in this last colony, the quintet, as each would appear I'd tell her "good girl, so-and-so" or "pretty mouse so-and-so"; when I'd get down to four mice out and one still hiding, the last would be called with "extra" wording, i.e., "I don't see so-and-so! Where is so-and-so?" until she'd appear and be praised with happy words. When I needed to move the girls to their playpen for tank deep cleaning, they'd all know I meant business with the words "Time for scoop-mouse! Who's going to be a scoop-mouse?" -- some would come to be picked up and others would have to be a "scoop-mouse" and be gathered up. Each one, of course, had her own special words to be told when held: Fat Willow was praised for her chubbiness, Cordelia for being the only ruby-eyed lady, Buffy was always "The Buffster", etc.

by Windmilla Wed 08 Jun 2016, 9:24 pm

I talked to mine a lot! I made sure to tell them how cute they were and how much I loved them *all the time* haha I'm cheesy like that

by Soren Wed 08 Jun 2016, 11:53 pm

All these conversations sound adorable. It is motivating me to talk to them more. Gosh I wish i could have my mice respond to verbal cues! And mice that talk back! That is awesome!

by CallaLily Thu 09 Jun 2016, 8:11 am

I talk to my mice. Things like "Hi, pretty pretties" and "Aren't you so pretty pretty." When I pick them up, I address them by name "Hi, Celyn. Aren't you just a tub-a-tub." And when it's time to go back in the tank "Home? Who wants to go home? Oh, Rina wants to go home."

Yeah, it's pretty much embarrassing baby talk. Paper Bag

But I try to use their names often. This group, I'm not sure any answer to their name but I keep trying. Last group did somewhat seem to respond to their names. Twix especially. Bacon mostly responded to the question "home?" She did not care for time out of the tank. Laughing

by essentiallysue Thu 09 Jun 2016, 8:21 am

Not only do I talk to mine, but I also sing to them, too.

by peas Thu 09 Jun 2016, 4:58 pm

I talk to my mice. They love it. Thutty goes crazy, usually i shout at her that she's a fat mouse and needs to get running, then she runs about the cage and jumps on her wheel and starts speeding away. If i stop chanting "fat mouse fat mouse" and start to walk away, usually she'll climb up to the edge of her tank and wait for me to turn around and then she'll spark around back to the wheel to run some more.

The other mice like it when i tell them to go "faster" and call them "fast mice" when they are running. Usually they go a little harder if i chant at them. If i stick my head right by their wheels and keep repeating "faster faster" they start sprinting full speed and then get all full of energy.

I also tell them to come and go often. That's how they learn commands. If they are in the way, like climbing their water bottle holder when i take out the bottle to change it, ususally all i have to do is point and say "go away" and add a couple finger snaps, they generally go to wherever i point following the finger snaps.

I am not sure if they are seeing my finger, smelling my finger, or hearing the snaps or all three but it works pretty good half the time. I think the "go away" command, tells them to do something other than whatever they are doing. Kind of like "no" does for dogs. Tell a dog no, and they stop doing whatever it is they are doing, you don't have to explain what you want them to stop.

Also talking to them tells them when it's time to engage with you i find. If they are busy eating something or chewing on something or running, i just have to lean over and start talking and they'll drop whatever it is they are doing to see what i want. (what i got for them more likely)

by Artistwolf Thu 09 Jun 2016, 10:35 pm

Well, in Cinderella, she always talks to her mice so I think it's a perfectly good thing to do Wink

Even if it makes Anastasia and Drusilla think "We've got a half-wit for a sister!" Laughing

Sorry I just watched that movie so... XD

by CallaLily Fri 10 Jun 2016, 8:03 am

Aww, I love Gus Gus. Funny, we just bought that movie last week. Trying to pick up more of our favorite Disney movies.

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