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Rescue a Mouse
Mice for Sale
Mouse
Keeping Mice as Pets
"These are my three out of eleven adorable mice. Their
males and their names are Cocoa, Ceaser, and Casey. In this picture their only
about seven months old. I have had them since they were born, they have two more
brothers and two sisters. Their all Siamese except for one sister and one
brother who are black. Their always bouncing and running in their cages and its
hard to get them to be still, especially when its bath time! Yes, I give all my
mice baths, their very spoiled and happy."
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Find a Mouse
Breeder
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Rescue a Mouse
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Type |
A small warm blooded mammal in
the rodent family. Most mice kept as pets are domestic pet mice, however, there
are many varieties of mice, including long haired, curly haired and satin. There
is even a fancy variety, which is a rare show mouse and spiny mice, which are
desert creatures and a bit harder to care for. |
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Temperament |
Mice are intelligent, happy,
friendly, playful little animals which can make an inexpensive good little pet
that is fun to watch. Mice are nocturnal and very social. They will be very
active in the evening and night, but not so active during the day. Like all
other pets, mice have different personalities. Some will like to be held and
played with, some will not. Some will like to run on an exercise wheel while
others will not. Some will be shy and just enjoy building a comfortable nest to
live and not wish to be played with much at all. Well socialized mice rarely
ever bite and are more likely to enjoy being played with. The only time a mouse
will bite is to protect itself or its babies from a predator. This is why it is
important to handle your mouse regularly to show it you are not a threat. Hand
feeding a mouse is an excellent way to socialize it. Be sure to wash your hands
before you handle your mouse, as mice are sensitive to smells. Avoid picking up
a mouse by the base of the tail. A tame mouse will crawl right into your hand.
Put your hand in and allow the mouse to come to you. Let the mouse get used to
your hand, then gently scoop it up in your palm supporting its belly. Sudden
movements may scare the mouse into running away or even biting. If the
mouse is not tame enough to crawl into your hand, you should hold them gently
but firmly at the base of the tail close to their bodies and lift in to your
hand. If your mouse is a nervous one you may have to hold onto their tail to
avoid them from leaping out of your hands. You should always have at least two
mice. By nature mice are sociable animals and if left to live by themselves they
may become withdrawn, lonely and sad. Two females is best, although larger
groups are fine if you provide the cage space. (ask your vet about spaying and
neutering) Male mice can get aggressive towards the other mice in the colony and
may have to be separated. Pairs of males should be avoided, unless they
are litter mates, never separated, and given a large enough cage that they can
have their own space. Mice who are not familiar with each other are likely to
fight resulting in injury and even death. Mice are timid by nature and need time
to warm up to new people. These intelligent little rodents get bored easily and
need some kind of entertainment. Providing them with a running wheel, mouse toys
(which can be found in pet stores) and things to chew such as toilet paper and
paper towel roles will keep them occupied. Building a multi level home is great
for mice as they can then establish their own little colony. Mice have poor
eyesight, relying more on their hearing and their excellent senses of smell,
taste and touch. They are considered essentially colorblind. |
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Size |
Mice are small, about 3 inches
long not including the tail.
The adult mouse weighs about 2/5 to 4/5 ounces. |
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Housing |
Mice can be kept in hardwood,
metal, wire cages or fish aquariums. A fish aquarium with a wire mesh lid to
prevent the mice from escaping is the clean choice, however a wire cage allows
for better ventilation. Keep in mind that mice like to dig and if kept in a wire
cage the mouse may get its bedding all over the floor, so if you are going to
use a wire cage you should look for one with a bottom that has high sides. The
cage should be at least 25 inches (65 cm.) long, 12 inches (30 cm.) high and 10
inches (25 cm.) wide. Their home should be large enough for them to run and
play. Some type of bedding must be provided for the mouse. Bedding keeps the
mouse warm and helps to absorb their waste. Watching a mouse build his little
home can be quite entertaining. Paper towels, toilet paper, shredded unprinted
white paper, wood shavings and aspen chips or shavings are some of the
best choices. Sawdust, cedar or pine shavings should not be used. Paper towel
and toilet paper roles can be put in the cage giving the mouse something to chew
on. A small hut or house can be purchased at your local pet store providing a
nice little sleeping area for your mice to feel safe in. |
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Clean-up |
All bedding should be changed
once a week and the cage should be washed and dried. The waste corner should be
changed daily to prevent an odor problem. A mouse can drop about 50 fecal
droppings per day. Mice are one of the smallest pets in the world but if you do
not keep their living area clean, they can come with a big odor. You can get
sprays and mice-friendly treatments to help prevent odor problems. Do not put
your mouse's cage in direct sunlight or dark corners. |
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Grooming |
A mouse is a clean little
animal. It will groom itself daily taking care of all of its grooming needs on
its own. |
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Feeding |
Mice can be fed a mixture of
rodent foods found at your local pet store, bird seed, unsweetened grain
cereals, multi-vitamin pellets and laboratory pellets (lab blocks).
