The Nibbly Phase when young mice bite

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Mice rarely ever bite and then usually only when they are really, really scared, but most young mice will go through a nibbly phase. They do not mean to be bad, they are just exploring their world. Not to worry though, it is very easy to train them to stop. • What to do if your mouse bites: • Biting is rare in pet mice but occasionally it can happen. When mice bite it is either out of extreme fear (and even then many will not bite), protesting being restrained (particularly willful mice), exploring the world around them (nibbling on everything including you) and very rarely, aggressive/territorial biting where the mouse actively attacks you meaning to do harm. • 1. Exploratory nibbling is the most common type of mousy biting. Most young mice will go through a nibbly phase where they will explore everything with their teeth, including you. There is no ill will involved and it is very easy to train out of your mouse. Just wriggle your fingers and say 'no' gently but firmly every time you feel teeth. Most mice learn within a week that chewing on humans is not done. • 2. Biting out of fear or when restrained can happen with very fearful mice and with the more willful ones. Most pet mice will never bite, no matter how scared or upset they are, but some will. Biting is usually done when you are catching and have caught the mouse and are forcibly holding it, either to move it or to give it medication. It is mostly fear that makes the mouse bite although in confident mice, it can be willfulness, letting you know that it is not pleased with the situation. Not much that can be done except win their trust, find less stressful ways to catch the mouse (e.g. using the paper towel roll method) and finding another way to medicate the mouse (e.g. put the medicine in peanut butter). • 3. The third and least common type of biting is territorial biting and aggression biting. The mouse will actively attack you every time you come near his cage or anything he considers his. It can range to him just pecking at you to biting so hard, the skin is broken and you bleed. This type of biting is most common in un-neutered males and is the most difficult to fix. • How to fix territorial/aggressive biting: • 1. Have the little guy neutered by a vet, this will almost always cure aggressive biting, although it can take about a month after neutering for the hormone levels to become low enough to mellow him out. • 2. Wait, with time hormone level will naturally become lower and he will become more mellow. • 3. Get him used to your presence so he learns to ignore you. Spend a lot of time with your hand in his cage, ignoring any aggression, just being there and immobile, so he learns that biting you does not change anything and that you mean him no harm. • 3. Make him see you as a source of all things good. Every time you interact with him, give him something to nice, e.g. treats, new toys to investigate and a fun time outside of his cage. • What not to do: do not show fear or he will learn he can control you through biting; do not punish him, this will just reinforce the notion that you are a threat and he will bite more. • What to do: keep a sense of humor about it and do not take it personally. It is funny having someone so tiny take on a huge human, enjoy him for the unique little mouse that he is. • / creekvalleycritters • / audfischer

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