# Considering Mice?



## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

I've been doing a bit of research lately on mice, and after holding a few recently in a pet store I've been considering if I want to get a pair or trio of females. I'm currently unsure about if I should get them or not since I do already have rats and gerbils. If anyone here has mice or has had mice I'd love to read about your experiences with mice as pets. A few of my concerns are: Tank or cage? I've read many places that suggest a tank for mice so they can tunnel and won't be able to escape, but I've also read that cages are better so they can climb and have ventilation. However, if I were to keep them in a tank I would keep it extra clean so ventilation wouldn't be an issue. How tame are they? Are they as tame as rats and gerbils? Do they actually like being held and like you or do they just see you as the thing that feeds them? Do mice have issues with biting? How are they with smell? How often does the bedding need to be cleaned? I clean my rats cages every 5 days, but I clean my gerbils tanks every 1 1/2 to 2 weeks since they are less smelly than other small animals. I'm just curious where they would fall as far as smell goes.


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## elliriyanna (Jul 27, 2011)

I have had mice and when I had tamed girls in a tank so I could actually catch them it was great ... but they do smell even faster than rats. Currently I have a gorgeous girl but the most I can do is give her treats through the bars  so it depends on the individual


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## Babs (Jan 26, 2012)

I've never had pet mice, but I've had wild ones and I can tell you, they stink! The internet isn't exaggerating when it says they smell strongly, because they really do. 

As far as pet mice go, my brother and sister used to have a pair. They were very fond of them, but they were more skittish than rats and not quite as interested in interacting with their owners. I can see the appeal though, they're very cute little creatures.


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## Mrm911 (Jul 6, 2012)

I have one now and he is tame and smeels really bad, but just get good bedding it will help alot. I have him on cell sorb and give with pieces of toilet paper to borruw with. And he loves borrowing! I have him in a cage and he still manages to get bedding and things out of the 2-3 inch bottom. Mine does not bite but does nibble, which sort of feels like he is biting though. But I got him when he was a month or two, I did not even know he was male. He does not mind being held and like to constently move and run even after being attacked by my cat.


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

I found a tiny baby mouse, I raised him from a fuzzy with his eyes closed...hes now mature and a really fun pet. Hes gotten a little nippy since he matured but he seems to be calming down now his hormones are settling...which I believe rats also go through.
Yes, since maturing he does have a strong odor! I use Aspen bedding and spot clean frequent to keep odors down.
I keep mine in this cage...http://www.amazon.com/SAM-Small-Animal-Rainforest-3-Level/dp/B003UH20Z8 the rainforest design was more for my daughters appeal lol  but it is a great cage and we can add expansions to it which is cool. The bar spacing is perfect too.
Hes very active, even during the day sometimes...constantly exploring and nest building...I would say go for it! I myself am the opposite, I'm now considering adding rats to my family!
Oh and I guess male mice must be kept alone, females need companions...learned that on here


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

I wonder if the females have less of an odor??? Lol!


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

I've read that females are actually more recommended for pets because males smell so bad. I assume the ones at the pet store are all females. I held them and they didn't have any testicles but I didn't actually look down there and I'm not positive of their age so I can't be sure they're not just underdeveloped males. When I held the mouse it was frightened at first and wouldn't be still, but then calmed down and sat calmly in my hand.


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

Haha the smell isn't so bad once your used to it, but it is surprising that such a small creature can smell so strong lol. Luckily they don't make too much mess so cleaning is a breeze and I haven't had a problem with mine tossing bedding out of the cage...I got him one of those grassy nest hide-outs which came with some free soft cotton wool type nesting material and he uses that for sleeping and puts all of his bedding in it.
They are very hyperactive compared to rats, mine is all over the place when I first get him out [exploring, climbing etc.] then he will chill in the palm of my hand and groom himself, let me pet him etc.
Oh and mine LOVES meal worms for treats ;D


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## echoskybound (Apr 24, 2012)

I keep my mice in a cage that has a solid bottom filled with bedding, so they can burrow and dig. Tanks are always a concern with any rodent, since ventilation is poor, and mice love to climb. My mice don't smell much, I have two females and I use fleece bedding on the shelves that I change every other day, and bedding that I change twice a week. I also occasionally throw the whole cage in the shower for a good cleaning, and the smell really isn't an issue (I don't clean it that frequently because it smells bad, though. I just try to keep it hygienic.) I also keep an air purifier in the room they're in, so that probably helps with the smell a lot. I've heard that males smell pretty bad, but I've never had males.

