[Jodiee182_x]

So I looked up native trees in scotland and compared it to a list of trees that were suitable for birds, and found that all these trees were suitable:
Common Hawthorn
Pussy Willow
Crabapple
Beech
Aspen
Ash

So are these suitable for mice too? Is there any other ones I can use?
I know you've to bake them before giving them to the mouse, is this because of pesticides or insects? If its due to pesticides, would I be able to take the branches from a wooded area without baking them first? And why doesn't freezing work?

Thanks guys

 

[Jack Garcia]

Yep, any tree which is safe for birds to chew is safe for mice to chew. Most fruit trees are safe (cherry is not).

Baking them kills insects, but more importantly it also kills parasitic arachnids like mites.

Freezing doesn't work because the parasites have evolved to survive British (or American) winters, but not our stoves!

 

[Jodiee182_x]

awesome, so would I soak it in water beforehand

 

[Jack Garcia]

I never do. This makes the branches shrivel, but the mice don't seem to mind.

 

[Jodiee182_x]

Ooooh I wasn't sure if they would catch fire, that a stupid idea then? :lol:

 

[Jack Garcia]

Mine haven't, but I cook them at a low temperature for an hour rather than a high temperature for a shorter period.

 

[Wight Isle Stud]

Stick to fruit trees and you will be fine. You really dont need to bother to bake them at all, anything meaty the mice will eat, and the life cycle of anything that will harm a mouse will of long been broken. In 40 years of keeping mice I hve never had a problem. When on long walks in the country my rucksack used to come back stuffed full of things for all animals to enjoy, twigs for the mice, twigs for the tree frogs, all sorts of goodies for the guinea pigs (except grass had plenty of that ) trerats for my iguanas, and eels for my crocodiles - the traps always had some in. Hoot and Toot my owls had to get used to eating fish, and sparrows with the fish stuffed inside, my ruck sack was very interesting !!

 

[WoodWitch]

eels for my crocodiles

Did you just say you have Crocodiles :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[Jodiee182_x]

wow, it sounds amazing to be you I'll be back. :lol:

 

[Wight Isle Stud]

yes, as a kid, my parents were importers of Tropical fish and other exotics. I had two crocodiles, and when they got to big, they went to Bristol Zoo.

 

[milo]

yes, as a kid, my parents were importers of Tropical fish and other exotics. I had two crocodiles, and when they got to big, they went to Bristol Zoo.

Bloody hell :shock: I bet you were popular at school on show and tell day!

 

[SarahC]

yes, as a kid, my parents were importers of Tropical fish and other exotics. I had two crocodiles, and when they got to big, they went to Bristol Zoo.

I am VERY jealous indeed of this aspect of your childhood.

 

[Wight Isle Stud]

it was fabulous . We imported fish from all over the world, dad was a pioneer. Anthing that was connected with water was obtainable, the suppliers used to send their collectors out into the jungle, Amazon etc and send us the fish. Of course, occasonally I wanted something and dad would order some for me. One of my greatest memories was being handed a bamboo tube packed with moss at both ends by my dad, as I unplugged the moss about an inch down was a red and black tree frog, next inch down yellow and red one, etc. All deadly poisonus and I kept them for many years. We had large tropical greenhouses heted with steam and it was so easy to collect live crickets for them. On another occasion I found two oval shaped tiny eggs i n the corner of a packing box, dad put them in a clear polythene bag with a drop of water, inflated it with oxygen, tied the top and hung the bag up with a drawing pin in one of the greenhouses. The result was two very beautiful gekos. They lived for about three years, untill they just disappeared. Could write a book !

 

[SarahC]

I'd read it,sounds fabulous.