Cheese can be fed in small amounts. A wide variety of foods is important to
ensure your mice are getting all their vitamins. Fresh vegetables and fruits can
be given but should be washed then soaked in water for a half hour to ensure
that all traces of pesticides, which can harm your mouse, are washed away. Be
sparing with oily seeds, nuts, and grain mixes. Food should be put into a
ceramic dish, never use plastic bowls or you will soon be replacing it when the
mouse chews it all up. Water must be provided in a gravity driven water bottle
which hangs on the side of the cage, dishes should never be used for water. |
Exercise |
Mice like to climb and things
such as horizontal bars or ladders should be provided to allow them to exercise.
If a wheel is given, it should be attached to the side of the cage. |
Life Expectancy |
About 1-5 years. Mice living in
the wild have a much shorter life span. |
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Health Problems |
Mice are generally healthy. If
taken care of properly throughout their life they are likely to remain fit and
active. Unfortunately mice have poor recovery powers, meaning if they get sick,
there is a good chance they will not recover. This is why it is very important
to keep their living area clean and feed them a good variety of fresh foods. Do
not delay in taking your mouse to the vet if it does not appear well. Sudden
temperature changes should be avoided. Mice can get skin mites. If your mouse
develops bald spots on its body take it to a vet. |
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Gestation |
Keeping same sex mice is a good
idea, otherwise you may want to get your mice spayed or neutered. Mice can
reproduce very quickly. While you can sell the baby mice to pet stores, keep in
mind that most mice sold in a pet store are sold as snake feeders. Mice are
physically able to reproduce by about 6-8 weeks of age. Their gestation period
is about three weeks. They usually have about 8-12 babies in one litter, but can
have as few as 1 and as many as 20 babies at a time. Baby mice are born pink and
blind and are weaned at about 4 weeks of age. At about 6 days or so the fur will
start to grow, and color will appear. If you do not wish to have a bunch of baby
mice, un-spayed and un-neutered males and females should be separated at a young
age. If your pet store does not separate males and females at a young age you
may well end up taking home a pregnant female. In male mice over 6-8 weeks of
age the testicles are usually readily visible. One way to tell the sex of a
mouse is, under their tails, the distance between the anal opening and genital
opening is shorter in the females. It may be hard to tell the sex in young mice.
If your mouse gives birth do not disturb the nest and keep the adult males
separate from the females. If you must pick up a baby, remove the mother and rub
the bedding all over your hands to disguise your sent. Do not handle them too
long. After about 10 days the mice will open their eyes, and at this age it is
safe enough to handle them. In fact you should handle them in order to make them
tame. Mice may breed year-round and a female may have 5 to 10 litters per year. |
| Origin |
The mouse is native to central
Asia and can be found just about all over the world. |
Cocoa, Ceaser, and Casey, three male Siamese mice.
Cocoa, Ceaser, and Casey, three male Siamese mice.
Cocoa, Ceaser, and Casey, three male Siamese mice.
Cocoa, Ceaser, and Casey, three male Siamese mice.
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This is Chief. He's enjoying a banana chip on the
couch.
Here's a close up of Chief on his playground (complete with
habitrail, swing and ladder).
This is an albino mouse named Arctic.
Mouse Pictures 1
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