[jamesReid]

Hi everyone..

So I am very new here. I posted 2 things so far. First was a story about my little mouse who dies. Second was a question..

Now I notice a lot of people looking at the posts but very few respond. Thanks for those who have, but please make comments.. even just small ones. Thats why we are here.. to talk about out little whiskered pets.. to learn.. to make friends. And we cant do that if people dont respond to posts. Please dont misunderstand this.. there is no anger here. I just trying to get people to respond.

This is my little mouse who died. Can anyone tell me if its a mouse or a rat?

Anyway.. I also would like to know which makes a better pet.. a mouse or a rat. I am going to do some research and see what I can learn, but I would love your input.

Thanks for reading.

Jimmie:thumbsup:

 

[Nibbler]

I'm pretty sure it's a mouse but I can e wrong if u plan to get non wild pets I'd say mice females do well in pairs males will fight to the death and as for none wild rats the do well in pairs male n male or female and female I personally prefer rats

 

[jamesReid]

Hi nibbler,

Thanks for the reply. So you prefer rats over mice? Any reason why? I caught that little mouse in the kitchen and in 3 days she stole my heart. Then died in my hands. I will never forget her. I never thought i would like a mouse or rat as a pet.. but I really want a pair now.

Talk to you soon

Jimmie

 

[Vladina]

Hi Jimmie and welcome to the forum!
There are lots of friendly and helpful people on this forum who have been here a long time. Sometimes it just takes a day or a few days for people to see new posts and respond, so please don't take it personally. All rat and mouse lovers are welcome here. :wave:

Rats and mice are wonderful and it was so touching to see that you fell in love with that beautiful little mouse you found in your kitchen. These little guys can steal your heart very quickly, I know!

There are so many little differences between keeping pet mice and pet rats that it would take a very long post to go over them, but a good starting point would be to do as much internet (or books!) research as possible about those differences. I do know that rats tend to be much more interactive and affectionate with their people than mice, but there are also mice lovers here who probably have great stories about their affectionate mice so I won't label all mice as non-interactive or I will get in trouble!

I LOVE rats. They are so intelligent, personable, loving and affectionate. I have had gerbils (which I also am very fond of!) and rats. I have not yet had mice, but hopefully you will get some great tips and opinions on them on this forum. Hope you decide to stick around. What happened to your beautiful little mouse that passed away? Do you know? Was she injured or sick? I am so sorry. I know how special our furry little babies are to us, believe me. We all love them so much here. Welcome again, and hope to talk again soon.

 

[breyer08]

I've had both mice and rats. I have to say that I much prefer rats to mice, because they are incredibly social, fun, intelligent, and interactive. Rats are almost like little dogs: they greet you when you come home, they learn tricks, they love to be petted and played with. Mice, in my experience, are much less social with people--they tend not to like being held too much, and don't really play with you. They are quite a lot of fun to watch, though, so if you like a less interactive animal, then mice would probably be good for you. Just a word of caution: make sure that if you get a male, you only get ONE PER CAGE! More than one male together in a cage will result in a fight to the death. Females can be housed together usually without problems. For rats, you will DEFINITELY want to get more than one, and it doesn't matter if you have multiple males together. They thrive on companionship, so they need at least one other rat to be with all the time.

Also, don't worry too much about people seeing your posts and not responding--most of the views are from people who do not have an account here, and so they don't have the ability to respond.

 

[jamesReid]

Hi guys..
Thanks for the reply's. I definitely want a more interactive pet. Vladina i dont know why she died. When I caught her in the kitchen and the first day or so she seemed fine. Other than she would not eat food. Untill i gave her some milk in a little bottle. She seemed to love the milk with a pinch of sugar. Then a day later she stopped eating that too. The next morning when I checked on her she was not doing good.. and an hour later died in my hands... So I dont have any Idea why she died. My girlfriend just got here so we are going to bury here today. Thanks for the support...


Jimmie

 

[Vladina]

Hi Jimmie,
Sorry about my question...I had just posted about why she died and I did not see the original information about the poison in the attic. I am sure the others were right when they said it just worked its way through Zoe's system like the others. I am very sorry.
Breyer's post nailed it about rats and mice. Great post Breyer, I could not have said it better myself. Rats ARE like little dogs..they actively crave your company and companionship. I really think you would just fall in love with a pair of girls or boys. Boys tend to be more like lap pets, lazier, more cuddly and very content to be held and petted and stroked. Girl ratties are more active and love to run around more and investigate things. So if you and your girlfriend would love a lil furry to cuddle and hang out with you, boys tend to be that way more than girls. There are always exceptions though!