tulip and dandelion

by disastervibe Thu 19 Nov 2020, 7:14 pm

Hi, everyone! I've been on this forum for maybe a week now, and I've just brought home a pair of sister mice from my local animal shelter (they only had two, so I couldn't get a trio unfortunately). I've named them Tulip and Dandelion, they're two months and six days old, and seem fairly confident and very curious. They came with a clean bill of health from the vet and a free vet visit at the VCA.

At the shelter they were in a tank that was a maximum of ten gallons, with three hides, no other toys, only one inch of bedding, and a wheel that was way too small for them. The way the Humane Society shelter is set up here in Hawaii (O'ahu) is basically a covered outdoor building, so there's a ceiling and supportive pillars, but it's not walled in, so there was no air conditioning (no fans in that area either, though in a tank I can't imagine it would've helped much). They were there for over a month, and the woman handling my paperwork said no one else had shown any interest in them until me.

Seeing the exact set up they had has really reassured me that adopting them was the right choice, even though I also don't have air conditioning. They now live in a barred cage with more 600 sq. inches of floor space (Prevue 528 Universal Small Animal Home), with a number of hides, foraging toys, climbing toys, a flying saucer, an 8.5 inch comfort wheel, and around 5 inches of bedding, and I may add more later (the base is about 6.5 inches deep). As soon as I got them in their travel carrier they immediately started burrowing. We've been home for over an hour now and they're still nonstop exploring.

I'm including a picture of one of them coming up to me to say hello, and a pic of their cage.

by disastervibe Thu 19 Nov 2020, 7:16 pm

disastervibe wrote:Hi, everyone! I've been on this forum for maybe a week now, and I've just brought home a pair of sister mice from my local animal shelter (they only had two, so I couldn't get a trio unfortunately). I've named them Tulip and Dandelion, they're two months and six days old, and seem fairly confident and very curious. They came with a clean bill of health from the vet and a free vet visit at the VCA.

At the shelter they were in a tank that was a maximum of ten gallons, with three hides, no other toys, only one inch of bedding, and a wheel that was way too small for them. The way the Humane Society shelter is set up here in Hawaii (O'ahu) is basically a covered outdoor building, so there's a ceiling and supportive pillars, but it's not walled in, so there was no air conditioning (no fans in that area either, though in a tank I can't imagine it would've helped much). They were there for over a month, and the woman handling my paperwork said no one else had shown any interest in them until me.

Seeing the exact set up they had has really reassured me that adopting them was the right choice, even though I also don't have air conditioning. They now live in a barred cage with more 600 sq. inches of floor space (Prevue 528 Universal Small Animal Home), with a number of hides, foraging toys, climbing toys, a flying saucer, an 8.5 inch comfort wheel, and around 5 inches of bedding, and I may add more later (the base is about 6.5 inches deep). As soon as I got them in their travel carrier they immediately started burrowing. We've been home for over an hour now and they're still nonstop exploring.

I'm including a picture of one of them coming up to me to say hello, and a pic of their cage.

Oops, pics didn't add!

by disastervibe Thu 19 Nov 2020, 7:19 pm

Oh, I also want to add regarding the air conditioning: that I've got a thermometer on their cage to monitor the temperature, cooling granite tiles (on I keep in the fridge to swap out every day), unflavoured pediatric electrolytes on hand at all times, ceramic hides, two different fans, plus the room itself is well ventilated and the cage allows for better air flow than their old tank at the shelter did.

by PeachesandPepper92918 Thu 19 Nov 2020, 8:49 pm

That’s awesome! Congrats on your new babies and welcome to the forum!

by chiroptera Fri 20 Nov 2020, 1:22 am

You seem to be a very attentive new owner, and I think your mice are going to love living with you! We're happy to have you. Smile

by SarahAdams Fri 20 Nov 2020, 9:16 am

Aw, I bet these cuties think they died and went to mousie heaven! The Prevue is a great cage, your setup looks awesome and you seem to be giving them everything they need, plus more.

It's so gratifying to see them explore and enjoy their new, luxurious surroundings.

Thank you for adopting these girlies when no one else wanted them. Very Happy

by disastervibe Sat 21 Nov 2020, 12:46 am

Thanks everybody! Honestly, I think part of why they went unadopted for so long is that a lot of people don't seem to realise that animal shelters can have more than just dogs and cats.

These are my first mice, and the first pets that I've gone out as an adult and gotten myself, so it's wonderful not to have to go to anyone for permission on cage size, veterinary attention, or anything else. I always had pets growing up, but I put off getting any as an adult because I was worried I wouldn't be able to do right by them. Having these babies fall into my lap like this and realising I have the resources to try and give them a good life actually feels like such an honour. Their little lives are totally in our hands, and we have the opportunity to bring some happiness to their world. What a blessing! Love

by brianna.love Wed 25 Nov 2020, 12:11 pm

disastervibe wrote:Hi, everyone! I've been on this forum for maybe a week now, and I've just brought home a pair of sister mice from my local animal shelter (they only had two, so I couldn't get a trio unfortunately). I've named them Tulip and Dandelion, they're two months and six days old, and seem fairly confident and very curious. They came with a clean bill of health from the vet and a free vet visit at the VCA.

At the shelter they were in a tank that was a maximum of ten gallons, with three hides, no other toys, only one inch of bedding, and a wheel that was way too small for them. The way the Humane Society shelter is set up here in Hawaii (O'ahu) is basically a covered outdoor building, so there's a ceiling and supportive pillars, but it's not walled in, so there was no air conditioning (no fans in that area either, though in a tank I can't imagine it would've helped much). They were there for over a month, and the woman handling my paperwork said no one else had shown any interest in them until me.

Seeing the exact set up they had has really reassured me that adopting them was the right choice, even though I also don't have air conditioning. They now live in a barred cage with more 600 sq. inches of floor space (Prevue 528 Universal Small Animal Home), with a number of hides, foraging toys, climbing toys, a flying saucer, an 8.5 inch comfort wheel, and around 5 inches of bedding, and I may add more later (the base is about 6.5 inches deep). As soon as I got them in their travel carrier they immediately started burrowing. We've been home for over an hour now and they're still nonstop exploring.

I'm including a picture of one of them coming up to me to say hello, and a pic of their cage.

Hi there, i'm a pretty new member as well, welcome to the forum!! We'd love to have you here.