Mice

Traveling With Mice

- Small list of things to remember

Traveling is always strenuous to your mice, small as they are, especially the longer journeys. Therefore it is the responsibility of the owner to take good care of the needs of your mice -- well before the trip and during it.

Box

Plastic box of suitable size has proven to be the best in the climate we have here in Finland. In the Great Britain, they use wooden, so-called Maxey boxes. The travel box used should be clean and the lid tight fitting and unbroken. Plastic boxes may get cracked. These cracks should be fixed with tape from the outside. Best tape is ventilation tape; other kinds can also be used if they stick well.

Beddings

Use clean, non-dusty, soft beddings (no cedar or pine) on the bottom of the box. On top of them, put an adequate amount of shredded toilet-- or tissue paper, or non-dusty high-quality hay. These help keeping your mouse warm. The amount of paper and/or hay depends on the season of the year and temperature.

Food for the Trip

Put in the box dry food; seed mix or lab block, an amount that is adequate for all mice in the box. To "drink" give moist fruit or vegetables (cucumber is very good) in order to avoid dehydration. Put the food directly on top of the beddings, food bowls only take too much precious space in the box.

Water Bottle

You should also take a water bottle along, so your mice can drink water when you get to your destination. Do not put the bottle in the box while traveling, as it will leak a little bit every time the car or train swings. This will in turn get the beddings wet and seriously threat your mouse's health.

Care During the Trip

* Take care that your mouse does not get cold. During cold season you must cover the boxes with towels or similar.
* During hot summer weather, monitor your mice closely for symptoms of heat stroke from too much heat in the box. The symptoms from being exposed to excessive heat are at first slackening and little by little drifting into unconsciousness, which is in the worst case followed by death. When you notice these symptoms on your mouse, take it immediately to cooler temperature. You can try to cool a slackened mouse off by holding it under a water tab with slowly running cold water on. There is not that great danger of your mice getting heat stroke; if you keep the box in cool and shady place at all times. During the summer it is better to offer your mice water to drink during the trip.?
* If your trip takes longer than a day, take along with you spare clean beddings, paper/hay and food. IF the box gets moist, cools down or get hot, your mouse will lose condition.

Usually, traveling with mice goes well, as long as you remember to take good care of their well being. When you? get back home, the first thing you do is to put the mice back to their abodes. If you are returning from a trip to a show, check your mice first that they do not have any lice. If they do, wash them with proper shampoo.

Text by: Sanna Mäki-Tuuri & Pinja Immonen - first published in Haisulit 1/95