It depends where you get your mice, but I've always gotten my mice from a small local pet shop, and they've all been very tame and docile little girls who have NEVER bitten. They've all been total sweethearts who are super curious and love people. They definitely don't just see you as the food bringer, they see you as something fun. They run to the door when they see me walk into the room, although one of my girls has gotten more shy and reserved since she started having health problems.

Mice also love hammocks, like rats do. I make tons of little huts and hammocks for my mice. One of them is a trouble maker though and she loves to shred, turn things upside down, inside out, and make all kinds of messes, lol. The other one leaves everything the way it is and isn't much of a burrower or chewer.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

Not all rodents. Gerbils should never be kept in cages. Tanks are really ideal for them. ^^; Also, since I share an apartment with my brother and he doesn't really care for rodents, I would have to keep them in the same room as my gerbils and rats. Is there any issues with keeping them in the same airspace as rats and gerbils? I am a registered gerbil breeder so I would have little ones in the same room as well. However, how it is currently set up is the gerbil tanks are on one side of the room and my rat cage is on the other side.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

Well I got my two mice today. Two little females. One is white with black spots and black eyes and the other is long-hair gray with ruby eyes. I checked and double checked to make sure I got two females.


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

Congrats! Can't wait to see pics! I just got two rats yesterday...will post a thread as soon as I get good pics of my new babies!


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## PrincessRat (Aug 22, 2012)

I would definitely use a cage, the only small animal acceptable in a tank is a gerbil. But you have to be sure the bars are at least 1/4in spaced, that is how big I have always had for mice but I have heard that others have had mice escape from even that so 1/8 spacing would be better. Mice do smell quite a bit, I always cleaned my mouse cage every two days or it would stink really bad. Whether they like to be held or not depends on the mouse I think, I have never had a mouse that didn't like being held and played with though. The only problem I have ever had, and I've known a lot of mouse owners who have had the same problem, is that if you hold and play with them too long they seem to die. I have had mice many, many times and every time I have held them and played with them for more than an hour or so at a time, they've died a few hours after I put them back in the cage. I've known others who this has happened to as well. Mice usually don't bite, I have never been bitten by one but it could happen. They are very small and can be fast and sneaky escape artists but if you're used to gerbils then that should be fine. Mice make pretty decent pets I'd say. I still prefer rats over anything, but I've owned nearly every small animal out there from mice to rabbits and from a savannah monitor to a bullfrog and I'm not even 15..mice would be pretty close to the top of my list of choice pets.


-Rats are my life-


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## PrincessRat (Aug 22, 2012)

Can't wait to see pics of your mice!


-Rats are my life-


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

Here are some pictures of the girls.

This one is more friendly. She enjoys being held but won't come to me like my gerbils do.


















This one is a long hair mouse. She's not very tame and usually pees in my hand whenever I pick her up, but I'm working on changing that.









She is also not very willing to sit still.. which is why I don't have a picture of her ruby eyes.


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## elliriyanna (Jul 27, 2011)

Actually princess mice are fine in tanks as long as you keep up with it and hamsters are small animals and tanks and bin cages are best for themAwaiting_abyss they are gorgeous


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

Thank you.  I currently have them in a tank, because I do not have a cage with small enough wire spacing to put them in. I may switch them to a cage later if I find one cheap that also has enough room for their tunneling and tiny wire spacing. But I will certainly keep the tank extra clean!

By the way, you can see in the picture that the white mouse has a rather round belly. Is that normal or could she be pregnant? She was in a tank with two males. I'm really hoping she isn't pregnant because I've read about how many babies mice will have in a litter. O_O


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## elliriyanna (Jul 27, 2011)

Well she could be but if it helps I have a lone female and she looks due any day lol some can just be chubby


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

Hopefully she is just chubby then!


