# Do you have mice?



## BlackBirdSeesYou (Nov 4, 2012)

i've always wanted mice, so i'm curious as to how many of you have mice.

are they good pets? are their personalities similar to rats?


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## Rumy91989 (Dec 31, 2012)

I have two male mice and I'm babysitting two female mice and a male mouse for a friend (and I might need to keep them long term since she thought she had three female mice and I by the time I separated the male from her females it was probably too late. Yay. :/ ).
They are very different from rats, but I've found mice to be very sweet. They are very shy and skiddish because they are natural prey whereas rats can be predators as well, so rats naturally are more confident and less scared than mice. Mice will bond to you and can love you, but it's not the same as it is with rats. My boys come to the cage when they hear my voice and they'll snuggle my neck, but I can't interact with them the way I interact with my girls, largely because they are too small to be able to safely free-range. They are a lot of fun in their cage, though.  Mine love their wheels and if I end up keeping the girls long term I'm going to get them an awesome maze to play in. It's very cute to watch them going about their business.
They do smell, though, rather awful. It's not so bad that you can't stand it, but it's a stench that you have to get used to, even if you keep the cages very clean.


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## 3 ratties (Apr 6, 2013)

I don't own mice currently. But I had about 13 of them a few years ago because my moms cat had killed the mother and we found the babies and I kept them til they got big and then my grandpa let them outside in his field. I don't think they are like rats very much. Rats seem much for attentive of a human, to where the mice seemed to just run around and be wild. Maybe people with actual pet mice would know better. But thts just my experience with mice. They are super cute but I wouldn't want to get attached to something that doesn't live long at all. I like watching mice run on a wheel


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

I've hand raised 3 fuzzy mice & I currently own 1 adult male...how tame they are seems to depend on their individual personalities....2 that I've had were very skittish & jumpy, 1 was very bold & feisty...& the one I have now hes a total sweetheart love bug! Hes really laid back & for a male he doesn't smell too bad at all...but yes if you get a male be warned they do have a strong odor....surprisingly strong for such a small animal!
I agree that free range time is difficult due to their size, but with mine I just hold him on my lap & let him climb on my shoulder etc. if you love ratties, mice are a great pet to have...I love my little boy ;D...if you can tho, get one from a very young age & handle them often. Also...if you get females they must be kept in groups, but males have to live alone.


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## Muttlycrew (Dec 21, 2012)

I have mice  my sister breeds feeders for her snake and I snag babies here and there. I have two right now, but right now she has a really cool looking orange and white one that I may have to take. Personally, I love them! The males are stinky, but they're all very sweet! 


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## moonkissed (Dec 26, 2011)

I had pet mice when I was younger. Like everyone else said they are a bit different then rats personality wise. A few I had were very timid and were quite content to just be left alone lol But one Niki was my little sweet heart. I would carry him around with me everywhere & he was very friendly and calm. But still not quite as interactive I guess as rats. Very adorable though. Way messier IMO lol



3 ratties said:


> They are super cute but I wouldn't want to get attached to something that doesn't live long at all.


? Mice have almost the same lifespan as rats though.. A healthy mouse can live 2-3 years.


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## 3 ratties (Apr 6, 2013)

oh okay i'm sorry i didnt know that. i just googled it and yeah they said average lifespan is a year and half or older. I thought mice lived 6 months. Someone told me that once, guess i shouldnt listen to certain people. Oops!


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