The acid Fruit test

[anielka]

Like the acid test...only with fruit. Not really acid fruit.

So we all know WA mice will eat banana. But is it really true they eat other fruit as all Eastern mouse-owners claim they do? The Natural Mousery decided to have a go at determining the truth of the matter. Here is our testing taster-plate in situ with three hungry-ish growing mice (Skittles, Honey and Cookie, our new pet-shop girls).



That's grape, green apple, banana, cherry and pear. My money is on nothing but the banana being eaten. But we live in hope.

(Oh, by the way, that's our Fresh Water Invention) - we use two candle holders from Ikea, a smaller one inside a larger one with water in the inner bowl and change water a couple of times a day. Mice less likely to flick substrate in to bowl or to defecate in water. Until I've seen a young mouse drink from a water bottle in person I always provide an extra source of water)

[MojoMouse]

It will be interesting if they are tempted by any of the enticing morsels you've set out for them. My mice don't eat fruit at all. They like some salad vegies though, especially cucumber (mainly the peel).

Very clever idea with the double bowled water!

[greydawnbreaking]

The one fresh fruit my mice seem to universally like is strawberries--I get the bottom part (per my standing as Person Who Bought It) and they get the bit of flesh left stuck to the stem. They seem equally interested in the leaves as the flesh. I've also seen them enjoy a raisin or a bit of dried date from time to time, and my male liked cantaloupe the one time I tried it.

[anielka]

Banana, OK
Apple -tried
Pear, cherry, grape-nah. No thanks

Mine do like melon and squash seeds though!


(Loved your reasoning as to why you got the est bit of the strawberry greydawnbreaking - eminently reasonable)

[anielka]

More results just in from The Murine Fruit Taste-Testing Centre of WA. They won't touch strawberry and there are perhaps a couple of desperate nibble-marks on a dried apricot. But essentially, our mice will only touch fruit if there is nothing (and I mean nothing) else to eat. Green veg they LOVE. Carbohydrate grains of all sorts. Protein, a little bit, fatty seeds and live food such as mealworms they adore. Fruit? A big No.