My mouse is crazy.

Question

Rukki  

Rukki   I have three mice: Adam, Shirro, and Rukki. Rukki and Shirro are caged together with the male, Adam, caged to himself close by. My concerns, however, are with my female fancy mouse Rukki.
Rukki is a lot larger than my other mice, jumpier, super skittish, and twitchy. I got her 6 days ago, and when I first received her I thought she was pregnant because she's big and stand offish, but now it seems unlikely due to time (Petsmart doesn't keep records on when they receive mice). she acts very strange, like she tries to jump out of her 10 gallon fish tank, humps Shirro, throws her head into her hut and runs around twitching. She has also never wants me near the cage. What's more weird is that when first handled her and shirro after the pet store, Rukki was sweet and laid back in my hands.
I guess my question is, is this normal behavior? I've never had a mouse like this. Maybe could she be pregnant? I'm attaching pictures so you can see her weight.

Answer
Dear Maggie,

If you have had her more than 2 1/2 weeks, she is not pregnant. She is either very stressed out by the move, or she simply has this  rather strange personality. She needs a lot of attention. First, she needs a bigger cage. Putting mice in a ten gallon tank is like keeping a greyhound in a ten by ten enclosure. They have nowhere to go. This may help with the jumping. Get as big a cage as you can- if you can do 30 gallons (sold for lizards), that's great.

She needs trust training. One thing to do is just keep your hand in the cage with her, and slowly move to things like giving her treats and petting her. Also, when you take her out, lean on your back and fold up the bottom of your Tshirt (which you have worn for a day) over her. Keep your hands on the outside as barriers. Give her some space on your tummy and move your hand slightly when she pushes, but don't let her out. Do this until she calms down completely. Now she feels safe with your scent. Of course if she goes absolutely nuts it won't work. Similarly, when you hold her in your hands, keep her in your cupped hands for a while until she is calm. Again, when she pushes, move slightly or even let her peek out, but not enough to let her out.  If she is a jumper, when you slowly open your hands, hold the base of her tail with your left hand as she sits on your palm. Give her kisses.

I hope she will calm down. It can't be very pleasant for her either, if she feels crazy.

Squeaks,

Natasha