Mice/Expert Profile

Expertise

I can answer questions about raising mice and caring for them as pets, with knowledge from my 38 years of having fancy mice as pets. I have NO MEDICAL TRAINING and you should take a sick mouse to the vet; but if you simply can't, I will try to help you. I LOVE PHOTOS!!! I ALSO LOVE UPDATES! Let me know how the little tyke is doing later on, for better or worse, especially orphans. It also helps me to help the next person. Please first search first: use 'Natasha Mice Mouse' with whatever else your question includes. Or check out these links: **** YOUR FIRST MOUSE (my video; rough draft): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNK4uqNZTbA&feature=share **** INFO ON RAISING ORPHANS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNX2byHbppM&feature=related she has lots of other great orphan videos too. **** SEXING MICE: http://www.thefunmouse.com/info/sexing.cfm ****** ONLINE VET: http://www.smallanimalchannel.com/critter-experts/vet/topiclist.aspx **** And some GREAT MOUSE INFO SITES: http://thefunmouse.com/info/index.cfm http://www.rmca.org/Resources/mousefaq.htm

Experience in the area

I have had mice for 37 years (since I was 5!). I raised them when I was a child but now I keep all females, and never fewer than three so that if one dies the others are not devastated, because they have each other.

Education/Credentials

B.A., M.A., M.A. in Linguistics: Yale University and University of Connecticut

What do you like about this subject?

I am crazy about mice and always have been. I can still watch them for hours and be entertained. They are cute, smart, tenacious, funny, and extremely loving.

What do you still hope to achieve/learn in this field?

I will learn the most as I research questions (often asking my rodent expert friends on Facebook) that I can't automatically answer. I also learn as readers tell me what happens after they follow my advice. Please let me know what happens to your mouse, so that I can better help the next person.

Something interesting about this subject that others may not know:

Happy mice can purr, click their teeth, or lick you (rare). When a mouse stops to wash her whiskers it means she feels safe where she is. Mice in their nests can alternate between sleeping and washing with no break in between and this is adorable! They also alternate between washing themselves and washing another mouse if the other mouse gets in the way!

Something controversial or provocative about this subject

Although about 90% of mouse lovers are female (men aren't so drawn by 'cute'), many women are afraid of mice. Never push mice on someone. If she is often there, her curiousity WILL get the better of her and she will start to want to know about and see and pet and even hold them. I have watched this happen dozens of times.