| Aurora Mousery |
| Hints & Tips |
| *Managing your mice........ I don't pick my mice up by the tail, except for newly purchased ones. It only takes a few minutes in the morning & evening, for about 2 -3 weeks to get them tame enough to get them in your hand. Move slowly while working in their cage or box, as they don't see well. Fast movements could cause them to nip you. Let them sniff your hand & get used to your smell. I talk soothing, "baby talk" to them, as I do, to all my birds & bantams. If your mouse has babies, feed extra food & don't let the cup get empty. Since they sometimes "potty" in their food bowl, I feed the moms twice a day, am. & pm. Make sure to wash & dry the food cup, before refilling. If you want healthy mice, don't crowd them. I use the reptile boxes from Wal-Mart & I let no more than 3 to each box. They are short, but it doesn't take long to train the mice to stay in them, by taking your hand & gently pushing them back inside. Mine do pretty good, as long as I'm right there. They like to explore, so don't leave them, when the lid is off! These boxes have a LOT of air holes, so they can be stacked, if necessary. They are easy to clean, at the kitcken sink & are plastic, so you don't have to worry about broken glass. *Wheels & toys........I put their exercise wheels in, in the evening, when they are the most active. I take it out in the morning, & put a toy in & I rotate the toys, so they don't get bored with the same things. I've used a parakeet ferris wheel, with the cups to put treats in & this is fun if you only have a few mice, but too much hassle, if you have as many as I do. Their favorite toy is an empty toilet paper roll or a piece of empty paper towel roll. I use pieces of Habitrail & bird or cat balls with bells in them. I also use small plastic bird rings, hung from the top, with plastic bread ties. They like to climb up these. Lots of things can be used, but be careful because they chew on almost everything & some things may be toxic. When in doubt, don't use it! *Medications........I believe in "preventative" care by using vitamins, minerals & food supplements about twice a week, in the water, when possible & in the food, when not. Mice & birds make their own vitamin C, but when ill, it is obvious, they aren't making enough, so must be supplemented. I use collodial silver in the water, which kills a lot of disease germs & bacteria & fights infections. I also use garlic juice in the water, which is a natural antibiotic. I use immune enhancing herbs like Echinacea, in the water & Immunex tablets, cut in small pieces, in the food. I have used zinc lozenges; small pieces in the food bowl & also, a small piece, crushed up, mixed in the water. Zinc is a healer. When a mouse is too sick for natural treatments, because they are too slow to help, I've had excellent results with Furazite or Ornacyn-Plus, both broad spectrum bird antibiotics. Then I follow up with the natural treatments, for a little longer. I change the medication twice a day, am. & pm. & store the extra in the refrigerator. After using an antibiotic, vitamin C should be given, as antibiotics destroy vitamin C. You may E-mail me at: micemess@yahoo.com |