Mice are very intelligent and inquisitive little pets to have in your life. People have been keeping mice as pets for over 1,500 years now.
Like societies and shows for cats, dogs, and horse breeds, there are also mouse shows and societies for pet mouse owners.
They can entertain your family with the proper care and environment for hours.
The Ultimate Mouse Care Guide
Mice are delicate and friendly little critters that make great companions. A general rule of thumb is to start with 2 to 3 female mice because they tend to like the companionship of their sex and their human carers.
Male mice need to be kept on their own because they tend to fight, often to the death, and are not the best option to have as your first mouse pet.
You can buy a pet mouse directly from a breeder specializing in pet mice. While you can also get mice from pet stores, many will buy their mice from rodent mills and can often have hereditary health problems.
Adding to that is that a pet store living environment can add to a mouse’s health issues, with mice often being timid and a bit stressed out. You don’t want to have a timid mouse as your first pet.
Other things to look for when choosing a pet mouse are eyes that look alert and bright and fur that is clean and healthy-looking. If you see bald patches on a mouse’s coat, it is an indication that they could have health issues unless it’s part of a hairless mouse breed.
Mouse Care: Equipment You Will Need
To keep your pet mouse happy and healthy, there are certain things you will need, such as an enclosure, water, and food dish, bedding, toys, a hidey-hole to sleep in, and an exercise wheel.
Enclosures
If you live in a warm area, your enclosure will need to be well ventilated, such as a cage with wire walls and a strong plastic base. You’ll want the base walls to be at least 4 or 5 centimeters tall, so the bedding stays within the cage and not all over your floor.
The wires need to be no further than 1 centimeter apart so the mouse can’t escape. You’ll want the mouse cage to be as large as possible, at least 30 centimeters tall, 30 centimeters wide, and 45 centimeters long, but bigger is better.
If you live in a cooler climate, you may opt to use a fish tank with a mesh cover over it. However, there can be some issues with this:
- A lack of proper ventilation can make your mouse ill due to a build-up of ammonia from mouse urine. It can also make the enclosure too warm, which is not good during the summer months.
- Tanks can make it a bit more difficult to clean out the bottom of the enclosure, whereas cages with plastic bases tend to be detachable from the wire walls, making cleaning much easier.
- You are only able to remove the mouse from above and this can be a bit frightening for your pet mouse as predators tend to come at them from above.
Places to Hide
Your pet mouse needs some hidey holes, dark and dry places to sleep and hide in. You can buy cute little wooden huts or dome houses for your pet. Another option is giving them a small corrugated cardboard box (make sure there is no ink).
Bedding
For your mouse bedding, the best option is shredded paper that has no ink on it. You’ll want to fill the bottom of the enclosure a few centimeters thick with shredded paper, as well as add a few pieces of facial tissue or paper towel so that the mice can make a lovely little nest.
Exercise
Pretty much all rodents love to have an exercise wheel to run on. With mice, the bigger the wheel, the better! When looking for the correct size wheel, keep in mind that the mouse needs to run on the wheel without bending its back.
Pick a solid plastic wheel, as these are much safer than a wire wheel that can catch their tails and feet between.
Toys
Mice like to play, and adding toys to their home will make them very happy. They don’t have to be fancy or expensive toys! Cardboard paper towel rolls can keep your furry friend amused for hours.
You can also add things like fruitwood (found in the parrot section of the pet store) for chewing. Plain craft sticks can work just as well too, and a piece of hemp rope is also an addition you can add.
Just string it across the cage or hang it from the top of the cage so they can climb, something they love to do.
Feeding Your Mouse
You’ll need to make sure you provide clean water available all day, every day. Mice can dehydrate very quickly, so having a drip bottle or two on the sides of the cage, as well as a ceramic bowl, will work well for them. Remember that the ceramic bowls can be a bit harder to clean.
There are several mouse food options out there, but a good choice is to get good quality hamster food, and it will save you from having to determine which mouse food has the best nutritional value.
They also can eat a lot more than you would expect from such a small creature, so always make sure you have fresh pellets ready for them.
As a nice little treat for your mouse, you can give them a piece of a dog biscuit a couple of times per week, which can also work as a chew toy for them to wear down their teeth.
Another option they love is tiny pieces of carrots or apple, a few bits of unsweetened breakfast cereal, or some pieces of dry cat food to round out their diet.
Contrary to popular belief, most mice don’t really like cheese, and it’s not precisely nutritional for them either. However, if you find that your mouse likes a bit of cheese, it’s OK to give them a tiny piece a couple of times a week.
Grooming
Mice tend to keep themselves very clean, but you may find that the healthy male of the species has a certain degree of scent to them. Should they get something stuck to their fur, you can give your little friend a spot cleaning with a bit of mild soap and warm water. However, there is no need for routine bathing.
On the other hand, the mouse enclosure will need to be cleaned frequently. It would be best to replace bedding every week, clean the cage weekly with some diluted vinegar, and be sure you rinse the vinegar entirely off.
During weekly cleanings, you may find you need to do some spot cleaning every few days. It’s also to retain some dirty bedding or an unclean toy to put back in the cage, so your pet has a comforting and familiar smell when you return them to their clean cage.
You can move your mouse to a carrier during cleaning, such as a small plastic carrier that looks like a fish tank.
The Home Environment
There are some things you will want to check in your home environment to make sure it’s safe for your mouse. While mice can make excellent pets in homes with children, they shouldn’t handle them without adult supervision.
It’s also essential that you wash your hands before and after handling your pet because mice can catch a “cold” from you.
If you have other pets in your homes, such as ferrets, cats, snakes, dogs, and rats, you will need to make sure your pet mouse is kept safely away from them so they don’t become a meal.
Always keep your mouse and the enclosure out of direct sunlight and drafts. Mice can quickly become overheated to the point that it kills them. During the summer, it may be a good idea to place an ice pack on one side of the cage so they have a way to cool themselves.
You can also use a gel ice pack but make sure it’s non-toxic because mice love to chew!
Training Mice as Pets
Mice can be very trainable, and The most crucial thing is to allow your pet mouse to get accustomed to sitting in your hand.
Before you begin touching or training, you must first make sure you give your new pet a few days or a week to settle into their new home and environment.
The most important part of training for a pet mouse is getting the pet accustomed to sitting on your hand. Give your new mice several days or a week to settle into their new home before starting to try to touch them. If you need to pick them up before this, use a paper cup.
Once your pet has settled into its new home, you can start by gently lowering your hand into the cage and let letting the mouse come to you.
Let them investigate and sniff around, so they become familiar with your scent and presence. Do this several times, and eventually, the mouse will venture forth and climb into your hand on its own.
Allow the mouse to sit there and leave in their own time. Once they have done this a couple of times, you can try raising your hand slightly.
If your mouse panics, then put it down again. Once your mouse has become comfortable walking on your hand, you can let them climb up your arms or onto your shoulders.
Keep in mind that mice can crawl through any holes that they can fit their heads through, so be careful about having any gaps under furniture or doorways.
Mouse Care: Mice as Pets, Should You Keep Them?
While many people love to keep mice as pets, you need to consider anyone in the home who is frightened of them. You also need to make sure you can keep them where you live.
You may also want to go through some pet mouse forums to learn a bit more about keeping mice as pets.
Check around to find a veterinarian who treats small exotic pets and where you can get advice. Once you have everything sorted out and ready, you can find yourself a new whiskered companion or two to come live with you.
You may want to consider adopting your new pet from a shelter that handles mice.
