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Care of Mice and Rats
Pet mice and rats are small rodents that take up little space and are fun to watch. Raising and training them is entertaining and educational. For types that make great pets, their habits and needs, and more, ask and answer questions here.
3,224 Questions
sometimes they do if you have really good hearing you can sometimes hear there little feet tatter
Answer
Rats sometimes make a noise known as either chittering or bruxing, which is when they chatter their teeth. This indicates either excitement and happiness, or, if the rat is bruxing without stopping very much over long periods of time, it indicates pain, discomfort, or illness. Rats do squeak, but not as much as mice. They normally squeak when they are startled, annoyed, or frightened.
Answer
The above answers refer to Norway rats aka Rattus norvegicus, the species which we keep as pets. Norway rats are actually quite vocal but their voices are so high we rarely hear them, except when they fight each other and really shout, and they are also usually quite quiet when moving about.
On the other hand Rattus rattus, the ship, black or roof rat, has a much lower voice which we humans can hear, and they are exceptionally noisy. They shriek, hiss, quack, swear and chatter all night long and are also very fond of crashing about knocking things over, and strumming on anything they can find which makes a twanging noise. An American woman who had had roof rats living in a jasmine bush by her back door when she was a child said that it sounded like there was a professional hockey match going on out there every night. They're also rather smelly, whereas Norway rats usually just have a faint smell like digestive biscuits.
Norway rats only evolved in the last couple of thousand years and only reached most of Europe (from central Asia viaRussia) in the 18th C, and they are usually quite discreet and polite animals. Most of the legends about rats, how they squeal and how fierce they are, are actually derived from the ship rat. Even though they are small - not much bigger than a big hamster - and have a much weaker bite than a Norway, they're very pugnacious. Male ship rats really will leap at your face, screaming like banshees - but they aren't trying to tear your throat out, as Mediaeval writers assumed. They just want to widdle on your head and then trample it well in with their feet, to prove they've dominated you, and they'll do it to any male of any species, even to dogs and cats. But they're also capable of making friends with any species, and there are cases of wild ship rats just deciding to be somebody's pet and marching up and going "Hello, I live with you now, isn't this nice?"
At what age can baby rats be sold?
At around the age of 4 to 5 weeks, they will wean, and you will notice them not nursing any longer, and eating a lot more of the solid food and drinking water than they were when they were just starting to figure this all out. Once you are sure they are eating and drinking completely independent of the mother, it's safe to find them a new home. Don't keep the litter together past 5 or 6 weeks though; you will need to separate the males from females, or they will breed.
How many babies does a female rat have?
Generally up to 4-5 years. This may seem long, but they do come out near fully formed, after having ingested their host.\
Ummmmmmmmmmm.......NO! Rats are pregnant approx. 21-24 days before they give birth. Not 4-5 years. And they do NOT ingest their host/mum.
Rats don't even live 4-5 years
How much does a rat cage cost?
Rats are 2-10 dollars. Their cages can be 50-80 dollars. A 20 gallon tank will cost more unless you get one with a crack. Also keep in mind that you need to put away money for vet costs which are around 40 dollars just for a check up and 15 dollars for medicine. I would recommend getting a credit card for emergencies if you haven't already. Also, if you get females it'd be wisest to spay them, you'll save money in the long run because they're highly likely to get multiple tumors and removing them will cost a heck of a lot more then just spaying them. Food and toys are expensive. Food is about 6 bucks for 3 pounds, a rat will go through that in two weeks so it'll be about 36 bucksa month. A hammock is about 12 dollars, and they will destroy it, with love. Ferret tunnels cost about 10 bucks each and treats are around 5 bucks a box. HOWEVER, you can always get all economical and use old boxes and such, especially if you have the time to make and throw away toys as soon as they get all worn and soggy. And remember, never just one rat always at least two ;3
first toch the tegu gentley so he will get the trust in you toch him a bit everyday then put on the hard glove grab him gentley and slowly and handle him up to a hour everyday if you want him to like u and trust you well. it will take 4 monthes to make him calm but still dont stop toching him and handling him keep on so he will come even calmer and he will start to know your the boss of him
How old does a mouse have to be to reproduce?
you will know the age of your mouse by looking at its fur and it will start to change colour as the mouse gets older. sadly you wont know for sure unless it is taken to the vet and has had an enjection and dont get a mouse if you cnt look after it :]
How much does a rat eat a day?
Domestic rats should eat natural, healthy foods daily. Usually rats should eat about 1-2 medium size bowls of fresh rat/mouse food a day. (purchased from your local pet store)
If you have a large cage for your rat (s) then place a large square or round bowl at the opposite side of the cage as the water, the food mustn't get wet or else it is inedible.
Fill bowl if empty during the day and if its not being eaten, place a smaller bowl in the cage instead or don't use as much food in the bowl.
How do you know when a rat is ready to give birth?
