Tiva The Amazing Color Changing Mouse! (And Friends!)

I picked out Tiva at the pet store because she was such a pretty brindle color. This is her the day I brought her home, months ago.







After about 2 1/2 months her face went through a major change. It darkened quite a bit. And she started to look Merle instead of brindle.







And this change came within the last week. She now has a light tan band around her eyes! Close to the color she was when I first brought her home. Its alot more of a bold change in person.










Lol im not sure what color or pattern she is considered now.

*More*.

Just some more pics I took today during cage cleaning.

Everybody climb aboard the rodent train!
Tiva, Yin Yang, and Indie


Yin Yang


Tiva begging to be picked up


Its blurry but, Tiva reminds me of Pooh in the honey tree in this pic lol.


"I see'z you hooman"


Climbz climbz climbz (those strings are hanging on the outside of the tank)


Yin Yang says agoutis are pretty too!


Tiva on the "Jungle Gym". Though they love to pack it full of bedding.




*More*

Chunky butt


Tiva loves her tangle toy.


There is some sad news. I had been treating Spirit and Mango for mites and all seemed to be going really well. They stopped scratching and their sores were healing. A few days after finnishing up their treatment Spirit died. I don't know why or how she just was dead one morning. I was worried so I brought Mango into the vet but he said that she was very healthy and thriving. He thinks that Spirits tough short life just really took a toll on her body. She also seemed to have a weakened immune system. It was actually really hard on me. Because I bonded so closely to the sick little mouse . I miss her everyday.

I got the okay to move Kiwi (once called Pink ) in with Mango. I need to build them new toys since with the mite infestation I threw out all the old wood toys. But they are both very happy to be together. I am hoping this weekend to bring home yet anouther new female (hoping for a Lilac) so they can finally live in a trio. I am getting shelves put up in my room. And as soon as that happens I will move their tank into my room with the other girls tank.

Mango in the front, Kiwi is behind her.


Kiwi



Mango (left) Kiwi (right)


Last few are just Kiwi

Nomz






The End!

Kiwi and Mango have got some awesome colors going on! Mangos name suits her really well too

All are just lovely Mice, but Tiva really needs weight taken off her.

Thanks Oakash .

If you read any site on mouse genetics and colors, you will learn that brindle mice are prone to obesity. Tiva is on a diet free of corn, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and other fatty foods. As are my other mice. She is on a constant diet like this to keep her from being REALLY obese. If you look up any other brindle adult mice they will look overweight. It is something they are genetically prone to. She could be ALOT bigger. Its common mouse knowledge.

other examples

Bengal on Flickr - Photo Sharing!

And article to prove my point. Just so no one thinks im over feeding my mice or feeding them poor quality food.

AFRMA - Brindle Mice

Yes, I am aware, I have owned brindles before, and have never had any problem keeping weight off them.

hhmm...what is that saying about not pointing fingers unless your hands are clean... lets not get on the topic of overweight pets lol

some brindle mice might keep weight on more than others.

Your mice are lovely, and thats such a cool setup! did you build the popsicle stick stuff yourself??

I <3 Kiwi! Mice are so cute! I had no idea.. most the ones I see are those white ones with the red freaky eyes.

can they have tubes? like hamsters? Ive always had a strange obsession with those clear colorful hamster tubes lol

Well! Well done to you!

They are so cute! I love their colouring, all of them! I also love their setups.
Tell me, I know with rats you can't keep them in tanks. I used to have mice and kept them in tanks with great success. What is the new theory on that now?

Not to jump on the band wagon, but she is probably overweight due to the seed mix you are feeding them. Seeds are very fatty and should be used as treats. Have you tried lab blocks? I like Mazuri, but some others prefer Harlan Teklad.

Yes they are on Lab Blocks as well. The seed mix ranges week to week. This was just what was available when the stuff I prefered was sold out. Its not something I would buy otherwise. The millet is a constant though.

