Geralt approves of the organic farm fresh peas! Antonio and Joe loved them, too. Fresh peas are such a seasonal treat!
Like mice, hamsters are omnivores, and in addition to their pellets (lab blocks) and forage mixes (seeds, etc.), they enjoy fresh fruit and vegetables in moderation, as well as some protein like meal worms, chicken, and eggs.
While both omnivores, hamsters and mice have different nutritional needs. You can generally feed them similar fresh things.
#hamstercare #hamster #catsandhamstersmontreal
Introducing Joe, the newest foster mouse!
Joe is a rare black-eyed white mouse. He is 3-month old. We are still getting to know eachother, but so far, he seems like an outgoing friendly Joe!
Joe is available for adoption.
Joe needs a home.
Joe could be your mouse!
Contact [email protected] for details.
#fostermiceadventures #adoptmouse #mtlmouse #catsandhamstersmontreal
Fostering mice: Day 188
At the mature age of 6-months, the remaining foster girls have all been adopted together!!!!!
I Am Chuffed! I am so, so happy for them. Pets available for adoption aren't always kept together, as sometimes people only want one or two, so it's amazing that this adopter was willing to take all five to keep them together. Female mice are very social and they enjoy being housed together. The girls have never fought with eachother, they always cuddled up together in a big pile under the white thing and under the wooden truck (not in the actual pet hide, for some reason). It's great that they won't be separated.
I noticed that a couple of the greys were significantly chubbier than the others... hamster-sized. I guess they just like my food prep! Heh heh.
So I dropped off 5 girls at the SPCA Montreal... and came out with a new foster. An outgoing white 3-month old male mouse named Joe. So now Antonio (black 6-month old male) and Joe (white 3-month old male) are still looking for homes. Please contact [email protected] to schedule an appointment to adopt either or both mice.
#fostermiceadventures #fostermicedrama #fosterpetsofmontreal #adoptedmice #montrealspca #catsandhamstersmontreal
Julieta and Louisa got adopted!!!
Fostering mice: Day 168
Mice are 162-days old
Another happy tale of tails! Julieta and Louisa have been adopted to a wonderful home with another mouse.
Success!!!
#fostermiceadventures
#spcamontreal #happytails #catsandhamstersmontreal
As requested - how I am planting dandelions this season.
Yup. Super technical.
#gardeningforrabbits #gardeningforguineapigs #catsandhamstersmontreal
It is #worldhamsterday !
Break out the sunflower seeds!
Splurge on some mealworms!
Offer them a nice juicy carrot!
Geralt's beloved sand bath is getting upgraded to a slightly bigger one.
#hamsterday #hamstersyrian #hamstermommy #hamstersofmontreal #hamstersofinstagram #hamsters #syrianhamster #hamsterfun #catsandhamstersmontreal
Trying to warm a mouse
Fostering mice: Day 90
Litter is 3-months old
Sad news today amongst the foster mice. I found Camilo lying outside of his hide this morning. It was unusual, since he's either sleeping in his hide or running on his wheel like a madman with his tail whipping around behind him. For the past few days, he discovered he could also run around upside down on the cage cover like Cirilla used to. But this morning he was totally stiff and not breathing.
Now, mice can sometimes go into a state called torpor. This is similar to hibernation, and can be brought on by being too cold, or going without food and water for too long. Domesticated pets like hamsters, hedgehogs, and mice often have trouble safely moving out of torpor, so it's usually recommended to prevent this from happening by keeping them warm, and to act quickly to ease them out of it if they are found to be in torpor. Sometimes pet owners think their pets have died, but the warmth from holding them in their hands can help to revive them.
I held Camilo, warmed a fleece pad in the dryer, and kept him in it under my shirt for two hours while periodically massaging him. Sadly, he did not come out of it, and he had indeed passed away last night. I'm told that he would not have been so stiff had he been in torpor. I do not know what caused his death, as he was perfectly active just yesterday.
#fostermiceadventures
#fostermicedrama #torpor #micetorpor #catsandhamstersmontreal
Fostering mice: Day 78
Litter is 10-weeks old
Camilo was feeling social today. It takes a while to coax him onto my hand to exit the cage, but he usually climbs up eventually with a little patience. He likes whipping his tail around like a helicopter.
Playing with the foster mice for me means letting them run up and down my arms. Sometimes they perch on my shoulder like furry little parrots. Mice move a lot when they are awake, and are rarely still. Fortunately, their tiny claws are excellent at holding onto skin and clothing. It doesn't pinch at all.
A bit of #fostermicedrama
, though it wasn't actually the mice. There was a brief but intense ringworm/mites scare amongst my boarding clients. I communicated my concerns with the clients and took them to the exotic vet. It was very lucky that we got an appointment within a day - it can be difficult to get fast appointments for exotic animals unless you go to an emergency exotic vet.
