Mouse Buying and Care Guide

About Mice

Mice are a popular choice of pet, they are lively and inquisitive. They have been kept as pets for over a century, so they must be doing something right. They do not take up much room, and are lots of fun to handle and play with.

Your mice will enjoy daily handling, and time out of its cage. When your mice are out of the cage, make sure your home mouse proof unless you give them constant supervision.

Mice usually live for 1-3 years, and are relatively easy to look after. Mice weigh about 30g and measure 15 cm long.

There are around 700 different varieties of fancy mice kept as pets in a range of colours including black, white, blue, violet, soft dove grey and many more, and they can be solid and patchy. Mice also come in short haired and long coated varieties, Manx (tailless), rex coated (wavy coats) and hairless. These varieties are rarely found in pet shops, but can usually be found through reputable breeders.

Before you buy

Before buying your new pet, ensure you have researched the animal as much as possible before making any purchase. Visit a mouse forum and speak with other mice owners ask what its like keeping mice as pets from other mice owners, you will get an honest opinion and perhaps pick up some great tips.

Make sure you can afford the time, care, space, and expensive that comes with owning any animal. If your pet needs to go to the vet, can you afford the bills?

If you go away on holiday, who will look after your pet while you are away? You will need to find someone prepared to look after your pet, and this person needs to be reliable and happy to touch your pet, and clean its home. Or, there are boarding facilities that will take in your mice, but are they local to you and how much do they cost?

Buying your Mouse

Mice prefer to live in groups and are best introduced at a young age, especially males. When buying more than one mouse, ensure they are around the same age and they should already be living in a community when purchased. Do keep mice in single sex pairs to avoid breeding. Mice should not be paired with rats as the two species do not get along.

Buy your mice from a reputable pet shop or breeder. Check your pet is in good health before purchasing.

• Check its eyes are open, bright and free from discharge.
• The nose is dry, and free from discharge or crusting.
• There should be no patches of baldness or scabby patches on its body.
• The fur is clean, and free from infestation.
• Free from diarrhoea.
• The mouse is alert, bright eyed and active

If you do not believe the mouse is in good health, look to another source to find your new pet.

Your Mouse’s Home

There are a variety of mice cages available including traditional wire cages, and funky plastic cages which have tunnels and ladders. Some fish and reptile aquariums are also suitable but only if they have a well ventilated top. The minimum floor space of any cage for 1-2 mice should be 2ft x 1 ft, with an extra square foot of floor space for each additional mouse. Always get the biggest cage you can for the well being of your pet.

Have your mouse’s home already set up for its arrival, better still, take the home to the shop or breeder so you can put it straight in to get settled.

Mice need and enjoy exercise and entertainment for fitness and their well being. To achieve this incorporate an exercise wheel with no open rungs for your mice to have a good run. Adding items of interest need not be expensive, try adding card board tubes, flower pots and cotton reels for entertainment and places to hide in.

Keep the mouse’s home indoors in a warm place, out of direct sunlight and free from draughts. Keep it away from and radiators as mice are prone to heat stroke. It should be in a relatively quiet area of the house, and away from other pets that may be a threat to it.

Wire Cages

The most common type of mouse habitat is a cage with a plastic base and a rigid wire top is best. The wire top can be unclipped from the base making it easy to get the mice out of the cage or to clean the cage. To give your mice extra space, chose a cage with additional levels. You can get cages from Bits for Pets that have up to three levels; this provides your pets with extra space, as well as providing them with exercise when they go up and down the levels. p>

Aquariums as Habitats

The floor covering needs to be absorbent to soak up urine, wood shavings are most popular, but avoid fine saw dust as this can irritate your pet’s eyes.

Mice Bedding

Cotton wool type bedding should be avoided in a small pet’s home, as it will cause harm if eaten as it does not dissolve and will cause a blockage, also the fibres can become caught around the mouse’s limbs which can cause harm and distress. Soft paper bedding is best. When cleaning your mice’s habitat, when it come time to change the bedding incorporate some of its old bedding with the fresh bedding, this helps your pet feel more at home and less disorientated as there will be familiar smells. Mice like to have a box to sleep and hide away in, add a sleeping nest or small cardboard box to give your mice somewhere to retreat.

Their home needs to be tidied every day and thoroughly cleaned out every week.

What to feed your Mouse

Mice burn up a lot of energy, so they need to have food available at all times to feed on to regain their energy. Your mouse’s diet will need to consist of grains, seeds, pellets, biscuit and dried vegetables, which most dried mixes will provide. Pellet food is also available and will provide your pet with its dietary requirements, but does not offer any variety. Mice also enjoy fruit and vegetables, but only give it to them once or twice a week to begin with; this can be increased gradually as their digestive system gets use to fresh food. If the mouse shows signs of diarrhoea, stop feeding your pet fruit and veg until it is back to normal, then gradually re-introduce the food back into the diet.

It is recommended to feed mice in the evenings when they are most active. You can not over feed your mouse; they only eat what their body requires.

As well as food, mice need fresh water everyday. This is best provided by using a water bottle attached the side of the cage or hung from the side if you have a plastic tank or aquarium. Attach the bottle at a height the mice can comfortably reach. Bottles should be cleaned with a bottlebrush regularly to prevent the build up of algae, which is harmful to your pet’s digestive system. Bottles and tops can be sterilized in baby bottle sterilizing solution every so often for extra cleanliness.

Handling Your Mouse

Once your mice have settled into their new home you can begin regularly handling your pets. Begin by offering your mouse a tasty treat to get it familiar from your hand to help build up its confidence. Get your pet used to your hand before you pick it up straight from the cage. Start by stroking its body, not its head. Once your pet is happy scoop it up with both hands. You can also pick your mouse up by the base of the tail and place it on your other hand while you lift it out of the cage - do not lift the mouse up by the tail alone. Keep it close to your chest, and be firm but gentle. It is advisable to be sat down while handling your pet, this way if it does fall it has not got far to land.

Once you are comfortable with each other, let your mouse investigate you further. Try to keeping it facing you; let your mouse wander from one hand to another. The time it takes to tame your mouse may vary, be patient. Never squeeze your mouse, or hold it by the end of the tail.

Health

To help prevent your mouse becoming sick, ensure your mouse is in a clean environment. Use dust extracted bedding to prevent eye irritations.

Symptoms of poor health include breathing problems, diarrhoea, feet sores, hair loss or bald patches, lumps, excess scratching, sudden weight loss, discharge from eyes, nose, and ears if your mouse presents any of these symptoms consult your vet for advice.

If a mouse develops skin sores, bathe them with a mild antiseptic. If they persist, seek veterinary advice. Loss of fur and sore skin could also indicate parasites (tiny living things which live on other creatures) or the fungal disease ringworm.

This is a very basic guide to caring for your mouse, this information is not exhaustive. Please find out as much information as you can regarding mouse care to ensure that your mouse gets the most out of you and you out of your mouse. Always seek vetinary advice if you are concerned with your pet’s health. em>