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kate
AnonyMouse
10/05/2005
18:48:49
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 Subject: diet question
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Message:
my mouse has a little dish with some food mix from the
petstore in it, but he doesn't seem to eat it. he just covers it in
bedding. i feed him sunflower seeds and nuts everyday and he
eats those. i just don't want to feed him too much or too little.
can anyone offer me any advice about what i should or shouldn't
give him.
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Christy
AnonyMouse
10/05/2005
21:55:25
| RE: diet question
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Message:
I would like to know as well. I rescued 2 baby mice 2 weeks ago. They are 4 weeks old now and seem to be doing well, but I get conflicting information from the variety of websites that I have found on the subject of keeping wild mice. For instance, one said that it was okay to give them celery, the other said that it wasn't okay so I promptly removed the celery that I had just placed in their cage. Out of fear, I find that I feed them mostly oatmeal! I was feeding them sunflower seeds, too, but found that seeds are too fattening. I placed Cheerios in there, and found that they shouldn't be fed much of them. Can anyone give me a safe, natural, reliable list of veggies and fruit that can be given these guys? I went through nursing them, and I want to see them stay healthy. So far, they are doing well. I don't know if they are deer mice. I call them field mice. They are gray with white on their chests and bellies. Adorable.
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paul
AnonyMouse
10/08/2005
13:05:13
| RE: diet question
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Message:
It is OK to feed them celery. The problem with feeding vegitables is that too much can cause diarhea which can dehydrate them. This is more of a problem with domestic mice. Wild mice seem the have stronger constitutions. Still I would limit veggies to no more than every other day and watch for diarhea at first. If this is a sproblem, reduce the veggies.
I've fed peas, brocolli, apple, cherries, melon, pumpkin, sardines and other things. Here is my generally recommended diet:
http://mouseranch.com/FYI/diet.html
If your mouse is hording food, that is natural. He isn't starving and as long as he doesn't get too fat it's OK. The only problem is that it wastes some food, but keeps him happy. I sometimes reuse the food by moving the stach to the food bown and make them hide it again. I feed a small sopup spoon of food for 2 to 4 miced per day.
There are no species of "field mouse" in the US. What people often call field mice are either deer mice or meadow voles. There are a number of species related to deer mice that have white bellies, but the most common are deer mice and (east of Colorado) white footed mice.
paul
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Christy
AnonyMouse
10/08/2005
13:19:02
| RE: diet question
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Message:
Thank you so much! Then, they are deer mice. One more question...I took them in with the intention to release them once they were self-sufficient. I am having second, third and fourth thoughts about that! For one, they have lost patches of fur. I have read that this is to be expected when wild mice are kept in captivity, at least at first, or one of them is dominant and overly tending to the other. There doesn't appear to be any agression or illness. They have grown well and eat well. Their skin looks fine and it looks as if the fur is coming back somewhat. Second, I am attached to them. I can get past the attachment if I KNOW it would be in their best interest to release them. I haven't handled them very much since they have been on solid food just in case I do release them. However, given the time of year, would it be wise/safe to put them out their with no reserves, no nest built? I live in upstate New York near West Point. I can keep them and am willing to do so, but I really want to do what is ultimately best for them. Thanks again for you help. Christy
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