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## elliriyanna (Jul 27, 2011)

If she starts looking pear shaped ( weight gain mostly in the belly) I would worry otherwise try to relax


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## Mrm911 (Jul 6, 2012)

I have a fat mouse to who has a belly, but do watch for the pear shape.


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

REALLY cute! My mouse is also a fatty...but hes a boy so I don't have to worry haha ;D Hopefully shes not pregnant!


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

So I posted an ad on Craigslist searching for a cage for my two mice, and I got an email back from someone saying this - "I will be honest and tell you it is not good to put mice in cages with bars the best homes for mice are aquariums you can buy them cheap and they are safer then the bar cages. Mice eat and chew on the bars which has chemicals that can harm them anybody who has raised mice for pets will tell you this just thought I would pass this information on to you." 
Now I'm not sure what to do. I currently have them in a 10 gallon tank and they seem happy in there for the most part. Should I leave them in the tank and just clean it more often? Or should I continue to look for a cage? I realize that only a few of you have kept mice, but I'm not sure of a mouse forum where I could ask these questions.


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

I have my boy in a cage meant for hamsters (altho it does say on the box its suitable for mice too) and I haven't had any problems with him chewing or trying to escape. He's really happy and healthy. He loves all the tunnels and that he has multiple levels.All the hamster cages have tiny bar spacing and easy to clean. I would rather keep my small animals in cages versus tanks as I feel they need the ventilation...that's just my opinion.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

Well if you ever get gerbils, please don't keep them in a cage... Its really not very kind to them.  Most get bored, injured or become aggressive when they're kept in cages. Plus tanks provide plenty of ventilation for them since they do not have strong smelling urine and they don't urinate very much anyway since they're desert creatures.... Sorry it just really saddens me when I see people keeping gerbils in cages.. :/


Well it looks like neither of my mice are pregnant. Thank goodness! I've had them for 18 days now (which I've read is the gestation period for mice) and they haven't gotten any fatter. I guess they're just fat. 
I'm keeping them in a 10 gallon tank. They seem quite happy in it. I just bought them a wheel to add to it also (thinking about getting a second wheel since they sometimes both want to run at once). They've really warmed up to me now. Every time I come near their tank they look up expectantly because I often give them some kind of vegetable or fruit.
I've named the white spotted one Mithe (pronounced like myth) and the long hair gray one is named Myrre (Pronounced similarly to mere but with more of an "i" sound at the first e).


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## Eden10 (Aug 11, 2012)

I think gerbils are illegal here so won't be getting one anytime soon lol...but that's good to know, I know a lot of ppl on here keep gerbils. Really cute names for your girls!


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

Thank you!  It took me a while to decide what to name them since they were so shy at first, but I think their names fit them perfectly now. And I'm so glad they're not pregnant! That would have been a lot of babies o_o And mice aren't a very popular pet in my area so I'm not sure what I would have done with them all.

Oh, well I know they're illegal in California. Which is why I could never live there lol. I couldn't live without my gerbies.


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## Blaze (Jul 16, 2012)

I have a friend who has fourteen boy rats, and also four girl mice. She says that the mice smell ten times worse than the rats do, and they're in a wire cage which is cleaned every few days (if I remember correctly). Mice smell horrible.

Also, mice can escape from any wire cage, or at least 99% of them. One of my friend's mice escaped from a cage with I think 1/8th of an inch bar spacing. So when you want mice, I guess you have to either risk their escape and death in order to have a cage that doesn't smell as bad as an aquarium, or live with a horrible smell to make sure that they're safe.

Also, my friend handles her rats and mice every single day. The tamest the mice have gotten is to the point of sitting on her shoulders, but they don't like being held.


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## Awaiting_Abyss (Jul 24, 2012)

Most people who have mice have recommended an aquarium to me. Mine live in an aquarium and I haven't changed their bedding since I got them on September 8th and it still doesn't stink yet even if I stick my head down in the tank. Currently they're on carefresh but I'm going to switch them to aspen.

Mithe likes to be held. She will crawl into my hand now. I'm still working on Myrre but she was so untame when I got her. She doesn't mind being held now, but she won't crawl onto my hand yet.

Yes, holding a mouse is a little different than holding a rat, but they're two different animals so you shouldn't really expect them to be the same in personality.


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