# Socializing mice?



## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

On Sunday five male mice got dropped off at my door by a neighbor who had called and asked if I could take in a few rats and care for them until they could find a new home. The mice were all in a shoebox together so I built them little bin cages and have been feeding them essentially what I'd feed my rats with a bigger portion of salad--I haven't made a mouse specific mix because I don't know how long I'll have them. They're cute and they're definitely not wild mice--they have all kinda of crazy black and brown patterns with mostly white bodies. Three have found homes, pending the home visit I'll do at each home. The other two haven't found a home yet, and I'm growing very fond of one of them. He's shy but super sweet.
Anyway, both for the one I might keep and for the others before they find homes--does anyone have tips of socializing mice? Is it similar to socializing rats? They're all SUPER skiddish and run and pee and poop and squeak when we even get within a food of their cages. I don't know that they've ever been handled ever, and I want to make sure they'll be more comfortable with people before they go to permanent homes. Any tips?


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

I would assume it's the same as with rats. 

Sadly, mice aren't the world's friendliest creatures, so they won't get as friendly as rats. But you can still socialize them to people.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

Yeah, I pretty much just want them to get to the point where they aren't biting, pooing, peeing, and screeching when they I try to hold them--it's not good for them or their future homes. Ok, so I'll do a bit of trust training and if that doesn't work I'll just hold the heck out of them until they calm down and see how that goes.


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## Houdini (Sep 17, 2012)

That's VERY untrue, mice can get attached to their humans and can be just as social and friendly as rats. I own a colony of 6 right now, all males and they all will run to the cage when I call out to them. The key is in the breeding, and socializing as babies. Unfortunately, it sounds as though this group has not been socialized properly, and probably doesn't have good breeding. They should come around with regular handling, and even offering some yoghurt or babyfood on the tip of your finger. 

Please don't just keep one, mice are also very social animals and it's highly unnatural for them to live alone. If you do plan on keeping, then keep two.

Best of luck to you, and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any problems.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

Hello Houdini! 

I'm curious about what you're saying about keeping two--originally they were all in the same shoebox when they came to me so I'd wondered if they could live together, but all my research and also the wisdom of some people on this forum has suggested that male mice absolutely cannot live together under any circumstances. Do you live in the US? From what I understand it's different between the US and Europe... but please enlighten me. I know close to nothing about mice and since I have these guys under my care I'd like to learn as much as possible as soon as possible!


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## Muttlycrew (Dec 21, 2012)

Mice make great pets. I have two and my sister breeds them. (Not my decision, so please nobody get on me about it, lol.) My two are from her. One is a beautiful golden satin male and then we have a broken black satin female that technically belongs to my brother, but I buy the food and all that so.. You know. Lol. I'm trying to get a buddy for my male, so we'll see when my sister is planning on having another litter. 
She doesn't handle them much as babies because her female gets stressed out, but once I brought mine home and started handling them, they burst out of their shells and are honestly just as social and loving as my rats, just minus the brains. The mice will come to the cage doors to their names, but I'd have as much luck teaching them actual tricks as I would a rock. Haha. 

My suggestions are just hold them. Give them yummy treats but make them come get it from your hand. Holding them is the biggest thing though. After they learn that you aren't a threat, they'll begin to love you.


My little brother with his mouse Penelope (formerly Zim):


















Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

No offense to anyone, but it drives me crazy when people on this forum make it seem like rats are the best pet and put other pets down. Yes, rats and mice are different but mice make great pets just like rats do. Mice make absolutely wonderful pets. I have 10 mice total and yes, I have some that aren't as friendly but I also have several that are very attached to me and really enjoy the time that I spend with them. 
All of my mice were untame when I got them. I tamed them by just spending time with them. I would keep my hands in their tank for extended periods of time and just let them get used to my presence. Sometimes I'd hold them, but I'd stay nearby their tank until I could tell they were more comfortable with me. I have 4 mice that will literally leap onto my hand as soon as its within a distance that they can reach (which makes it rather difficult and comical when I'm feeding them or giving them more water).


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## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

I agree with Awaiting. Although I am a bit guilty of putting down other animals simply because I get irritated at how quickly other people(in society, not on this forum) put down rats as pets. But all animals have their own pros and cons and I hope to own a bunch of them one day when I run my small animal rescue. Though rats to me are the "better"(and I use that word loosely) of the two, mice are so neat in their own right. If they weren't I would not have both mice and rats.
Male mice especially can be so darn friendly and love coming out in your hand and interacting with you. No, not quite in the way rats do, but in their own little mousey way. 
I will also say, I think mice win the cute award. They are so pretty and more genetically diverse than rats(because they have been domesticated longer) and are so neat to watch in their cages. 
I also think how easy it is to maintain them is a plus. I love my ratties and getting their cage all set up, but sometimes it is really nice to just be able to clean out JD's tank and put some fun new toys in it without having to worry about him tearing up fleece.