Also the diet the RY brindles are on is different than Tivas because she is so prone to gain weight.

And I will quote again
So Malorey as PuppyDog said good for you. But not all mice are the same. I am not uneducated on how Tiva's diet must be. She doesent get any extra treats or anything. I even had her diet approved by two reputable Fancy breeders who deal with brindles on anouther mouse forum. I can link you if you would like in a PM.

PuppyDog,

it still kinda ranges as far as what is the better enclosure. In Europe they have alot better mouse safe cages with bars that they cannot squeeze through. Over in the US most of those cages are made more so for Hamsters and are very easy for most mice to slip through or injure themselves on. Not that some mice can't live in them. But I had a male mouse as a kid who got stuck and injured his leg in one of those cages.

And so that makes the tanks generally safer over here. Though ventilation isn't as great as a open cage. I have never had any issues with my mice in tanks. But the mice in each tank get 4+ hours free range/out of tank time a day as well.

Fran lol thanks I agree they are all really cute. And yup I built them all their popsicle stuff in their cages. They love it, and the toys/houses are fun to make. Whenever I put something new in they bounce around it and get all excited. Its really cute. And yes they love tubes just as much as hamsters .

Thanks again everyone.

Oh! And I talked to my breeder friend (who also has some chubby Brindles). And she said that the Tiva is technically "Snow Tiger Brindle". Her heart mouse is the same color and goes through molts as well (color changes).

Someone on a Rat forum mentioned that in Rats the color is called "Husky"? Which is pretty funny because now that I look at Tiva I think she looks like a tiny Husky lol.

I don't know much about mice but they are all cute! My friend has some that are pretty ugly I really like Kiwis and Mango's colors!

All of your mice are just adorable!!

I have a color changing mouse as well! (I hope you don't mind me posting pictures. ) I was told by the breeder she was a fawn, but I was later informed by someone else that she was a brindle. Either way, she started off tan and then developed a black spot on her back, which then transformed into some thick striping. Now she is fawn with what looks like a grey/blue hood (although that might be just because of her age).

Here is was when I first got her:


A while later:


And now, almost a year later:



She turned a year old last month. I feel bad for her because her sister died a few months ago and she's been alone since, but I didn't think it wise to get another mouse as a cagemate for her when she is in senior territory.

I will just leave what I sent you:

"And I do know about mice. I have bred and shown for years. And still, have yet to have a problem keeping my brindle mice down. And yours is the largest I've ever seen out of any, so it was a little more concerning. I'm in no way saying your a bad owner, I was just concerned about how large yours is."

She is beautiful! Pics are more than welcome. I love brindles.

Tiva is pet store brindle which makes her even more prone to being over weight. Also I find these brindles MUCH bigger than Tiva. So you can't compare her to well bred show mice. Her genetics are different. They are poor. And so she in on the heavier side.

Not one breeder or respectable member on the two mouse forums I frequent see anything wrong with Tiva's weight. A good friend of mine and breeder has a older brindle female who is bigger than Tiva. She also has a male brindle who is larger than Tiva.

And Tiva has been to the vet. And he (an awesome mouse vet) said that Tiva is perfectly normal.


So making it sound like my mouse is so uncommonly fat isn't right. If you do show mice you should know this. Honestly I didn't make this thread to talk about her weight. Because I know she is perfectly healthy and isn't going to get any bigger than this.

More overweight brindles

Brindle Albino
http://www.petrodents.com/pics/Genetics/BrindleAlbino.jpg

Probley same size.

Brindle mice image by marebear07 on Photobucket

http://tarotrats1.homestead.com/files/buba.JPG

I dont think miss tiva would appreciate this discussion lol a girls weight is a private matter!

I agree. I beleive she is gaining a complex lol.

She doesn't look that big to me to be honest. I have seen WAY fatter.

Interesting that you find the same thing with the tanks. I couldn't keep my mice in a cage, they would ALWAYS get out.