The domestic mouse is more commonly called the fancy mouse. The have a life span of about of between 1 and 2 and a half years. They come a huge variety of colours and can make great first pets for children as they dont need much work.
Mice are very social animals and they need others around them so it is best to buy your pet mice in pairs. Mice can breed as often as every month so it is very important to make sure you have a pair of the same sex before you bring them home if you dont want to find a litter of little babies within a month of having them. Females are a better choice of pet because the males have been known to be aggressive towards eachother and they also have a very strong smelling urine.
Housing Your New Pets.It can be very difficult to decide which housing method to choose for your pet mice. Wire cages are never 100% reliable as mice can squeeze through the tiniest of gaps in the wire. Tanks made from glass or plastic with a ventilation enabled lid are best suited for mice as there are no small gaps for them to crawl through. Once you have chosen your cage or tank its time to think about the bedding. Shredded paper makes great bedding and also dust extracted sawdust. It is very important to make sure the sawdust is suitable for small animals as the dust in it can cause fatal respiration diseases in mice. Cedar shavings must be avoided for this reason.
Mice like to shred things up and gather materials in the corner of their home to make a warm bed to sleep in. Materials like cut up cotton sheets and cotton wool work best as they shred it up and build a nest out of it to keep them warm.
Boredom can be a problem with pet mice and this can lead to constant gnawing or scratching to releive boredom. This can be solved by providing suitable play materials for them to use. Something as simple as an empty toilet roll tube will be suffice. This provides them with somewhere to hide, chew and run through. Some cages specially made for mice have activity centres built into them with ladders and tubes however these can be pricey. Toilet roll tubes and also tape an empty egg box closed and cut a hole in the side. This can make a great play area for them and they will often take their bedding into it as well.
Mice need to be cleaned out atleast once a week. Replace all soiled material on the floor of the house. Take out all bedding that is soiled but it is important to leave a little of the old bedding for familiarity.
Feeding Your Mice. The basic diet of wild mice consists of vegetables and cereals. Domestic mice however are best fed of commercial rodent mix. Also a treat of a small peice of fresh vegetable, such as carrot and broccoli every so often will never go unappreciated. Mice do not like cheese or other dairy foods contrary to the popular myth and this can be very upsetting for their delicate stomachs. The teeth of mice are constantly growing and they control this by gnawing to wear them down so it is important to provide some sort of gnawing material to make this possible. A non toxic bit of wood is recommended or you can buy special flavoured gnawing blocks from most pet shops.
Avoid mice developing a fussiness for certain parts of the food mix by refusing to re-fill the food bowl until every last bit has been eaten. Fresh water must always be available and refreshed every day. Mice can easily become dehydrated and this can be fatal.
Bonding With Your Mouse.Mice are normally very shy quiet animals and dont usually bite but instead hide and the sight or sound of potential danger. It is important to let your new pet get to know you and understand that you wish to care for them and are not a danger to them. When you bring your pets home it is important to give them atleast 24 hours quiet to get used to their new home and settle down. After this stage you can start to spend time with them. If you wish to pick your mouse up their is an important way of doing this. It can be dangerous to the mouse in you pick it up by wrapping your hand round its body as they are very fragile. Pick mice up by holding the bottom of its tail. This may look cruel but they feel no pain and puts no pressure on any area that will cause discomfort. Be careful not to squeeze the mouse. Let her crawl around on your hand and sniff. Getting to know your smell is a very important stage of bonding with your mice. You can also get them used to you by holding a tasty treat in your hand and placing your hand in the cage and the mice will get used to taking this from you.
Once your mice get to know you they can be lots of fun to play with and watch.
Above all this there is one thing you need to remember. Like any pet mice need lots of love and care. With the right care pet mice can lead a very entertaining and happy life with you.
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