# My mouse has turned nippy...any suggestioned?



## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

Not sure if you all remember me...I found a baby mouse...well 2 actually. One male, one female and hand raised them to health.I found a good home for the female and still have my boy, my 3yr old re-named him Mickey lol.Anyway he's been doing great and is getting humungous!His um parts have just started to drop and now he is getting quite nippy...and it hurts! I'm assuming its hormones...but any way to teach him?At the moment he's pretty unhandleable...which is a far cry from the little helpless baby I hand raised lol. He will let me tend to his cage, but its picking him up.(not the best pic of him, he moves too much!)


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## Mrm911 (Jul 6, 2012)

Is this moo? Well mickey now. But anyways, I never really had a problem with nipping unless i put my finger by the bars(he thinks he is getting treats). I suggest giving it a little time for his hormones to calm down.


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

Haha yes this is Moo...my daughter decided he was Mickey Mouse she adores him. Yeh I figured he's just maturing so hopefully he'll calm down. Just wondered if there was anyway to train him.


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## Babs (Jan 26, 2012)

I'm in no way a mouse expert, but would rat trust training apply here? It might be something you could try while he's getting over his hormonal mood swings, because just leaving him until then sounds like a bad idea. He'll only get used to the lack of handling and then you'll be back at square one.


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## elliriyanna (Jul 27, 2011)

My method with animals this small... treats and let them come to you  in time they will learn I guarantee he is a teenage boy right now but if you stop working with him hardcore now it will be MUCH harder later


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## echoskybound (Apr 24, 2012)

How do you go about picking him up? Reaching in and grabbing mice makes them uncomfortable even if they like people, they can still be skittish. I put my hand in their cage and let them investigate it. If they climb on it with all four feet, I'll take them out. They know the four foot rule, too, because sometimes they'll climb on my hang with three feet but leave one in the cage bars, just in case they don't feel like coming out, but that know that putting all four feet on my hand means I'll take them out. They're really comfortable with my hand being an invitation to come play, not a scary thing that comes in and takes them away. Of course though, they have days when they don't feel like coming out, but it makes them comfortable and they will trust you.

Then again, I've only had females, I'm not sure how to deal with a hormonal male!


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