# Mice as pets?



## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

I am thinking about getting them as a pet, but I wanted to see how many have them as a pet and what they could tell me about them. I won't be getting them until I can get my parents to let me, I have a lot of pets as it is. But I want to learn about them first before I do anything. 
How are their personalities?
What gender is better as a pet? Personalities of both genders?
Food good/bad best brands for diet?
Cages good sized? best for them?
How much time do they need out of the cage? 
Can they be in the same room as my rats and hamster?(Not out at the same time.)
Are they really as smelly as people say?
are they easy to tame?


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## Juliah456 (Mar 12, 2014)

I've had three male mice (at separate times) but it was a while ago so I'm not too knowledgable. In terms of temperament, males should be housed alone and girls in groups, and they are much like rats as the girls are a but smaller and more active. I imagine if you prefer female rats, you'll probably prefer female rats too. My boys were cuddly from the moment I got them and loved to climb all over me and sit in my hands.. In my experience they are much easier to bond with than rats. They are also very smart and you can teach them tricks, like rats  I don't think they need quite as much out of cage as rats do. I imagine they can be kept in the same room, but remember that rats have a tendency to.. Um.. Eat mice. So you'd want to make sure your mice can't escape. I've never heard of people saying mice are stinky, but mine definitely were not. Especially since they are so small, they can't make too much stink  not sure about cages and food but I do know that oxbow (a high quality brand that makes a diet for rats found in pet stores) also makes mouse block.


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

Ok thanks  some information is better then none 


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## crazyshiny (May 12, 2014)

Hi, I have 6 female mice ( I'm introducing 2 new babies to my 4 old ones ). In my opinion they don't need that much "attention" as rats do. My mice tend to be more shy than the rats or the dwarf hamster. They still are very intelligent and you can teach them tricks and agility with patience. For the habitat, I keep them in a big tank ( 100cm x 50cm x 50cm = length x hight x weid ). from my experience there are some mice that love to digg and some they love to climb. I allways offer mine a nice layer of bedding and some branches and wood to climb on. I can't help you with the food brands dough since in Switzerland we don't have the same food as in other countries. You should know that mice tend to get fat very easy!  If you have more questions, just ask ( I don't have tooich time at the moment, that's why I only wrote something short ).


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

Thanks  when you have the time I would love to know more! 

I few more questions that I have are how do you look for a healthy mouse? And would a standard hamster cage be good for one mouse? Or is it to small or will they be able to get out. Also what is your opinion on male and female mice? Which are the more relaxed ones


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## Juliah456 (Mar 12, 2014)

Not sure about healthy mice but make sure they are young... I was once sold an elderly rat at a pet store who died shortly after... Haha not too much fun! And for bar spacing, you would be surprised. I had 1cm bar spacing and my first boy Chester escaped after a month, even though he was an adult. I think a tank or plastic bin cage would be best, that way you wouldn't have to worry  and I believe girls are smaller so they would escape a hamster cage no problem. Males would be more relaxed, like rats, but if you want many girls are best. Male mice not born together will fight and most definitely injure eachother, I think that even boys born together may not work out. Girls will be more playful, boys will be more cuddly and calm and will bond more with you.


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## Juliah456 (Mar 12, 2014)

I prefer male rats and same with male mice  goodness you're making me want mice again! Lovely little darlings and I feel they're a bit more layer back.


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## Juliah456 (Mar 12, 2014)

I really like how this article describes 'healthy mice' http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/careofmice/a/mousecare.htm ... Very helpful little paragraph on what a healthy mouse looks like.


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

Juliah456 said:


> I really like how this article describes 'healthy mice' http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/careofmice/a/mousecare.htm ... Very helpful little paragraph on what a healthy mouse looks like.


Thank you! I think I want to get a male when I get one I want a cuddles calm small pet, I five female rats and one hamster so maybe having a relaxed pet will be nice to have to I don't have to play chase the pet around my room.


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## xStatic (Dec 16, 2012)

In my experience of having mice they are not as "loving" as rats. But if you have a hamster you will probably be fine with it  I've only had female mice before and they do not smell at all, but I've heard that male mice can smell worse. If you have females you should get more than one, but if they are strangers they might fight so get two from the same litter or store or something. Like others said males should be housed alone and that means you probably will want to interact with you mice more often so that he is not lonely. They need lots of toys and require a good solid wheel to run on. Make sure you keep up on handling because mice quickly become timid, skittish, and even aggressive if they do not receive enough interaction. They do not commonly bite but it happens a lot more with mice than it does with rats. 

They do not need very large cages. A 10 gallon fish tank will easily house 3 or 4 adult females, but like with rats the glass tanks are not great for ventilation and can cause some problems. If you clean the tank out often this shouldn't be a problem at all. You can keep them in a wire hamster cage, I do not recommend the plastic ones as they may chew their way out. In a wire cage the bar spacing should be around 0.25 inches or less. 