Late in the pregnancy it is a good idea to provide nesting material for the doe. Try to avoid cloth with holes and strings, as these can strangle or injure the babies. You may also want to consider removing hammocks or moving the doe to a one-level cage so as not to cause injury to babies who might fall. (Occasionally females will make their nests and give birth on ledges, in hammocks, or in hanging tubes.)
Enlarged Lower AbdomenIn the final stage of pregnancy, the doe will usually become pear shaped. Her lower abdomen will enlarge significantly and become very firm. This change in her body shape is usually rather dramatic unless her litter is very small. Spotting BloodWhen birth is impending there will be a bloody vaginal discharge. This occurs a day before, or the day of birth. Often, with spotting, a litter can be expected to arrive within a few hours. Excessive bleeding is not normal. If your doe shows heavy bleeding call your veterinarian immediately.
Why is your pet rats nose bleeding?
The rat may have been injured from a fall or other rat. Or the rat may have an infection. It should be noted that rats saliva frequently appears red but it is not blood, it is a substance called 'porphyrin'. This substance can appear when the rat is stressed out or frightened.
How much young rat can a mother rat have per year?
It all depends, a rat can have up to 20 "kittens" a litter. This doesn't mean it will though, my rat had 10 babies. Hope that helped!
How do you care for a newborn mouse with no mother?
A 2 week old mouse is still considered a baby - however properly determining the age of a mouse is easy. If the mouse has hair it can usually feed itself. Place food on the floor of the cage to allow easy access. Offer both hard, and soft food (soak hard food in water to make it soft) also keep food in the cage at all times along with water. If the mouse can not eat on its own get some kitten milk from a petstore, warm small portions of it and try feeding it with a dropper usually if they are over a week old they can lick the milk, try place a very small ammount of the milk in the cage be sure its not enough for it to drown! Make a nest for the mouse by tearing a dry papertowl up and placing it in the cage in a pile so the mouse can burrow and stay warm and feel safe.
AnswerA few days ago we got an orphan mouse. We feed the mouse every 2 hours with cow's milk and we warmed it with deluded water and fed it with a medicine dropper. That was our last resort because every pet store was closed. We finally got to a pet store that opened and got kitten formula. We drop the milk on our hands and the mouse licks it up. The mouse has no fur yet and it's eyes are shut. It's very spunky, and it loves snuggling into my hands. When we are not holding her in our hands, we put her in a shoe box with socks and toilet paper. We also have a light over her, but we leave a shady spot...just incase she gets too warm. Hope this helped!!!ANSWER
If you are sure that it is two weeks old, feed it seeds. I took care of a two week old mouse, and I feed it seeds. It would be about the time that the mother would be feeding it seeds.
Well my mice fought a wekk ago until death but luckily i got them out. but ill get to the point, mice will bite and hold onto the fur. while scratching the mices eyes paws and if they can back.
Yes they do - unless it's been chopped off in an accident !
What is the best food for mice to eat?
Mice do best with a mixture of grains and seeds, with about 11% protein from things like nuts, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds. This is my mix:
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups rolled rye
2 cups spelt cereal flakes
1 cup buckwheat groats
1 cup yellow millet
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
8-ounce box dried cranberries (sometimes)
You can find more information here: http://thefunmouse.com/info/diet.cfm.
What do squirrels eat?
They are primarily vegetarians, living on seeds, nuts, fruits, fungi, lichens, buds, mushrooms, roots, pine cones, leaves, twigs and bark. They do not normally eat meat. However, if faced with hunger they have been known to eat bird eggs, snakes and insects.
so i am more than likely to say no squirrels do not eat grasshoppers
How many times does a newborn mouse eat?
Easy either the kitten will die of starvation, if in the wild, or a human can take the kitten and nurture it, and maybe if the kitten is in the wild and can find another cat who has given birth that will allow it to eat it's milk, it can survive.
How do you look after newborn mice?
Keep them with their mother and let them nurse. They can be weened after 4-5 weeks old. make sure to separate them at 6 weeks, from male and female.
Chemicals used to kill rats and mice?
They are completely different. For rat poisons they are anticagulants like diphacinone, bromadiolone, etc. etc. , for insects multi different that kill in just as many different ways.
depends. a female mouse, as well as a female rat, go into "heat" once a week every week for 12 hours. and they can go into heat, within 5 hours after labor, and yes they can get pregnant again.
How many baby mice survive a litter?
Slim to none. I have seen several people try to save abandoned wild babies and the success rate is about 1%.
When can you put the male hamster back with the baby hamsters?
Of course, the mother hamster is there, but the male hamster, or any others, should be kept away for up to several weeks. It is likely they would upset the mother or even attack the newborns. Do not handle the babies because if you touch them, they will pick up your scent and the mother may ignore or even eat them (!).
What is the better class pet hamster or mouse?
They both can be trained and mice usually bite a more often than hamsters do.
Do male hamsters smell worse than females?
No, if you clean their cage regularly. Most of Syrian hamsters will use one corner in their cage as a toilet, which makes cleaning easier. Female Syrian hamsters will often smell more when they are in heat.
