I just got two new mice as pets; Could they be sick? smell shrimpy...

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   RemmieRat4everposted 13 years ago

   I just got two new mice as pets. Yes, they are both male, but the smell that is coming from their cage is awful..much more awful then anyone ever told me. I wonder if the fact that they smell kind of shrimpy (or fishy) could mean they are sickly?
   
   If you have any suggestions or answers to my questions, please help me as soon as possible.. I used to have rats and never had any problems with this.

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      caninecrtiticsposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      That smell is normal i have owned my own pet store for years and unfortunately that is a normal smell for two male mice.  Because one marks a object then the other marks over that then the first one marks it again and over and over again till you clean it.  Females are alot cleaner or one male by themselves.  Which usually happens anyways because one becomes overly dominate.
      Let me know if you have any other Questions I can answer.

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         RemmieRat4everposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Oh, thank you. I guess I'll just have to find different ways to deal with it. Possibly the whole vanilla idea? I wonder how well that works..

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      psycheskinnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I would suggest finding a clay based kitty litter with no aditives and using that on the bottom of you mouse cage.  If you change it every week it will really cut down on the odor.

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      sandra rinckposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      It's pee pee.

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   Pearldiverposted 13 years ago

   Your mice are marking eachother.  That is so Gross.. But what it is! If you seperate them (out of sight of eachother) the problem will be less obvious.
   If you replace one of them with a cat... the whole problem will go away for good... though you might have to remove the leftover tail from your cage

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   Whitney05posted 13 years ago

   Male mice have a horrific odor to their urine, as it's used for territory marking. Male mice just smell bad. Try adding some baking soda to the bedding. It'll help soak up the odor. Also, when cleaning, use distilled or a white vinegar and peroxide mixed together, as this will help get rid of the smell as well as clean the cage; granted it will stink up the room if you clean in the house, as the vinegar can be quite strong.
   
   I have two male mice, as well, but luckily mine don't smell at all. I've had many mice, rats, and other pet rodents in the past. Males always smell worse than females. It's the territory and possession marking.

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      RemmieRat4everposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I did the vinegar thing to clean out the cage, and spent about an hour cleaning each individual part, but just 2 hours later the smell was back. I think it's a specific mouse that smells the worst.

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         L.Perryposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Tiny little mouse diapers and a spritz of deodorant?

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   mega1posted 13 years ago

   what are you feeding the little dears? try feeding them vegetables?

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   Whitney05posted 13 years ago

   Vegetables will cause diarrhea if fed in an excess amount. Stick with a good quality rat/mouse block. No seed mixes, as they're fatty. Vegetables are fine on occasion but not a lot all the time.

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   mega1posted 13 years ago

   that's true - fresh vegies could cause diarrhea - but I had in mind these little dry veggie pellets - I don't know if they still make them.

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   caninecrtiticsposted 13 years ago

   no matter how much you clean it, it will keep coming back because they keep marking it.  Just use the bakin soda, not the cat litter becausethey can eat it and do damage also they can't burrow in it like they do naturally.

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      psycheskinnerposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      The right brand of kitty litter can be fine.  I've been using it for years and it really did cut the odor compared with baking soda alone.  You can use it in addition to (not instead of) any other dry bedding material.

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   lightning johnposted 13 years ago

   Why would anyone want to have rats in their home?

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