# Mice



## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

I know a few people here keep them, so I was wondering what the personality difference is between a well socialized mouse and rat. All the mice I've encountered have been incredibly hard to handle, even at a young age when rats are usually fearless. Are they like some of the other rodents that are more of a watch and not touch kind of thing?


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## PixieRat (Sep 1, 2014)

My mice have all been handle-able but they aren't cuddly or interactive in the same way that a rat is. I never got the impression that the mice really cared about me whereas rats will come up to the cage door and ask to be let out every time you pass. Young mice are quite curious so you may have trouble getting one to stay still in your hands (like a young rat!) but mine have been much calmer as they get older. One thing is that even my tame mice sometimes need to be "caught" in their cage. They don't always come into my hands like a rat but once they are up with me they're fine.

I really can't let mine free-range at all other than in the bathtub because they're just so itty bitty it isn't safe. Some of mine have liked running in the ball and others don't. They are much more low-maintenance than rats which is nice but they do have a stronger smell, especially the males. Females do best kept in groups of 3+ and males must be kept alone. You can have either the 3 females or solo male in a 10 gallon aquarium if you provide plenty of climbing toys but of course bigger is always better. Mine has a nice bin cage.


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## MeinTora (Mar 19, 2014)

I got my girls older, and they are strictly watch only. (Not the case with all mice, just mine) I suppose if I had gotten them younger and they grew up being handled it would be a lot easier. Handling them doesn't seen worth it, it scares the little dears to death  I have handled some sweet mice, my uncle had a group of about fifteen does, they were amazing to watch and very docile.


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## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

Interesting. I have come to own one (somewhat unwillingly, but taking it saved its life) and I'm unsure of whether I should keep it and try to give it what it needs or try to find someone who actually enjoys keeping them. I really like pets that I can interact with, but I do understand that not all pets require or even want my interaction. Needless to say I've got all of the prerequisite supplies, just unsure if I want to make the commitment :/


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

With mice, just like rats, it really just depends on the personality. Some of my mice hate being handled, others love it. I just let my mice all run around on a desk. I make them little playgrounds, and they have a lot fun exploring and interacting with me.

The grey one is my (now deceased) boy Ollie when he was a baby. He was so tiny and cute. The white one behind him is Tilly, basically the shoulder rat equivalent of mice. She would pose for photos (I'm serious, I've got photos of her standing completely still and staring directly at the camera making cute expressions), run up to me to be pet, let me pet her like you would a rat, she even went places with me and would ride in my shoulder or in my pocket. I only have 2 mice left, they're super old and one hates being handled, but the other likes it


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

And here's Ollie as an adult kissing his girlfriend Sylvia (they were closely supervised and no one ever got pregnant)


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## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

I feel like such an idiot when it comes to mice, I know nothing about them. I don't even really know how old the girl I got is; she's seriously no bigger than a really large grape. I took a peek at some other mice today and she is equivalent to what they were calling hoppers. She eats and drinks just fine, so I know she's old enough to be away from mom, but still just so tiny. Where did you all get your mice from? I know that mice from real breeders are much bigger than pet store feeder mice.


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

I got all mine from pet stores :/ breeders are nonexistent here. When I got Ollie from Petco he was in the females tank, and I didn't know he was a boy. When I realized it I didn't have the heart to take him back, he was so sweet. He was also tiny, about the size of a grape too. You couldn't even feel him when he walked on your arm


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## kksrats (Jul 25, 2014)

I'll have to see what the hubby says about keeping her (and getting her a friend). She's very cute, yellow blazed. I can't imagine attempting to find another female in the tank I saw today though >.< she was hard enough to sex. How often would you need to clean a 10 gallon with aspen and some soft nesting material? One thing I'm short on lately is time, so I don't want to overburden myself and take away from my other animals' time. I really probably shouldn't have taken her in the first place, I'm just such a sucker >.<


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

I keep my two girls in a large bin cage, and clean it maybe every 2 weeks, with just the two of them and a fairly large cage it takes awhile to get dirty. I use pine bedding, which I know sounds like a big no no, but I'm apart of a fancy mice breeders forum and they all say kiln dried pine is the best, and honestly I have to agree. I have tried aspen (didn't absorb well, smelled weird), Carefresh (dusty and smelly), and I have to say I like pine shavings best. They're very soft and absorb odor well, and they stay dry. I know not everyone will agree with this, but I've had less health issues with my mice on pine than when I did on aspen or Carefresh. I had mites and URIs when I used those, now I use pine and my mice are both very healthy and active


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