That being said, Lightning does sort of hit the truth. An unsocialized rat will come around alot faster than an unsocialized mouse. I have done alot of rescues over the past 2 years(the past 6-8 months especially) and it takes me FOREVER to get a scared mouse to take a treat from me while a scared rat will do it within a few days. I have rescues litters of mice sometimes(just had one a few weeks ago) and I will tell you, there is nothing quite like a sweet little mouse than has been handled from day 1. They love people, allow themselves to be pet, and crawl into your hands. 

So there are bits of truth in what everyone is saying here.


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## Babs (Jan 26, 2012)

@*Muttlycrew *That picture of the mouse with your brother is gorgeous!


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## LightningWolf (Jun 8, 2012)

Awaiting_Abyss said:


> No offense to anyone, but it drives me crazy when people on this forum make it seem like rats are the best pet and put other pets down.


Hope this wasn't directed at me (Sorry Abyss, I'm only using your comment cause I feel like I should be quoting something. yours was just the best)  I was just saying that mice aren't the world's Most Friendly of creature, I never said that they made bad pets or couldn't be friendly. many mice are friendly, I just wanted to say that because they are naturally skittish it can be a bit harder to tame then than rats. especially if they weren't handled from an early age. Hope I didn't offend anyone and start any serious arguing. 

And thank you Korra for backing me up a bit  I hope I didn't sound like an Idiot or a jerk in what i was trying to say.


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## Korra (Dec 11, 2011)

No problem. It all has to do with their natural wild roles. 
Rats are predators. Even though they are hunted themselves, they are much more predatory than mice. 
Mice are basically hunted by all and have to live a very skittish life in the wild.
It is kind of like a horse and a dog. When a dog is stressed, they tend to react more with fight over flight. Horses are more apt to flee as they are more prey animals.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

I wasn't really directing it at you, because I've noticed many other people do it. I was just commenting. I wasn't trying to offend anyone by saying that though. I just feel offended (I guess that's the right word I'm looking for) when other pets are described to not make as good of a pet as a rat.

I just feel like people put other pets down and make it seem like rats are the only great pet. Sure, I love my rats, but I don't love them more or less than my mice, hamsters, gerbils, cats or my dog.


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## eaturbyfill (Aug 23, 2012)

My mice went from being terrified at the presence of people to being very sweet.

Late November last year, I heard that there was a pair of mice at my local shelter and that the adoption fee was $5. I didn't think that a fee that small would make sure that they got a good home, so I went and got them. I had never had any mice before, and didn't know what to expect.

We brought them home in a box and put them in their cage. It was just a tad bit smaller than a 10 gallon aquarium (they are in a larger habitat now). Well, they were absolutely terrified of us. I waited a few days and let them adjust, but whenever they saw or heard us coming, they would dart into their little wooden hut and wouldn't come out. One mouse even flinched at the sight of our hands, like she had been hit before.

A waited even longer, taking things slowly so I wouldn't just make them more terrified. I worked on getting them used to my presence. After they seemed more secure, I worked on having them realize that I am the giver of nice things. They learned that I give them treats and food, and became more trusting.

They haven't quite learned not to nip my hands, but that's fine. We can work on that. I'm just happy they are brave enough to do it!

As time progressed at that stage, I started to notice something. Whenever I would go and talk to my rats (the mouse cage is on top of theirs), I saw that my mice started running to greet me, too! I was ecstatic. They come cling to the bars like my rats when they see me peeking at them or hear my voice.

A week or two ago, I wondered what they would do if they were with me, and not in the play pen or a cage (I had avoided much handling because of how much they seemed to hate it at first). I read that mice are usually smart enough not to jump off of things. So, I took them on the bed where I usually play with my rats. I waited for them both to get in the little tube system in the play pen, and carried them in there that way to make sure they would feel secure.

They were very timid. My large bed must seem huge to them! They started by just taking a couple steps outside of the tubing and then running back in. After they did that just a couple times, they ran over to me instead of the tube. I was delighted to see they were hiding in my hair as opposed to the tube they could have stayed in. They stayed right by me the whole time, climbing on me, my hair, and in my shirt. I was so happy to see that instead of trying to escape from the giant, the sought me for protection. The more skittish mouse, Angel, even let me pet her freely.

At first, I never thought we would be able to get to this point. I couldn't be happier.


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

That is awesome! I'm so glad to hear how well it's going for you! 
My boys will now come out of their hidey-house when I come in to the room to feed them or talk to them, and Bandit has come out to sniff my hand when I put it in the cage, but so far I still haven't been able to pick them up. They just seem so much more fragile than rats so I don't want to do the forced socialization with them that I have done with my more skiddish rats. I imagine it will be a very long process, but I'm happy to see improvement already.


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## eaturbyfill (Aug 23, 2012)

Rumy91989 said:


> That is awesome! I'm so glad to hear how well it's going for you!
> My boys will now come out of their hidey-house when I come in to the room to feed them or talk to them, and Bandit has come out to sniff my hand when I put it in the cage, but so far I still haven't been able to pick them up. They just seem so much more fragile than rats so I don't want to do the forced socialization with them that I have done with my more skiddish rats. I imagine it will be a very long process, but I'm happy to see improvement already.


I'm glad to hear you're making progress!  Mice are really great pets. I don't think the forced socialization would work well on mice, anyway.


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