| Mouse Check List: |
| So you want to get a mouse or two? Well below is a checklist of the things you'll be needing! GENERAL- A Full-sized cage or habitat (A ten gallon tank is fine up to 4 or 5 mice) A quaranteen cage (can be smaller,say a plastic "Habitat" This is in case you get a new mouse to add to add to your mouse community. Quaranteening is a good practice to help prevent disease.) A Water Bottle (dishes are often filled with bedding and are generally more messy and dirty, not to mentionmice can drown in deep ones!!) A Scrub Brush (to clean the spout of your water bottle so bacteria doesn't grow in it.) A Feed Dish (I like to use flat bowls or even normal small plates) Bedding (NEVER use pine or Ceder!! CareFresh, Sani-chips, alphalpha pellets, aspen, CornCob and recycled newspaper products are fine) Food- (Lab blocks are preferred if you can find them, fresh foods are great, and a good seed or birdseed mix is good to mix with the lab blocks.) Water- (If you live in the city where tap water isn't all that great you may need to buy bottled water.) Treats- (Fresh foods, yogurt drops, fruits, raisons, dog biscuits are all good to give as treats. Try to limit sugery food and don't give caffinated or carbonated food. Chocolate is also a No-No ) Toys- (Tunnels like toilet paper tubes, boxes, papwer towel tubes, hammocks, and parakeet ladders are all very good.) First Aid- What you should have in case of emergancy A styptic stick or styptic powder- This is to stop bleeding on small wounds and broken toenails. Mouse toenails have a nerve in them just like dogs that will bleed if broken. Baby Food- In case you're mouse has lost all appatite and you can't get to the vet until tomarrow try feeding baby food. Yogurt may also work. These are also good to feed ailing mice (note yogurt hinders some medications, check with your vet or pharmasist) Pedialite or Gatorade- This is good to feed a dehydrated mouse! Also is good to feed infant orphans to re-hydrate them before you can find a foster mom or hand-feed them. NOTE: mice are INCREDIABLY hard to rear to adult hood when hand-feeding. Ivermectin- also known as common horse dewormer. Zimectrin and several other brands will work. This is used to rid mice of mites or other parasite (not effective ageinst round worms) Give 1 dose around the size of a pin-head (in other words VERY small!) once every 7-10 days until you've gotten them to eat 2 doses. Rescue Remedy or Five Flower Rememdy- used for stressful situation to calm mice (and humans) down. Works well before going to vet, to revive an unconscious mouse, to help with aggression, and to help with phobias like thunderstorms. 1 drop in their water should be plenty.Beware overdosing can and will kill a mouse. Use caution. Spare medications- If when you go to the vet he gives you more meds than you actually need, keep them! You never know when you'll need some Doxyciline, Batryl, or other medications. If all else fails have a GOOD MOUSE-KNOWLEGED VET! Breeding Equiptment- An aquarium that the babies can't get out of. If mother is ill always have human baby soy formula or kitten formula around to feed babies. Or find a lactating foster mother ASAP! High Protein, high nutrition food. More lab blocks and more fresh foods! Nesting area- could be a box, a run-around ball, a tunnel, or any other hide away to make mother feel secure. Homes- you'll need extra cages to seperate the boys and the girls at 3-4 weeks. And then you'll need to find homes for your brood else where. Please see my Breeding Question FAQ sheet for details on how to adopt out the babies to PET mouse friendly people. |