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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2012 16:39:44 GMT -5
With the holiday delay, it appears that we're out of adult mice for our crew for the week. I thought I was being all clever and stuff sourcing from the local laboratory supply (Charles River Labs) for their control non-mutant lines. These are premium mice! Special diets! All that stuff!
But. The kids won't eat them. They have no problems with the mice from Petco/Petsmart.
Want to see stink-eye? Show them a non-white mouse! *sigh* Even the white ones are met with disdain.
What gives? Can I convince them to eat these mice?
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Post by Sherry on Nov 26, 2012 17:11:11 GMT -5
Yeah, been there, done that ;D Try cutting a few open for them.
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Post by bitbyter on Nov 26, 2012 17:43:06 GMT -5
Anything new I introduce (even if it is the same species from a different sources) I have to present cut up first. Once they've eaten it a few time that way they are happy to take it in whole form. I think ferrets are VERY smell dependent when identifying food.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2012 19:06:24 GMT -5
I find an eviscerated mouse in the pen with the babies. Does that count as cut up?  The rest is still there. Meh. |
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Post by Heather on Nov 26, 2012 19:10:21 GMT -5
You have my sympathies.....my guys won't touch the pet store mice. Mine are ok(raise my own)...don't ever offer them the frozen pet store ones....the mice find themselves in litter boxes (not a bad thing, except they're buried in the litter box   ) ciao |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2012 21:39:10 GMT -5
Found Pimm using his as a pillow this afternoon. House of crazy here...
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Post by Heather on Nov 27, 2012 21:49:33 GMT -5
Midnight snack?? ;D
ciao
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Post by sierratheferret on Nov 27, 2012 22:50:26 GMT -5
LOL as a pillow? Now that would be so funny to watch! ;D
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2012 15:02:23 GMT -5
LOL as a pillow? Now that would be so funny to watch! ;D He was so blissful. And wanted a kiss on the head. But.. mouse! Ick! Cocchi has progressed from merely breaking their necks to staring at me with a feral glare as she noms only the front half. Raven? building a fort with their dead bodies down by the front landing. Awesome for guests to see as they walk in the door... sometimes it's just the back half ;D They like brains best, I suppose? |
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Post by bitbyter on Nov 28, 2012 15:05:34 GMT -5
Generally it's the smelly intestines in the back half they are avoiding. Mine don't seem to mind with the smaller rodents but once you get to medium rat or medium guinea pig I start gutting them to cut down on the smell and the flung cage decorations.
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Post by Heather on Nov 28, 2012 15:13:18 GMT -5
Yes, I've found this too. Stomach and intestines are ferret's version of tinsel . I started gutting the large rats and rabbits...just gross. Worst ever watching Fun-Go waddling down the hallway....I see this thing hangin out what appears his butt. Horrified I grab him...it's not hanging out his butt....he's got a mouthfull of rat that he's dragging off to stash. It's the intestines that he's dragging down the hallway  that are still attached to said rat. That was it....all rats are now gutted ciao |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2012 15:19:37 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Nov 28, 2012 15:20:03 GMT -5
;D rats: no. just, no.  |
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Post by joan on Dec 6, 2012 10:23:44 GMT -5
I had the same problem a couple years ago when I ordered mice from a different supplier...Big Cheese was moving and wouldn't have adult mice available for a couple months. They would eat most of the mouse eventually, but clearly did not like the taste. I assumed it was due to the mice smelling/tasting different, due to a different diet. Once Big Cheese was back to regular production, they went back to gobbling them down again.
I've tried mine on rats a couple times over the years when one of my kit buyers brought me some that theirs wouldn't eat. Mine agreed that they weren't edible, either...and wouldn't even try a taste, either whole or cut up. They didn't even touch the whole rats...I found the cut up ones in the litter box most of the time.
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Post by bitbyter on Dec 6, 2012 10:50:01 GMT -5
I just ran into something like this. I fed them a few rat pups last week and they ate all of them except two. Totally ignored them (except for the feet and tails). All were from the same supplier / same bag. Got me wondering what they objected to with those two.
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