# rat vs mice



## wizzyjo (Mar 3, 2009)

i was thinking of getting a few mice but im curious, how do people think they compare to rats? i presume they wont be as as smart and probably not as good companions as rats but what else is there I should know? Are they prone to any health problems? If they ever had a bad problem, could it be operated on or not, due to their size? What size cage should you have for 3 mice? Is there lifespan similar to a rats? Would you be able to keep rats and mice in the same room if you made sure they didnt actually get near to eachother? What kind of toys do they like etc? Any input is appreciated, id love to find out more about these little things


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## wizzyjo (Mar 3, 2009)

Would like to point out, if I do decide on getting some mice, they will be from a rescue, would it be best for me to look out for babies or some a little older?


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

I LOVE my mice. I have 3 hairless mice boys (and a field mouse) and I love them to bits.

They are like rats, but much more simplistic in their thought processes. They also aren't as interractive, although mine do beg for skritches and play the tiniest of games.

If you're going to house mice together, get 3 females. Males are notorious for fighting each other and separating them and getting 3 cages set up (and cleaning them weekly) is just effort lol.

Savic Ruffy 2 cages make excellent mice cages for small colonies. I fill my cages with the usual hidey holes and then hammocks, hanging tubes and cubes etc. They love those.

Health wise, they're like rats in that they get tumours quite often. I've had one with chronic resp issues also. I've heard of people neutering mice .. but considering the size I would think that any operation carries a heavy amount of risk.

I keep rats and mice in the same room and neither of them bother with the other. Just make sure you mice can't escape the cage - that would end undoubtably in a mouse sandwich for the rats 

As for age - if they live together already (be it rescue or pet shop) there shouldn't be issues when you bring them home. Babies you can, obviously, tame as they grow up. I've adopted mice at over a year and a half before and with gentle encouragement they end up perfectly tame


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

After my work experience in an animal unit, I actually found I preferred the mice to the rats! I'd never actually had anything to do with mice before and they're rather friendly lil things. Most were quite happy to stand on my hand/forearm and a couple of the males even decided to make themselves comfy and have a wash lol (when I had the time to have them out for longer). When I could I got the single males out for longer . 

I think I'll probably get a single male in the future, but not anywhere near now.


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## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

Mousies are a lot of fun, particularly watching them. I would get a group of females since they really need and love each other, grooming, sleeping etc together. I have 9 females living together.
They don't require as much attention as rats do, so you can leave them alone easier.
I love both my rats and my mice. They all live in the same room. The mice seem not to care about the rats at all and when the rats are free roaming in the room, they often check out the mouse cage and seem very curious but the lid on the tank is secure. Rats will attack and kill mice, so be aware.
There are several good forums; the fun mouse forum and the rmca (rat and mouse club of america)
Do your research before delving into the mousie world.


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## wizzyjo (Mar 3, 2009)

Thanks for the responses  I dont plan on getting any right at the moment, maybe in a few month time, unlike when I got my first boys waldo and peppin, i want to actually be ready for the mice and have everything set up for them ready. Id be terrified of the boys getting near the mice so would keep them high up on a desk or table i presume. In response to stace, is it okay to actually get single mice? I would of presumed they should be housed together, like rats. I think I may stick to getting 3 females though as Id feel bad keeping a mouse alone if it was a boy. Are they smart enough to realise that if they keep running on a bed or desk they will eventually drop off the end? My rats have never had any issues with trying to get off the bed but I know hamsters apparently have no depth perception and will just walk right off the end of something, so would mice be like this too?


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

Mice know edges just fine. Mice are climbers, so have to have good responses to edges etc just like rats


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## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

Mice are very good at being safe on edges and don't easily fall off (never happened to mine) but they are experts in climbing down! So don't expect them to stay on your bed because your bedding will be just as convenient as a ladder. Enjoy your mousies when you get them.


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## wizzyjo (Mar 3, 2009)

ahh i see. 

its strange this happened last night just after id been thinking of getting some mice. i was at my boyfriends house last night and his cat brought in a baby field mouse  the poor things back legs looked like it could of been broken as he/she was trying to pull itself around by its front legs but couldnt move, we put it in a little tub and he was all wet and cold so we dried him with some kitchen roll and give him some extra kitchen roll to lie on to make sure he wasnt cold, we left him at the back door so if he managed to walk he could get back to his little mousie friends. he was breathing really heavily and one of his eyes had a big white dot in it as if he looked blind or something. we went to check on him this morning but the poor thing was dead. 
in all honesty, i wanted to put the little thing out of its misery last night but me and my boyfriend both didnt have the guts to do that to a little animal and his dad only offered to stamp on it to kill it which i thought was pretty cruel.

im just curious, is there anything i could of done to help him/her anymore? If this is ever to happen again, what is the best thing I can do to help or to give them as peaceful a death as possible. its very likley it will happen again, apparently the cat is always bringing them in (usually dead from her playing with them) because the lady next door has a shed which they all stay in. id just like to know that if this ever happens again i can know what to do to help the poor thing.


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## Stace87 (Jun 24, 2008)

wizzyjo said:


> In response to stace, is it okay to actually get single mice? I would of presumed they should be housed together, like rats. I think I may stick to getting 3 females though as Id feel bad keeping a mouse alone if it was a boy. Are they smart enough to realise that if they keep running on a bed or desk they will eventually drop off the end? My rats have never had any issues with trying to get off the bed but I know hamsters apparently have no depth perception and will just walk right off the end of something, so would mice be like this too?


I'd only get a single male that was already on his own. Males do have a tendency to fight, so I wouldn't get a group of males with the possibility of ending up with multiple cages as I wouldn't have the space. Some male mice will get along together. I wouldn't get a single female mouse as they usually get along in groups just fine. I don't know why, but I seem to have a preference for male animals - currently have males rats and gerbils. 

From my experience with them on my placement they're very clingy and seem to defy the laws of gravity when on anything . None of them ever even slipped, their balance is very good and they definitely recognise heights. Hamsters... you have to wonder how such a thing could survive in the wild when they'll walk off absolutely anything and land on their head ey? lol. I must have had over 20 hamsters since I was very young - my mam still always has one.

I found this website linked on fancy-rats forum and it's quite good: http://www.allaboutmice.co.uk/


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## begoodtoanimals (Dec 6, 2007)

wizzyjo said:


> ahh i see.
> im just curious, is there anything i could of done to help him/her anymore? If this is ever to happen again, what is the best thing I can do to help or to give them as peaceful a death as possible. its very likley it will happen again, apparently the cat is always bringing them in (usually dead from her playing with them) because the lady next door has a shed which they all stay in. id just like to know that if this ever happens again i can know what to do to help the poor thing.


I would keep the cat inside. Putting him outside has let him suffer a horrible death and although it seems cruel to stomp on him, it would have been a quick death, better than putting him outside so you don't have to look at the suffering. Or, if you know someone with a snake, give him to the snake.


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## wizzyjo (Mar 3, 2009)

i didnt put him outside so i wouldnt have to look at the suffering, we put him there in the hope that if he got better he could get back to his mouse friends. its not something ive dealt with before and didnt know any better. i have no right to tell my boyfriends mam to keep her cat inside when the mouse thing isnt something that bothers her.


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