The exotic vet cleared them and the ringworm test came back negative. I still cleaned and disinfected all of the cages thoroughly and had a couple sleepless nights worrying about what the next few weeks would be like if there were ringworm or mites present. Both are very contagious and common in pets, one is a fungus and one is a parasite. Ringworm spores can become airborne and is contagious to humans (small children and their educators often get it from playing outside), so it's recommended that you wear gloves, change your clothes after handling an infected pet, and disinfect the area with bleach. Plus twice weekly antifungal baths. For every single pet. So, it was a great relief when I heard back that the ringworm test was negative, and that the pet in question was probably just going through normal seasonal shedding.
Camilo with the whirling tail, little Antonio, and the female crew are available for adoption. If you or anyone you know are interested in taking home a mouse or mice, please contact the Montreal SPCA at [email protected]
I got these eggs @costco.ca just for the cardboard egg carton.
Share what little things you've bought with the intent to reuse it for your pets!
#fostermiceadventures #reuse #pets #ecofriendlyliving #itsthelittlethings #catsandhamstersmontreal
Foster mice bury everything
Fostering mice: Day 57
Juveniles are 7-weeks old
Pregnancy watch: Day 17 of 21
Mischievous mice!
In hindsight, I think I was overly generous with the aspen shavings this time around. It's given them more depth to tunnel through, and tunneling under the toys means knocking over the water bowls.
This is a great example of why I require a minimum of daily pet visits as a pet sitter. Putting out extra food and water won't prevent the unexpected from happening. So much can go wrong in a short period of time. Pets need access to clean water at all times.
So far, I don't see any bulging mice waddling around. Crossing fingers that none of the does are pregnant!
If you or anyone you know are interested in adopting any of these marvelous yet sometimes mischievious mice, please contact the Montreal SPCA at [email protected] .
#mischievousmice #fostermiceadventures #fostermicedrama #spcafoster #adoptthesemice #Montreal #miceofinstagram #catsandhamstersmontreal
Fostering mice: Day 55
Juveniles are almost 7-weeks old
Pregnancy watch: Day 15 of 21
Antonio is giving me my #disneyprincesscosplay moment of the day. He is the perfect #disneysidekick .
If you or anyone you know would like a loyal mouse sidekick for your epic adventures, please don't hesitate to contact the Montreal SPCA at [email protected] to adopt one or more of these foster mice. Antonio is looking for his lucky person!
I'm wrapping up my #tiktok series about how much substrate I go through at cage cleaning time - it's more than I'd thought!
#fostermiceadventures #montreal #mousemoments #mouselife #mousefriend #catsandhamstersmontreal
Foster mouse: Antonio at 6-weeks
Fostering mice: Day 54
Juveniles are 6-weeks old
Pregnancy watch: Day 14 of 21
Ok, so yes, I totally play favourites with little Antonio. He's often awake during the day when the other mice are sleeping, and with how the cages are positioned, it's easiest for me to reach in to get him out for cage-free time. Then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy that he's the friendliest because he's handled the most often and he's handled the most often because he's the friendliest.
Did I mention how friendly he is? Easy on the eyes, too. And that he's looking for a home? Which means he is 100% available! And that you can contact the Montreal SPCA to adopt him asap?
I believe that cage set ups should be simple so that they are easy to maintain and to operate. While the 200-qt bin is great size-wise, it's still a bit cumbersome to lift on and off the shelf every time I want to interact with the females. If I did not have a cat, I wouldn't have to put them up so high, but I do, so it's a bit of process every time to take down their bin and to put it back and to maintain the other two mouse cages, which are also on top of shelves.
I'm sure my upper body strength is improving, though! I wouldn't say the filled bin cages are heavy, just that they are cumbersome to lift on and off the shelf at my height.
#fostermiceadventures #mouselove #montrealmice #foster #catsandhamstersmontreal
Foster mice peeping out from under the truck
Fostering mice: Day 44
Babies are 37-days old
Pregnancy watch: Day 4
More #fostermicedrama !
Apparently, we will continue to talk about Bruno! Bruno is legend.
Bruno went to his new home today, where Bruno immediately escaped! Don't worry, he was caught right away.
I suspect he was able to squeeze through the cage bars, probably around the wire door, which had small gaps by the door. Mice are tiny and they are escape artists. I have heard 5-6mm or 1/4" is the maximum bar spacing that will contain a mouse. The hardware cloth on my bin cages is 1/4". Bruno is still growing, so he's even smaller.
There is always a learning curve when dealing with pets, and sometimes the best-laid plans go awry. I'm very impressed with how quickly the adopter was able to think and adapt. Bruno is now safely contained in a nice bin cage. Whew!
Antonio is the most outgoing foster mouse in my care now. After a few minutes of hesitation, he will climb onto my hand to play.
The girls here like cuddling together under the toys, in the fleece pocket (which now has a hole chewed through the other side), and under the egg crate.
To adopt these mice, please contact [email protected] .
#fostermiceadventures #catsandhamstersmontreal
