Safest wheel-- Wodent Wheel

Question

Nova and Stella  
Stella   QUESTION: Hello Natasha,

I am (as of four days ago) a very proud, very smitten mouse owner. I got my first little one 4 days ago from PetSmart, she's a black Fancy Mouse I've named Supernova (Nova for short)and I love her. At the time I had intended to get 2 mice since the research I did before hand said that they were socail animals and would benefit from having a companion. At the time they didn't have any other Fancy Mice though and so I had to wait until they got more 2 days ago. And so, after 2 days passed, I went back to PetSmart and got my pick of 4 adorable little mice. I chose the smallest of the four, a little girl I've named Stellar (But I call her Stella). The lady at PetSmart surmised the reason for her small size was due to the other (MUCH fatter) mouse stealing food from her and according to the lady four days ago they get all their mice in at about 6 weeks old. The thing is that she really is TINY. I didn't notice it when I got her but she's half Nova's size and Nova isn't exactly fat. So here is my question:

Is there anything I can do to help Stella put on a bit of weight? Nova doesn't steal Stella's food (except once when Stella was still working on a treat and Nova finished hers and went over and took it :/ So I took the treat away from Nova and gave it back to Stella and it hasn't happened again sense). You see I'm not really too worried about her getting cold, her and Nova get along great and they are always cuddling together. But I'm worried about her getting hurt by accident. You see she absolutely LOVES to run on the wheel in the cage! So much so that now Nova is running more too. But when Stella tries to join Nova, or vice versa, Nova is so much bigger then Stella that she goes flying (And I'm not exaggerating). So once again, question one is: Is there anything I can/should do to help Stella along?

Also, if you have any ideas of WHY Stella is so small I'd appreciate an explanation if you can think of anything.

On to part two.

I've devoted a very large empty drawer in my desk as a play area for my mice but the problem is I don't know what exactly to add. I know they love toilet paper rolls but my mice aren't really big on tearing things apart. I know about tunnels but that's a matter of funds and as a college student who would like nothing better then to spend my last dime on my pets I really can't afford to let myself buy more for them then I have this month or else I'll end up spending everything I own. I was going to build them a dust bath box and fill it with cornstarch so they could bath and make a shallow sandbox for them and bury treats in it so they could dig for them and I'm building a very large wooden model building right now that I thought they might enjoy exploring when I'm done but I'd still like to give them a bit more. Do you have any ideas for some mouse toys that I can make on my own? They don't have to be simply toys either, I'm quite good at building things.

And one final question.

Do you have an recommendations for REALLY REALLY specail treats that mice just LOVE! I have cheerios and yogurt treats but they seem keener on the cheerios. But I'd like to know if there is anything else that mice really go wild for!

Thanks for your time,
Hallie

ANSWER: Dear Hallie,

Welcome to the wonderful world of mice! Yes, they are social and must at least be in pairs. I recommend three so that when one dies there isn't another left who is not only devastated but also lonely, either and both of which conditions can lead to depression, illness, or mites.

The two mice may be of quite different ages. However, since you say she was the smallest of the quartet, she is probably the runt- she was born smallest and so was never able to fight for enough milk. There are also not so very rare occurrences of a mouse with stunted growth. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, a mouse will never grow very big, stop growing, or grow very slowly.

Don't worry about encouraging her to grow. As long as she is free fed healthy food, so she gets enough, and is not skinny, she is fine. To the wheel, you should not have a wheel she can fly out of. She could get badly injured. You should get one of the metal wheels with a grid instead of bars. When a bigger mouse runs faster than a smaller mouse on a wire wheel, the little mouse just hangs on and goes around. I have seen wheels with an adult running and three tiny baby mice hanging on and spinning around. It doesn't seem to bother them, though occasionally if it goes on too long, I do rescue the little one.

To the toy drawer. The TP rolls are to hide in, and they are better than the expensive plastic ones anyway. You can leave some paper on the roll for the ones in the cage- they will happily tear it up for their nests. Don't give them cornstarch. Mice don't need baths of any kind, dust or water. They have got to be the cleanest creatures on earth. They would breathe in the cornstarch and could end up with serious respiratory infections. Instead of dry sand, how about growing some cat grass (wheat grass that animals love) in some clean soil? They love to dig in the dirt and even better if they can tunnel around plant roots and find seeds to eat. It is just important that the soil be clean. No built-in fertilizers! You can also hide treats in little boxes or even a crumpled bit of paper. Make little holes in the box and use something they can smell.

