Caring for a temporarily alone mouse

by cweck Sun 11 Oct 2020, 3:06 am

Hi there,
As the title says I recently purchased a lone mouse. There’s no reputable breeders near me but there’s a pet store that gets them from one out of town. The store only had one female mouse left as one had been stolen.
I’ve made the cage as enriching as possible and I’ll get a call as soon as they get more females in, but I’d like to know if there’s anything else I can do for her in the meantime.
Thanks in advance!

by Robin~ Sun 11 Oct 2020, 5:40 am

I’d essentially treat her like a male mouse for the time being—while constant interaction will be difficult with a mouse who’s not used to you yet, just try to talk to her and spend as much time around the cage as possible. After a couple days of having her you can start actually taming, giving her treats and allowing her to get used to your scent/hands.
Small changes in enrichment every few days is also great. Even something as simple as putting her food ration of the day in a toilet roll tube treat parcel (essentially just fold the ends off the tube in) will keep her nice and occupied for a while.
Also, the more bedding the merrier, especially since she doesn’t have friends yet for that extra warmth. I’d recommend at least half the cage being 6” deep or more for thermoregulation and just general enrichment. The more types of bedding the merrier, too—different textures like crinkle paper, hay, hemp shavings, and Eco Earth all make for great things to put in sections around the cage in addition to the base bedding (ideally paper).

Best of luck in finding her some new friends! Smile

Caring for a temporarily alone mouse

Caring for a temporarily alone mouse

Re: Caring for a temporarily alone mouse