Question
Little Problems
Hi, Natasha:
This is getting to be ridiculous, but I seem to be having lots and lots of mice problems
that keep getting worse and worse with no end in sight.
The first problem is that I live in a big old house which is very hard to mouse proof.
Deer mice keep coming in while I keep trying to find out where they might be coming
in from. I've been catching them in a humane trap and holding them in cages long
enough until I can release them. The problem is, no matter how many times I get rid of
them, more mice keep coming in. I just caught some more mice last night and the
night before. This afternoon, I went to check on them. I couldn't believe what I saw. A
pinky lying in the cage. One of the mice I caught was a mother. She gave birth while in
captivity. That means I will have to hold her and the pups for at least 4 weeks, or so,
until they are weaned.I didn't count on that at all. I've read lots of information on what
to do to try and keep them from coming in the house, but I've had little success.
It would be so much easier if I was the type who could just exterminate them all and
not think anything of it like most of the people I know. But, I just can't.
I hope I can figure out where they are coming in from and plug up the holes as soon as
possible. I'm running out of room, and options fast!
The other problem is with some "pet" deer mice that I had caught last winter.
I had released two cages of the mice I caught last winter, but some of them didn't
seem to want to leave. Both cage were left outside under a tree with the top open all
night. One was totally empty the next day. When I did the same thing with the other
cage soon after, 4 out of the six mice were still in the cage. I know one of the mice
that didn't leave knew how to jump up and out, because it would regularly jump up to
the top when it was playing and running around the cage. I expected that one to leave
first.
I decided, maybe they preferred to remain as pets, and decided to keep them,
particularly, since I grew very fond of one of them. However, I realized that they were
two males, and two females, and unless I wanted lots more mice, I had better separate
them as soon as possible. So, I bought two bigger cages with lots more room, and toys
for them to play on. It was difficult separating them. They were extremely upset about
the whole thing. One male mouse got loose, and I had to chase him all around the little
enclosed room with a paper cup. A couple times he ran up on my back. Finally, I
managed to get both of the males in one cage, and both the females in another cage.
Naturally, this was traumatic for the mice. They were afraid to come out of hiding for
days. Now, the females seem to be acting pretty normal, but I am confused by the
males behavior.
One male always liked to be on the wheel quite often. In fact, when I tried to release
him, I don't think he ever got off the wheel even once the whole night. Now, since the
separation, he never leaves the wheel at all. He is either on it, or sleeping next to it. He
never goes in the nest to sleep with the other male. He even eats on the wheel, or next
to it.
Is he afraid to go in with the other male, or is he just obsessed with the wheel?
I've only observed one brief squabble between them, that is, when they will let me
observe them, since one male is very shy, particularly since the big drama of separating
them.
I've observed the other male try to ride on the outside of the wheel while the other
male is running on it, but not observed him inside the wheel with the other mouse.
When they were all together as a big gang in the much smaller cage, they used to all
sleep piled on top of each other in their little house, and they would all play on the
wheel together. They seemed to get along quite well as a large group in such little
space.
I'm not sure what to make of this new solitary behavior. All these mice problems are
really becoming very difficult to deal with. I'm really getting stressed out by it all.
Would you have any ideas/thoughts about the males behavior?
Regards,
Derek
AnswerDear Derek,
I just want to make sure you are clear that mice can come back if you let them go less than a mile and a half from where you caught them. I think I probably mentioned that. Just in case that's the problem.
The important things to do when you have mice is to seal off all possible access points and to make sure there is absolutely nothing for them to eat. Mice are pretty ingenious at getting into food, and they will eat about anything. You put away the crackers so they go for the rice, so you put that in a bin, then they're in the pasta, so that goes in a cupboard and then they're eating the soup mix. Everything has to be in plastic or metal containers, or out of reach.
As for the males, the issue is that males generally can't live together. You upset the group dynamic-- which they probably would have grown out of soon anyway. That's probably why the little boy is being weird. You may find that you just can't keep two together. Still, if both boys are eating OK and aren't hurting each other, you can give them some adjustment time.
Thanks for caring about the little mice.
squeaks,
Natasha
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