Some people build mouse castles out of popsicle sticks. Just use Elmer's glue or another simple, nontoxic type. They want to climb on,  in, around, through, and under things. Just keep those prepositions in mind! Use different materials, just being sure it is all non toxic.

Craigslist is a great place to look for free or almost free pocket pet equipment. Think of all the people who once owned a hamster or mouse... They all have the old cages and tubes in the attic. I find you find much better stuff under free, because the people who can afford to give it away are the same who spent more money on it in the first place. I have seen $1000 furniture sets for free... Of course I do live near Manhattan.

Treats! Mmm buttered popcorn! Baked nuts (raw nuts contain molds. Throw away the peanuts which came in their mouse mix). And actually, cheeses! And bacon... Oh they love that. Triscuits are a hit. Corn chips. Pretzels. The rule is, if it is fatty or salty mice love it. (I am new to rats and the funny thing is, they eat fatty and sweet, not salty, and look at me in disgust when the delicious-sounding snack bag has pretzels in it). They will also eat vegetables but they are less exciting. Oh, and preshelled sunflower seeds. They will be so happy not to have to work for them!

I hope I have addressed everything... My ipad does not make it easy for me to read back. Let me know what questions you have, and go to the Fun Mouse site at the addy in my profile.

Squeaks n giggles,

Natasha



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: About the wheel, I actually did have one of those wire cages in the hopes that Nova would take to it, she had t been using a wheel since I got her until Stella came about. But while Stella was running in it her back paw got caught and she hurt it. I can't say how badly, I took her to the pet care center in petsmart the next day and they said it wasn't too bad--it defiantly hasnt stopped her spinning--but her back paw was bleeding and I know it scared her badly. She wouldn't go anywhere near the wheel since then so I switched it out with the plastic one that came with the cage and she's been running almost non-stop sense. With his inciden in mind though and Stella's fear of that type of wheel I'm wondering if there is another solution? Would installing a second wheel so they each had one to run on work? Or will they still try to share?

Answer
Dear Hallie,

It is pretty rare for a mouse to injure herself in a wire wheel, which is why I still recommend them (not in this case of course). There are people who never recommend them because of the possibility. Stella wishes that were my philosophy too. But far more mice fly out of plastic wheels than get hurt in wire ones. Let me get this clear: this wheel was a grid and not bars? For my own knowledge.

Luckily, there is a wheel which neither catches feet nor causes  its little athletes to fly out. It is called Wodent Wheel. I apologize that it might not be cheap. The link I will give you does have the price for just the wheel at $13.95. But it is a very heavy wheel, and the smallest size is 8". There is an option where they include a "sandy track." This probably makes it easier to use (I'm sorry that I don't know; I believe the purpose of the sandy track is to file claws!), since the inside of the wheel is almost flat, with small ridges for their feet.  Tiny Stella might very well need this. Now, my dwarf rats were smaller than mice when they were able to actually make the huge, heavy 14" size move in pairs! But baby rats likely have far stronger legs than mice. With the sandy track the price is $22.95. I know you have a tight budget, but they do need a wheel.

http://www.exoticnutrition.com/r54329.html

Here is an excellent review of the wheel (for rats). The wheel came in fewer sizes when this was written:

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/wodent.htm

Although the site I gave you only sells the wheel in black/green, there are more colors. The Wodent Wheel site shows three colors but they are all out of stock. But it looks like they come in lots of colors. Google Wodent Wheel and click on the link "images for wodent wheel." Also use the search to find other places to buy the wheel.

If you choose not to try the sandy track (I do not know if you can buy it separately later), go to this link instead, where you will find just the wheel for $9.95. I love Martins' Cages. They seem to just love animals and their prices are always better than other places. We have their 5', 7- level rat cage!

http://www.martinscages.com/products/accessories/exercise.htm

A part of me says, try without the sandy track, and if there is a problem use sandpaper. But I don't know if that would hurt their little feet! I do not know what the sandy track is like. You could also get creative about a different way to make it easier. I was first thinking making a little stripe of hot glue along each plastic ridge. But is it toxic? Would it be too smooth? Thinking of attaching flat toothpicks with Elmer's glue. But would the Elmer's glue stick to plastic? I know you can be creative.

I would really like to know what you do and how they do in it. Will you please write back and tell me, so I can better help the next clumsy mice? : ))  You have to use a follow-up, so don't lose this link! I really would like to know if a small mouse can get it to move without the sandy track.

squeaks n giggles,

Natasha