| Author | |
CathinCoffeland
Forum Pro
Joined: May 19 2006
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 367
|
| Posted: Nov 04 2008 at 5:47pm | IP Logged
|
 |
|
DD loves mice...Obesessed maybe a better word.
She has devoured every mouse themed chapter book she can get her hands on and has tons of mice pics, stickers, toys etc. Read every how to care for book at the library- left pages propped open for us to read 
She has been doing the usual kid routine of asking, barganing, pleading for a pet mouse.
Dh and I have been doing the usual "let's wait and see" routine 
Aside from the allergies to rodents that mommy has (if it breathes or grows mommy is allergic) I dont have a ton of objections except maybe general pet smells.
Dh has agreed to be cage cleaner back up so that lets me and my wheezes off the hook.
I do worry about the toddler letting the thing loose. Can we say disaster in a house full of books and paper?
i have had hamsters and guina pigs( and lots of hives ) as a kid but never mice.
Am am very hesitant but dd is so nature and animal oriented and our few attempts at fish have not lasted more than 24 hours before they went bottom up 
We are also aware taht due to her age (7) we will as always be the main caretakers of all living things in our home.
Are there any health concerns- im pregnant and the toddler is amazing at getting into gross things (lets just say carrot sticks and dog poop hmm..  )
Any thoughts or experinces would be great.
Thanks -Maggie
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Booksnbabes
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 20 2008
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4141
|
| Posted: Nov 04 2008 at 9:46pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
My sister and her friend have one. She loves it (and she's in college! ). It does get stinky fast, but is relatively easy to care for, was inexpensive, doesn't have too long a life span, and is entertaining to watch when set loose in the ball (one of those plastic exercise balls for rodents--just make certain the lid is on tight!).
A friend of mine had gotten mice for her dd when her dd was 2 or 3. They tolerate a LOT of handling without biting. Things went well until dd held them too hard...they don't tolerate squeezing well. I don't think that would be as much an issue with a 7 yr.-old, however. And other than the inability of a toddler to really understand gentle, my friend raved about the mice as pets.
And on a side note, our family would recommend "The Rats of NIMH" for your dd's reading pleasure (if she hasn't already read it)--our kids really enjoyed it when we got it as an audio book for a long road trip. Our eldest is 6.
__________________
Wife to wonderful DH, mom to SIX beautiful gifts from God!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Shari in NY
Forum Pro
Joined: Nov 23 2005
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 358
|
| Posted: Nov 05 2008 at 8:22am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Mice smell in a way guinea pigs don't but other than that they are cute pets but beware! I once gave my then 10 year old daughter $2.00 to spend at a used bookstore unaware that there was a large cage of mice for sale-two for a dollar. She bought two. I insisted on two of the same sex. I should have insisted on two males as one of the females was pregnant and in next to no time (mice are precocious!) we had 27 mice. I evilly dumped the whole cage of them out back in the woods and for years the cats would leave tri-colored mice on the porch step!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Booksnbabes
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 20 2008
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4141
|
| Posted: Nov 05 2008 at 9:42am | IP Logged
|
|
|
That brings up a good point...I *think* mice are social and they do best as more than one, but your dd could probably tell me if that is accurate or not!
__________________
Wife to wonderful DH, mom to SIX beautiful gifts from God!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
MarieA
Forum Pro
Joined: Aug 27 2006
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 336
|
| Posted: Nov 06 2008 at 11:24pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Hi Maggie,
I had mice, hamsters and gerbils as a child. The male mice and hamsters did smell a bit...but I think that the females had less odor. (Check a book on mice, but I believe that the males smell more.) I don't remember much if any odor from the gerbils.
When I taught in public school, I got the class a pet rat and she was a terrific pet! She spent more time with the students than in her cage. My dd got a male rat about 1 1/2 years ago and he has been a super pet for her! There is very little smell and he is content to sit on her shoulder or lap and loves to be petted. This book on Rats is a great one if you want to read anything about them. He has even come to the beach for vacation with us.
But, back to the mice....I really enjoyed them. Just make sure that they are friendly when you get them. They are adorable pets! 
Marie
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
CrunchyMom
Forum Moderator
Joined: Sept 03 2007
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6385
|
| Posted: Nov 07 2008 at 6:24am | IP Logged
|
|
|
Can I just say that the first few times I saw this topic I thought it said, "Pet Mice Experiments"
I was thinking, "wow, they are hard core home schoolers..."
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Mary G
Forum All-Star
Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 5790
|
| Posted: Nov 07 2008 at 10:52am | IP Logged
|
|
|
My mouse story probably won't help much but it might give you a laugh (or the heebie-jeebies!).
When I was in 3rd grade, we had pets in the classroom: gerbils, guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters and mice. We had a couple of each. The mice though were a male and female -- and since this was a Catholic school -- they took to heart the "go forth and multiply". When the cage got a bit crowded, they canabalized , eating the larger male mouse and continued to have baby mice. The status quo was maintained, but YUCK!
I will always remember my 3rd grade classroom -- the cedar chip-smell still gives me the williessssss!
__________________
MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
Booksnbabes
Forum All-Star
Joined: July 20 2008
Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4141
|
| Posted: Nov 08 2008 at 4:33pm | IP Logged
|
|
|
Hamsters do this too...but in the case that makes me shudder, the male cannibalized the babies in utero. Guess he didn't want to wait.
All of which is reinforcing my desire NOT to have rodents in the house!
__________________
Wife to wonderful DH, mom to SIX beautiful gifts from God!
|
| Back to Top |
|
| |
4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Pet mice experiences?
