diff --git a/src/mqueue.rs b/src/mqueue.rs
index bc3eca2cc1..5539f77778 100644
--- a/src/mqueue.rs
+++ b/src/mqueue.rs
@@ -4,9 +4,10 @@
 
 use {Errno, Result};
 
-use libc::{c_int, c_long, c_char, size_t, mode_t, strlen};
+use libc::{c_int, c_long, c_char, size_t, mode_t};
 use std::ffi::CString;
 use sys::stat::Mode;
+use std::ptr;
 
 pub use self::consts::*;
 
@@ -75,9 +76,9 @@ impl MqAttr {
 }
 
 
-#[inline]
-pub fn mq_open(name: &CString, oflag: MQ_OFlag, mode: Mode, attr: &MqAttr) -> Result<MQd> {
-    let res = unsafe { ffi::mq_open(name.as_ptr(), oflag.bits(), mode.bits() as mode_t, attr as *const MqAttr) };
+pub fn mq_open(name: &CString, oflag: MQ_OFlag, mode: Mode, attr: Option<&MqAttr>) -> Result<MQd> {
+    let attr_p = attr.map(|attr| attr as *const MqAttr).unwrap_or(ptr::null());
+    let res = unsafe { ffi::mq_open(name.as_ptr(), oflag.bits(), mode.bits() as mode_t, attr_p) };
 
     Errno::result(res)
 }
@@ -100,11 +101,10 @@ pub fn mq_receive(mqdes: MQd, message: &mut [u8], msq_prio: u32) -> Result<usize
     Errno::result(res).map(|r| r as usize)
 }
 
-pub fn mq_send(mqdes: MQd, message: &CString, msq_prio: u32) -> Result<usize> {
-    let len = unsafe { strlen(message.as_ptr()) as size_t };
-    let res = unsafe { ffi::mq_send(mqdes, message.as_ptr(), len, msq_prio) };
+pub fn mq_send(mqdes: MQd, message: &[u8], msq_prio: u32) -> Result<()> {
+    let res = unsafe { ffi::mq_send(mqdes, message.as_ptr() as *const c_char, message.len(), msq_prio) };
 
-    Errno::result(res).map(|r| r as usize)
+    Errno::result(res).map(drop)
 }
 
 pub fn mq_getattr(mqd: MQd) -> Result<MqAttr> {
diff --git a/test/test_mq.rs b/test/test_mq.rs
index 2d7a895594..a7aa9315b0 100644
--- a/test/test_mq.rs
+++ b/test/test_mq.rs
@@ -20,8 +20,8 @@ fn test_mq_send_and_receive() {
     const MSG_SIZE: c_long =  32;
     let attr =  MqAttr::new(0, 10, MSG_SIZE, 0);
     let mq_name_in_parent = &CString::new(b"/a_nix_test_queue".as_ref()).unwrap();
-    let mqd_in_parent = mq_open(mq_name_in_parent, O_CREAT | O_WRONLY, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH, &attr).unwrap();
-    let msg_to_send = &CString::new("msg_1").unwrap();
+    let mqd_in_parent = mq_open(mq_name_in_parent, O_CREAT | O_WRONLY, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH, Some(&attr)).unwrap();
+    let msg_to_send = "msg_1".as_bytes();
 
     mq_send(mqd_in_parent, msg_to_send, 1).unwrap();
 
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ fn test_mq_send_and_receive() {
     match pid {
         Ok(Child) => {
             let mq_name_in_child =  &CString::new(b"/a_nix_test_queue".as_ref()).unwrap();
-            let mqd_in_child = mq_open(mq_name_in_child, O_CREAT | O_RDONLY, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH, &attr).unwrap();
+            let mqd_in_child = mq_open(mq_name_in_child, O_CREAT | O_RDONLY, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH, Some(&attr)).unwrap();
             let mut buf = [0u8; 32];
             mq_receive(mqd_in_child, &mut buf, 1).unwrap();
             write(writer, &buf).unwrap();  // pipe result to parent process. Otherwise cargo does not report test failures correctly
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ fn test_mq_getattr() {
     const MSG_SIZE: c_long =  32;
     let initial_attr =  MqAttr::new(0, 10, MSG_SIZE, 0);
     let mq_name = &CString::new("/attr_test_get_attr".as_bytes().as_ref()).unwrap();
-    let mqd = mq_open(mq_name, O_CREAT | O_WRONLY, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH, &initial_attr).unwrap();
+    let mqd = mq_open(mq_name, O_CREAT | O_WRONLY, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH, Some(&initial_attr)).unwrap();
     let read_attr = mq_getattr(mqd);
     assert!(read_attr.unwrap() == initial_attr);
     mq_close(mqd).unwrap();
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ fn test_mq_setattr() {
     const MSG_SIZE: c_long =  32;
     let initial_attr =  MqAttr::new(0, 10, MSG_SIZE, 0);
     let mq_name = &CString::new("/attr_test_get_attr".as_bytes().as_ref()).unwrap();
-    let mqd = mq_open(mq_name, O_CREAT | O_WRONLY, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH, &initial_attr).unwrap();
+    let mqd = mq_open(mq_name, O_CREAT | O_WRONLY, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH, Some(&initial_attr)).unwrap();
 
     let new_attr =  MqAttr::new(0, 20, MSG_SIZE * 2, 100);
     let old_attr = mq_setattr(mqd, &new_attr);
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ fn test_mq_set_nonblocking() {
     const MSG_SIZE: c_long =  32;
     let initial_attr =  MqAttr::new(0, 10, MSG_SIZE, 0);
     let mq_name = &CString::new("/attr_test_get_attr".as_bytes().as_ref()).unwrap();
-    let mqd = mq_open(mq_name, O_CREAT | O_WRONLY, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH, &initial_attr).unwrap();
+    let mqd = mq_open(mq_name, O_CREAT | O_WRONLY, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH, Some(&initial_attr)).unwrap();
     mq_set_nonblock(mqd).unwrap();
     let new_attr = mq_getattr(mqd);
     assert!(new_attr.unwrap().mq_flags == O_NONBLOCK.bits() as c_long);
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ fn test_mq_unlink() {
     let initial_attr =  MqAttr::new(0, 10, MSG_SIZE, 0);
     let mq_name_opened = &CString::new("/mq_unlink_test".as_bytes().as_ref()).unwrap();
     let mq_name_not_opened = &CString::new("/mq_unlink_test".as_bytes().as_ref()).unwrap();
-    let mqd = mq_open(mq_name_opened, O_CREAT | O_WRONLY, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH, &initial_attr).unwrap();
+    let mqd = mq_open(mq_name_opened, O_CREAT | O_WRONLY, S_IWUSR | S_IRUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IROTH, Some(&initial_attr)).unwrap();
 
     let res_unlink = mq_unlink(mq_name_opened);
     assert!(res_unlink == Ok(()) );