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Keeping small animals and poodles

6K views 18 replies 16 participants last post by  Michelle 
#1 ·
Hi there, I am thinking about getting two pet mice. Does anyone have mice, hamsters or birds as pets along with poodles? It will drive them insane, won't it? Will they "get used" to seeing them in the cage? I would never leave them alone or in a place where they can get them. Anyone have experience with this? Thanks!
 
#4 ·
Jazz went for the house rabbit one time. That very loud NO! from me stopped her in her tracks and now she is very careful around Puff when she is lose. I have also turned loose the Lionhead and Polish in front of her since then and she ignores them also after a quick sniff to ensure they are indeed rabbits. Grin you may think rabbits are bigger then she is talking about but Shylow our smallest Polish is only 1 1/2 pounds on a good day.
 
#5 ·
I have birds, and have had bunnies in the past. I also have three cats. Trevvor wants/wanted to play with the kitties and bunnies, (i did have to teach him that though, he started out wanting to chase them) but he will go after the birds if they get out. He ignores them in their cage however. I consider him to have a medium prey drive....he will chase wild things with gusto, but isn't so "drivey" as to be unable to learn that the small animals in the house are our pets and should be left alone or played with very gently,in the case of the cats. I certainly wouldn't leave him alone with them though. Especially with the cats, more for his own safety then theirs lol!

Raven just wants to play with everything. He has almost no prey drive, unless the "prey" is a ball or toy lol!

I think the key to different species coexisting is careful supervision and good sturdy cages put up high, out of reach and on something that can't be knocked over, for the small animals. Or, of you discover that small animals do indeed drive your poodle crazy, careful separation. One of my non poodle dogs is a potential cat killer....she hasn't killed one yet (we are as careful as possible) and the few times she has gotten ahold of one of our cats I was right there to pull her off thank goodness, because she did not care that the cat was scratching and biting, she was going to hang on and finish what she started. In her case, separation is essential. The only time she can be in the presence of a cat (briefly, like if we are moving her from the outside to her crate) is if I am there...anyone else and she goes straight for a kill. Even with me there, things are tense! But she knows that if she actually did kill one of them, her own personal h*ll would come to get her. I've made that quite clear to her a couple times. But again, she gets very few or no chances to enact upon her wild desires. ;)
 
#6 ·
About half our dogs I would describe as having a HIGH prey drive and mum keeps chickens (not a good combination) we also have hatching chicks in the house in spring, which is not easy but can be managed. Once the dogs know they can't get to the chooks they're usually happy to ignore them but they will test the gate every time they go out and check the incubator when they come in.
So it can be done even with difficult dogs but it does take effort and vigilance.
 
#8 ·
We have a hamster. He ignores PB when he's in his cage but when he's running in his excercise ball then the dog wants to bat the ball around. I usually let PB in his hamster ball when the dog is out for a walk. I would bet that your dog would not be too interested in the mice when they're in their cage. Good luck, pocket pets are so fun!
 
#10 ·
I have a gerbil that everyone pretty much ignores, I also have parrots in the living room and with the exception of one Kelpie, everyone pretty much ignores them, too. Bug is the only one allowed unsupervised time with the (caged) animals but he's never shown any aggression or prey behavior with them. Maybe it helps that the parrots all call him by name ('Buggie, come're!') and throw food to him. :) I learned alot about training the 'Here!' command from watching my birds interact with the dogs. LOL It's all about attitude, praise, treats and laughter!. Smart birds. :)
 
#11 ·
I have 3 birds and at first Weegee was at the cages barking constantly. Now he only does if the birds flap their wings and get his attention. It isn't a huge deal since he is 9lbs and I never let the birds out around him. I have an Alaskan husky with a ridiculous prey drive. She has learned to leave them alone but I still don't trust her with them out of the cage. However, I had the birds and introduced the dogs to them as puppies.
 
#12 ·
Brody pretty much ignores the small animals in the house. I've never actually thought about if he notices the lovebird! I have had two very tiny kittens in the short time I've had Brody. Both are feral kittens we found when very young and had to bottle feed. Brody is not really interested in the kittens, but he does tolerate them pretty well. He will grumble and get up and move if they are too insistent on playing with him.

I have know standard and doodles that are not good with small animals. My aunt's female golden doodle constantly tries to kill my grandmother's chickens when she visits them. According to Brody's former owner he is good with chickens- I've never tested it though! I think the key is early socialization. I know Brody lived with cats, big dogs, small dogs, kids and chickens.

Oh, we also have the "no killing family members" rule. None of our current animals need reminding of it, but our rottweiler x border collie was the reason the rule was implemented!
 
#14 ·
I think a petstore is too overwhelming to show your dog ALL those animals to see how it would handle two or three. Jewel goes INSANE in petstores, she's a big chaser and all those little animals making noise and running around just about kills her. She's whining, moaning, shaking, jumping and it never ends! I end up picking her up but she just tries to climb over me to get back at them.
 
#15 ·
I have three mice, a canary, and four geckos. Midnight showed strong interest when she first saw the new animals. After a couple weeks she got used to the new sounds and lost interest. I hold the small animals often and she just ignores them. It helps to keep cages or tanks out of reach.
 
#17 ·
Silverpoodle, could you share about your mice a bit? Are you able to handle them? Do they bite? I've heard different things. I have a friend that has a couple, and she really loves them. (They are both female.) She said she doesn't handle them much. She is not afraid of them, but she says they are so squirmy, she is afraid they will get loose in her house and she will loose them. This is a recent fascination of mine. My hubby says "no" for now, but I am sure if I really want them he will change his mind.:laugh:
 
#18 ·
One of the mice is very shy and has never let me touch her, but the other two are super friendly. I put my hand in the cage and they climb up and let me pet them. These mice are very active so I have to be careful when playing with them. My mice have never bitten me. Just like dogs, a mouse could bite if you scare it badly. My husband used to think poorly of mice until he saw how friendly they can be.
 
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