Am I doing a good job?

Question
About a month and a half ago, I bought two male albino (PEW) feeders. I go to that petstore every now and then and I just want to cry because those poor animals know something is wrong, they all scurry into a pile in the back of the tank and scatter when you open the top, there is not hiding spots, so they must be stressed, well anyway, my heart won over a month and a half ago and I bought two males. (this is also how I ended up with a lovely if not piggish female rat, she was also a "feeder" it was the best 1.99 I ever spent, the mice are 1.58) I presume they are brother because they are the same size, but either way, they were raised together in that little tank (at least 20 mice in a 10 gallon), I tried to put them together in a critter trail cage and they fought bitterly, it never came to blood, but it never stopped either, they were constanly biting each others genitals and screaming and biting the ears and tail of the other one, so I seperated them after 3 days of this same stuff all the time they were awake they fought, so I don't think it was just dominance, I gave one to my cousin. I cannot think of a name to give this sweetheart, though. I have him in a basic wire cage that is 12.5 long x10 wide x 8 tall. it has a large wheel in it and a huge igloo, but he doesn't seem to mind all the space it takes up, because when he isn't eating, sleeping or rnnign in his wheel, he is hiding under the wheel, so he doesn't miss the space. I feed him lab blocks, with a special home-mixture of high protein dog food, cat food, a tiny bit of cockateil mix, rabbit pellets, cheerios, and wheat bran. The mix he only gets every few days, a teaspoonsful as a treat, his main diet is lab blocks. I need to know how to tame him, he will play on my hand pretty well, but it is very difficult to catch him in his cage, how can I gain his trust so I don't have to keep sneaking up behind him and grabbing him by the tail? I love his little face popping out the door of his igloo when I open the door, he loves his lab blocks and jsut attacks them and gobbles them as fast as he can. I clean his cage out once or twice a week (depending on how smelly he decides to be that week. I love male rats and mice, but they sure do stink, my female, I almost never change her bedding because of smell, I only change it when it has a lot of poop or wet spots, because it's like she doesn't even live there, she's so odorless... I love my little rodents, and although my parents can't stand them (they ARE pest animals after all... my parents can barely stand hamsters, they almost fainted when I bought Honey the rat and then they got really upset when I bought the two mice)I love owning them, because they are so much more fun to own than hamsters, hamsters are very very boring, they do the same things every day, eat, stuff their cheeks, sleep dirnk and run. with my rat, she is always up to something and my mouse has so much energy, he can run at top speed and still have some zoom left to dash around the cage when I put in a teaspoon of customix (he loves the cat food and sunflower seeds most of all) What else can I do to make my mousey buddy happy? I won't be able to add a friend for him because I am afraid of his aggressive history (the one I have was the attacker, my cousin got the attackee)but is there anythign I can make, buy, or do for him to make his life better and our bond better (as is saving his little mousey hide from the jaws of a corn snake wasn't enough)

Answer
Sounds like you are doing a great job. I have rescued many feeder mice and they are often weaker and don't live as long. If your boy lives more than 6 months you are doing well.

Taming your mouse may prove difficult as socializing should begin when they are 3 days old. At this young age they get used to being handled and the human smell. Pet shop mice are handled infrequently as the breeder who supplies them doesn't have time to socialize them. Feeder mice are never handled as the breeder sees no point as they're going to end up as someone's dinner.

However taming isn't impossible and a lot depend on the individual mouse. Handle him as frequently as possible. You could play with him whilst watching TV, reading etc. Make sure you have paper towels available as mice have weak bladders and will pee frequently. At first you could rub your hands in the sawdust before handling so he can get used to your 'smell' gradually. Cup your hands with him inside and he should settle down. He will probably take a peak through the gaps and depending on how inquisitive he is, venture outside. Always keep a firm grip of his tail when he is investigating. Yet another great feature hamsters don't have!

I have found castration, although drastic, calms boys down. It also lengthens their life span and means they can live with girls. It would probably help his aggression.


Unlike hamsters, mice are very social creatures and are happiest when in a group. Perhaps he only had a problem with that mouse (like some humans don't get along). Try him with another mouse. Introduction should be carefully monitored. If either mouse shows signs of aggression (the odd squeak is ok once they get to know each other) separate them. The larger the cage the less likely they are to fight as they can each have their own territory.

If you can get hold of mouse or hamster food, keep a bowl in his cage. This way he is getting all the vitamins he needs and it adds diversity to his diet.

Mice love tubes, so putting a few toilet/kitchen roll tubes in his cage would make his day. They will also give him something to chew on.

Remember that whatever life he has, at least he has one thanks to you. If you want to I'd love to know how he gets on. Please feel free to ask any more questions, good luck.