Pets

Envy wrote:

Teehee.

That is a pretty good price - But still. Quite a bit.

It always surprises me how much people are willing to spend on their pets - I don't know why. I found out the other day that my auntie had to spend two month's worth of salary to get Brodie's ear fixed after he fought with Rena (his whole ear was torn off) :huh:

My husband always teases me about my thousand dollar mice. Unfortunately, since most pet mice are bred from lab mice which are bred to have basically no immune system, mice can get sick really easily. And, of course, every time one of my mice showed the slightest sign of being ill it was off to the vet. Even if it was the middle of the night and I got charged extra for an emergency call. It sucks to have pet mice when you're overly paranoid . . .

cemwerewolf wrote:

My husband always teases me about my thousand dollar mice. Unfortunately, since most pet mice are bred from lab mice which are bred to have basically no immune system, mice can get sick really easily. And, of course, every time one of my mice showed the slightest sign of being ill it was off to the vet. Even if it was the middle of the night and I got charged extra for an emergency call. It sucks to have pet mice when you're overly paranoid . . .

:ohmy: Wow, I never knew that.

I've only ever known that outdoor-mice are pretty good against disease due to such a wide gene-pool-mix. Is your vet specialised in smaller pets or are all vets just generally competent? I know for some pets, vets over here will refer you off to a specialist..Usually for things like fish and birds.

My parents would never allow me to have pet mice. >.< I think they're adorable. We had a whole load in the back garden before, because they'd chewed their way into an unused bag of sawdust shavings and made a nest - So we'd have baby mice running along the patio and cleaning themselves in the sun..Sadly, my dad wasn't too happy about the massive holes in the veg he was growing.

:pinch: He'd have a heart attack if I suggested we had mice in the house as pets. He won't even consider hamsters or anything like that..

Yeah, rodents are in my opinion the most vet-bill intensive animals, if I may say so.
I kept a lot of different kinds of pets and I really had the most vet visits with rodents.
I'd say the problem is in the way they are breed. Unfortunately the focus seems to be quantity rather then quality.

black_magnolia wrote:

Yeah, rodents are in my opinion the most vet-bill intensive animals, if I may say so.
I kept a lot of different kinds of pets and I really had the most vet visits with rodents.
I'd say the problem is in the way they are breed. Unfortunately the focus seems to be quantity rather then quality.

I think you've pretty much hit the nail on the head there. There's really no distinction between mice sold for feeding purposes and mice sold as pets so, considering there's a 50% chance they're just going to be eaten, they're produced as quickly as possible with no thought to longevity. Fortunately I've found a local pet store where the owner breeds his own mice and treats them all as if they'll be pets. I've had much healthier and, I believe, happier mice come from him.

As far as vets go, most of the vets I've dealt with are pretty good with all critters but they tend to be a little stand-offish when it comes to mice. They'll most definitely help but if a vet specializing in exotics (which I consider a funny term for mice) is available it's preferred that you go that route.

cemwerewolf wrote:

As far as vets go, most of the vets I've dealt with are pretty good with all critters but they tend to be a little stand-offish when it comes to mice. They'll most definitely help but if a vet specializing in exotics (which I consider a funny term for mice) is available it's preferred that you go that route.

I agree with you! I fortunately have a vet that specialises in small animals in my neighbourhood so at least I didn't have to think about that. Still we always had a \"good\" time immobilising my gerbils when they needed to get shoots. Those are some fast little busters! :silly:

Gerbils may be fast but mice are squirmy little buggers! Very difficult to get a grip on. After experiencing the joys ofgiving mice oral medication I got into the habit of training them to be scruffed pretty much from the moment I get them. If they are used to being handled that way they are much calmer which means less struggling and also the added bonus of allowing you to be gentler.