I always made my mice a homemade mix with mostly rice, oats, cereals, dried fruits, a small amounts of dry dog food. I also gave them occasional fruits and veggies (same rules as with rats - no citrus fruits like oranges). 

I have noticed that mice urine smells worse than rat urine and they tend to pee and poop on people fairly often. They like to ride around on shoulders and in your hair just like rats do 

That's all I can think of off the top of my head. They are fun little pets to have around!


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

Hi, I currently have both mice and rats. 

I have kept mice for awhile, and I am new to rats but I can already say I prefer rats over mice (but that isn't to say I don't love my mice too!). Mice are very quick, and since they're so small they can be harder to handle. I would get female mice, I have one male mouse who was miss-sexed at the pet store, and although I love him, he can be a pain. Male mice have a very strong and distinct smell, and they pee all over everything. My boy mouse Ollie was the sweetest little thing as a baby, but once his hormones kicked in I'm sad to say he was never the same :/ He was used to living with the females (cuz I thought he was a girl at first) and now that he has to live alone he is very unhappy. I try to allow him supervised free time to interact with the girls, but all he does is try to mate with them and harass them which upsets them. I'm working on getting him a few ASF friends so he won't be lonely anymore. 

As far as personality, there's really no defined males vs females traits. Like I said, my Ollie was the sweetest little thing until he hit puberty. My girl mice all have different personalities, some like to be held and stroked while others are exercise junkies or Cheerios addicts. 

As far as housing, yes you can use a hamster cage but only if it's escape proof AND large enough. I use to use hamster cages connected together but they are a PAIN to clean and are pretty breakable. Many people use aquariums or modified bin cages, and I like those more because they are easy to clean and set up. 

As far as food, Oxbow does have a mouse and young rat food, although I just feed my mice Regal Rat alongside my rats and I've never experienced any problems with it and my mice like it. Mice are not as adventurous with food as rats are, some thing my rats will gobble up my mice will just look at me like "what this you're trying to offer me? This isn't food!"

As far as health, mice can get mites, URI's, tumors, etc like rats can. When you go to look for a mouse,look for a full, healthy looking coat, clear eyes, no open wounds, and no clicking sounds. 

Mice don't need the same amount of attention as rats do, but if you want your mice to be comfortable with you and like you then you should play with them a couple times a week. This can be as simple as letting them run around your desk while you do work. Keep in mind that they do poop and pee a lot and usually can't be litter trained. 

Lastly, mice need a good solid running wheel, and if you get more than 2 or 3 it's best to have more than 1 wheel. They also like to build nests to make sure they have plenty of materials. . 
Mice make great pets a
D


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

Sorry, I'm on the app and the screen cuts off so I can't see what I type. 
*SO make sure...
*great pets, and won't bite you unless they're either in pain or afraid 
Oh and also! When you're looking for a mouse don't get one that has a hunched back (this means they're in pain) 


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

Ok, thanks maybe two females would be better so they don't get lonely.

I don't expect them to be just like a rat, and I have hamster they aren't cuddley she likes to run around instead, I may get two females, 

But does anyone know of any forums for mice? And what brand of food is best for them?


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

Yes, there is a forum called Fancy Mice Breeders that is full of experienced mouse owners and is very helpful. I am apart of that forum and go there for advice, but be aware that since it's a breeders forum some people will have different views about their mice. Some see their mice simply as product for show, and see themselves as nothing but a provider of supplies. One user even openly admitted that they don't love their mice and don't play with them, they just care for them in a sense of maintenance. If you get females I strongly recommend getting at least three, because mice do die a lot and then you'll need to get the remaining one a new friend (like rats). It's also just more fun having more personalities, and mice love to snuggle on top of each other in their nests so if one is eating or exercising the others can sleep together. It is hardly any more work to maintain 3 or so. 


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

As far as food, Oxbow has a Mouse and Young Rat food, but I've heard recently that it was recalled (at least it was at my local Petsmart) for having excessive moisture. I feed both my rats and mice Oxbow Regal Rat and both animals love it. I haven't had any health issues with giving the mice food technically for rats. You can still add in extra goodies like veggies or Cheerios every once in awhile to keep things interesting for them. 


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## Mitsy (Apr 8, 2013)

ksaxton said:


> As far as food, Oxbow has a Mouse and Young Rat food, but I've heard recently that it was recalled (at least it was at my local Petsmart) for having excessive moisture. I feed both my rats and mice Oxbow Regal Rat and both animals love it. I haven't had any health issues with giving the mice food technically for rats. You can still add in extra goodies like veggies or Cheerios every once in awhile to keep things interesting for them.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Ok Thanks


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## ksaxton (Apr 20, 2014)

Mitsy said:


> Ok Thanks


You're welcome  if you have any more questions feel free to ask. I'm not nearly a professional mouse owner, but I have had to deal with a lot of mouse related issues. I also just really like talking about mice  and rats. 


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