Are mice good pets?

Good

· Mice are very cute

· They’re much braver and slower than wild mice

· They are easy to look after

· They rarely bite you, and when they do, it doesn’t hurt or harm you

· They are nice to pet

· They’re not scary

· They are cheap to keep and buy

· They can’t jump

· They don’t need much attention

· They are entertaining to watch

Bad

· Mice, particularly males, can be smelly

· They are sometimes nocturnal

· They have a short life, and get ill fairly easily

· They produce more “waste” when being handled then usual

· They produce a large litter of young

· It is hard to tell a mouse’s gender











Yes, these are their largest needs:

· A cage cleaned weekly

· Some bedding

· Sawdust

· Fresh food and water

· An open space and a concealed space



How to look after mice

Choosing a cage

There are many different types of cages to choose for your mice/mouse. When choosing, remember the following:

1. Your mice cannot find any way to escape

2. The cage can’t be too small

3. It must be safe, with no sharp metal poking out



The plastic cage







Plastic cages are great cages for mice, however, if you smash it you must throw it away as sharp plastic can cut mice which will likely lead to an infection.







The metal cage







Metal cages are easy to find, but have two disadvantages

1. Saw dust, sand or whatever you use will often spill on the floor.

2. If mice climb up the side (they probably will) they are at danger of cats (if you have any) attacking them.



The “plastic play” cage







Plastic play cages may look fun at first sight, but are they ideal? Not really. Most of them are hard to clean, and the colours of the plastic make it hard to see your mice’s true colours unless you take it out the cage. It also doesn’t have easy accessibility for old mice, so you may end up wasting money buying a more “simple” cage for your mouse/mice.






Once you have chosen your cage, you have the matter of cleaning it. It is recommended that you clean your mouse’s cage at least once a week. Also, you’d better start a rota if you want to get some help, because there are likely to be battles over whose turn it is.

You should clean your cage with pet friendly spray, otherwise, it could kill them! Spray the spray onto a paper towel or a cloth, and rub it on the cage.

You’ll need to change your pets sawdust and bedding whenever cleaning the cage.


Mice must have fresh food and water at all times.

You can feed your mice hamster or mouse food, whichever one you choose doesn’t really matter. They like them both. If you have 2 or less mice, feed them every day. If you have more, just feed them when the bowl is empty.



Water

Mice should be fed water from a water bottle, not a bowl. Your mouse’s cage should come with a water bottle, if not, come to your local pet store. Only ever feed your mouse water from a bowl if their water bottle breaks, at this point it should be replaced as soon as possible. If you have 2 or less mice, give them fresh water every day. If you have more, just give them fresh water when they are running out. Make sure your mice have easy access to water at all times.



Yearly costs



1 small packet of bedding every month = £1 x 12= £12 ($19.76)

Bag of sawdust every 3 months = £2.50 x 4 = £10 ($16.46)

Medium bag of food every month = £1 x 12= £12 ($19.76)

General equipment in 1 year ETA £ 12.50 ($20.59)





Here are some great mouse health links:

http://www.petinfo4u.com/asksmall.htm

http://pet-mice.com/health_problems/

http://www.animalhospitals-usa.com/small-pets/mice-and-rats/mice-rat-health.html



Unhealthy mice

These are my mice. The black one passed away due to polyps in her ear. The white one has an unknown illness, and is on her last legs.

Update since article was typed:

The white mouse had to be put down, RIP Coconut.













Lifespan

Unfortunately, mice have a short lifespan, of around just 1 year. This may even be less, if your mouse is unhealthy. To make the most of it’s life, buy it when it’s young.

Links

http://forum.thefunmouse.com/

http://pet-mice.com/

http://www.miceandrats.com/miceas.htm

http://www.petsworld.co.uk/mice.htm

If you have any questions, post them as a reply, or PM me.



By Mark

Great job Mark!! That certainly will be helpful for anyone starting with mice, or someone looking for a quick refresher on how to deal with them.

Hugh

I have to say it was a job well done and it taught me information about raising mice. I thank you for that and I also like your money converting as a extra step---wonderful job....

A most impressive and informative posting about keeping mice. Well Done! I can see that you have spent a great deal of time researching this information, and with your own personal experience having mice as pets.

You've kept things nice and simple to follow with lots of useful photos and addition informative sources which are very helpful for someone interested in keeping mice. You have clearly thought about all aspects of keeping mice, and I especially appreciate that you've added example financial costs, and taking into account the conversion of these into US dollars for overseas members.

Very worthy of being a pinned topic indeed and duly done. I'm sure Brad will also be most pleased with your effort. Well done again and thank you for taking the time to make such a great post.

Good stuff little guy !!
You put a lot of effort into this and it shows ... very professional

Great posting

I've had pet mice and they are great.....highly intelligent and social



Kate

Thanks everyone.

Also, thanks Brad for pinning it, but I'd like a reply please!

mpigeon wrote:Thanks everyone.

Also, thanks Brad for pinning it, but I'd like a reply please!

Mpigeon, Brad hasn't seen your post yet, but I am sure he will reply once he has seen it. I was most impressed with your post and therefore pinned it myself.

Thanks

Thanks.

Mark, all I can say is: "WOW!"

Wonderful job! Very informative, easy to follow, and very professional looking!

Bravo!

Linda

Thankyou Lin H

I used to keep rats, they're all so cute, rats and mice! ^__^