Pet mouse from petco??

Question

so I have 2 guniea pigs and 2 chinchillas so I have some sense for rodents. I have a little green cage that was donated to a vet clinic that my grandma works at. It has a water bottle, a food bowl and a little house. So all I would need is bedding( which I have for the pigs n chinschillas) a running wheel and food. I was thinking about getting a mouse but I had some questions, ok do they eat hay like pigs and chins or would they chew on a block of hay? I have heard that the mice from petco are usally sick and die like a month later... Is this true? And is there a better food to feed them then those hard little blocks? Or you know how like at petco theres ALWAYS those poor little hampster and stuff for adoption at petco that were dumped there? Well should I do that instead? But y did people dump them there? Do u think their sick ormean? Because they only live like 3 years so y do people dump them? Or are they just dumb. Thanks!!!!

Answer 1

The life span of small rodents such as mice and hammies isn't long to begin with.

I raised mice for my snakes.

As far as food goes, I'm sure that you already know that rodents teeth are always growing, and that is why they need chew blocks.  

Being familiar w/ rodents as you say you are, then you know too, that you  need to be sure that the mouse can't squeeze thru the bars of the cage, the can squish themselves thru the tiniest of places.  My adults couldn't get thru the bars, but the babies sure could...so do be careful.

As for PetCo and "supposedly' gettingselling sick critters, I've never had that prob, and I got most of mt rats, one snake, 2 Geinea Pigs, from there, and have never had a prob.....that isn't to say that they NEVER have problems, I'm just saying I have never had a prob.

As for what to feed them, small rodent diet for hammies is fine.  some fresh carrot chips now and then, or apple is good too...being rodents, they'll eat almost anything.  If they don'r like it, you'll know, cuz they won't eat it.  Simple eh?

Hint: If yer gonna get mice, check them for mites...you know, the tiny lil red blookdsucking bugs that can ibfest their coats and ears.

Good luck!

Answer 2

No they don't eat hay but they will nest in it. You can feed them a seed mixture instead. Please buy 2 or more mice!!!

Mice are social little critters, and they can die without company. Happy mousekeeping!!!!

Answer 3

Hi there!

How small is the "little green cage" exactly? If it is smaller than a 10 gallon aquarium, it's not really big enough to be a home for any pet, really. It might make a good travel cage or a carrier, but even a mouse needs something 10-gallon sized or bigger.

If you only get one mouse, try to make sure it's a boy. Girl mice usually do better if they have a friend, but boy mice often fight with each other and are good to keep by themselves.

Mice usually don't eat the dried hay like guinea pigs, chinchillas, or rabbits. They prefer grains, seeds, nuts. For a treat, you might give them some pasta or bread, or even a tiny bit of cooked chicken or egg. They also like fresh fruits and veggies.

The problem with large corporate chain stores like PetCo and PetSmart is that they buy their animals in large quantities from wholesalers. These wholesalers are the same thing as the puppy or kitty mills you are always hearing about, except that they breed hamsters and mice and gerbils and things instead. These animals have the same problems as puppies from puppy mills. They are usually poorly bred, meaning they often have genetic problems, including a shortened lifespan. They might have a higher risk of certain cancers, organ problems, or heightened aggression, because no one picked the best ones to breed together. They just stuck any old boy and girl together so they could get as many babies as possible. Also, since there are THOUSANDS of animals all living in the same warehouse, the chances of them already having some kind of contagious disease or parasites is extremely high. Most small animals from PetSmart or Petco, especially rats and mice, have some kind of illness that needs treatment by the time you get them home.

All of this happens before they even get to the store. But once they get there, their lives aren't much better. The enclosures in big stores like this are very small and usually don't have proper ventilation. They aren't usually handled often, and the employees are only allowed to feed them certain kinds of food (usually crappy brands like Kaytee).

Petco stores are especially bad because they only continue to carry rats and mice for snake food. They might order 100 or 200 mice every week, and maybe 2 or 3 will be sold as pets. Buying from them just gives them money to turn around and buy more mice.

Try looking for an ethical private Mouse breeder in your area.

http://www.thefunmouse.com/links/breeder...

Or even a rescue like mine that takes in all sorts of small pets. You can try Petfinder.com or call your local shelter and ask who to contact.

Mice eat all kinds of foods. Some people don't like the commercially prepared pellets because it's so full of preservatives. I think most people feed their mice a mixture of store-bought food and home-made foods.

http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/careofmic...

If there is a mouse for adoption at Petco, feel free to adopt it. Petco isn't making a profit off of you unless you actually buy something. People dump their animals at Petco for all sorts of reasons. Most of the time, it's because they just got tired of cleaning them and are throwing them away like an old toy. Unfortunately, some Petco stores will take those animals and feed them to snakes if they sit around for too long. There is always a chance that the adoptable animals are sick or mean, but it's a chance you have to take if you are planning on getting one for free. I agree that people who dump their pets are pretty dumb.

Please email me if you need any help.

Answer 4

well mice are typically done for feeding snakes so they arent meant to live for very long. i had 50 mice from petco, the longest any have lived was one lived for about 9 months. a mouse life span is only like 1-3 years.

there are many different reasons people have to "dump" them at petco. maybe they have to move and cant take em, maybe they were bought for a childs 1st pet, the child lost interest and the parents dont have the time to take care of em due to work. i adopted an old hamster from petco, she had a sign that said she bites. she never bit me, but was very skittish. she was prolly the victim of lost interest. when they get used to no contact, they start to get offended when you try to touch them. a few weeks of gradually getting closer did the trick. i would personally prefer adopting one and givin it a forever home with forever love.