Wood/field Mice Sharing Food.

[Energetic]

Our piggies are in their summer/outdoor cage at the moment which is on our small enclosed lawn surrounded by hedges. I've just noticed this weekend that field mice are coming in through the wire from the hedge and feeding. They are just small enough to squeeze in through the 2cm square wire.

Do they pose a health threat to the guineas with transferable diseases etc? They seem to completely ignore each other, to the point where the piggies don't even seem to notice them.

 

[sport_billy]

Welcome to the forum, I honestly don't know the answer to this one, hopefully someone with some knowledge will be along shortly, I didn't want to read and run

EDIT:
Okay done some googling and forum searching, have a read of these -
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/noticed-field-mouse-droppings-in-hutch.78867/

Will add more as I find them

 

[Poppy'sMum]

I would say it's not healthy for them to have any contact with your pets. Besides leaving faeces or weeing in your pet's dry food & cage the mice will also carry parasites like lice etc Why are they in a cage outside? How are you keeping them dry? They need to be inside if in a cage, or if outside in a suitable hutch with fine mesh wire or raised up off the ground. You could end up with poorly piggies otherwise

 

[Pebble]

I replied to a similar question earlier this year. This should link to my post


http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/guinea-pigs-and-mice-together.114101/#post-1548228

 

[Veggies Galore]

Welcome to the forum @Energetic . I hope you find all our advice useful.

My guinea pigs are in a hutch outdoors - I would prefer to keep them indoors but have been outvoted by my OH . I started keeping guinea pigs last year and got a 2 tier hutch - therefore the lower level is on the ground. A lot of forum members have 2 tier hutches and are satisfied with them but, the more I hear about things like your problem, the more dissatisfied I am with them.

I am getting a 1 tier hutch on legs made and can't wait to change.

I advise you do do something about this for the simple reason that mice plus food source = more mice.

 

[madguinealady]

my hutches for my rabbits were all off the ground some quite high up and i still got mice in there sometimes.they are amazing climbers.I cant think of any way to keep them out

 

[Veggies Galore]

my hutches for my rabbits were all off the ground some quite high up and i still got mice in there sometimes.they are amazing climbers.I cant think of any way to keep them out

Oh dear - I was hoping a hutch on legs would keep them out.

 

[Energetic]

Thanks for the welcomes and responses. Sorry my terminology is not up to spec, the pigs belong to my daughters. I call it a cage but you would call it a two tier hutch.

I will look to putting a floor and legs on it, and some finer wire perhaps as these little chaps can get up on our birdfeeder which hangs off a branch. I quite like the field mice but as a technical person this formula from PiggieOwner above really caught my attention:

mice plus food source = more mice.

Read more at: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/wood-field-mice-sharing-food.116656/
Copyright © The Guinea Pig Forum. Content must not be reproduced without permission.

 

[Flutterby]

I'd be extremely worried about the spreadof disease. They are cute and if i didn't have other critters they wouldn't bother me but I would do my upmost to keep them away from the piggies area and their food.

 

[Veggies Galore]

Thanks for the welcomes and responses. Sorry my terminology is not up to spec, the pigs belong to my daughters. I call it a cage but you would call it a two tier hutch.

I will look to putting a floor and legs on it, and some finer wire perhaps as these little chaps can get up on our birdfeeder which hangs off a branch. I quite like the field mice but as a technical person this formula from PiggieOwner above really caught my attention:

mice plus food source = more mice.

maths isn't my strong point but this is an equation I comprehend