The most commonly available type
of mouse available as a pet is the domestic
pet mouse. These pet mice have been
selectively bred to enhance the desirable
qualities of the mice. There are also spiny
mice (which are desert creatures that are
a bit trickier to care for), but for the purposes
of this article we will discuss the ordinary
domestic mouse.
Ordinary does not mean boring, however.
If you have ever seen a group of pet mice playing,
you realize they can be quite entertaining pets.
They are a bit skittish and harder to handle
than some of the lager rodents such as rats,
but they can become quite tame and will take
food from the hand and allow themselves to
be handled if started at a yound age.
Mice are quite ideal as small pets that are
entertaining to watch, are easy to care for
and make very few demands on their owners.
Life Span
Their short life span is one of the biggest
drawbacks of mice. On average they live
for about 1.5-2 years, although they can
sometimes live up to 3 years.
Habits
Mice are nocturnal and very social.
They will be very active in the evening and night,
but don't expect to do much with them during
the day. Being social, they are best kept in groups.
A pair of females is the easiest, although larger
groups are fine if you provide the cage space.
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 (unfamiliar males are very likely to fight).
Keeping males and females together should be
avoided unless you want lots of mice in a short
amount of time.
Choosing Healthy Mice
When picking out your mice, look for active
bright mice, with smooth clean coats and pink
clean skin on the ears and tail. The eyes and
nose should be free of discharge, and the
mouth and anal areas should be clean and dry.
Their breathing will be relatively fast, but should
not be labored or noisy. Check the cage as
well - it should be clean (the mice have been
well cared for) and the droppings should be formed.
Look for a pet store that separates males and
females at a young age (good breeders will do this).
Mice can reproduce by about 6-8 weeks of age,
although this is very stressful on the female and
should be avoided. If your pet store doen't separate
mice at a young age you may well end up taking home
a pregnant female. To tell the difference between
young males and females check under their tails for
the distance between the anal opening and genital
opening - this distance is shorter in the females.
A breeder or pet store should be able to do this
for you, but it can be hard to do in young mice
unless you have males and females to compare
to each other. In older (6-8 week old) male mice,
the testicles are usually readily visible.
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