 Keeping
Mice As Pets
Mice: Domestic Mice bred in captivity make
friendly pets and come in a wide variety of colours.
If bred for showing, they are known as ‘Fancy Mice’.
They are easy to look after and should be kept in
same sex pairs or groups to avoid unwanted
offspring. They generally live for 1 to 2 years and
are fully grown at around 3 months.
Housing
A simple wire cage with a plastic floor or a
glass tank with a wire lid will make an ideal home
for your pet Mice. Avoid wooden cages. Minimum cage
size for a pair of Mice is 45cm x 30cm with at least
25cm depth, giving them plenty of room to stand
upright. Remember Mice can squeeze through very tiny
gaps, so make sure there are no spaces wider than
your little finger otherwise your Mice could escape.
Your Mouse cage should be kept out of direct
sunlight and away from draughts.
Shredded paper nesting material should be
provided, along with dust-extracted wood shavings.
Always provide a nest box filled with shredded
tissue paper. The cage should be cleaned once a week
- a small litter tray can be provided to encourage a
hygienic environment, and always replace a little of
the old bedding and nesting material for
familiarity.
Feeding
A good quality commercial rodent mix makes an
ideal core diet for your pet, but care should be
taken not to overfeed as Mice can easily get fat.
This can be supplemented with small pieces of fresh
fruit and vegetables. Mice love sunflower seeds
occasionally and also enjoy tiny amounts of carrot,
apple, and broccoli. Contrary to myth, they don’t
need dairy products like cheese! Clean fresh
drinking water should always be available from a
gravity bottle.
Looking after your Mouse
Exercise & Entertainment:
Mice will enjoy playing with toys and they like
cardboard tubes to run through and chew on. Like all
rodents, their incisors grow continuously, so
provide them with something to gnaw on – a mineral
stone or wooden gnaw is ideal. By making a sound -
such as a whistle – each time you feed your Mice,
you will train them to associate the sound with
food. Mice love to groom and play with each other.
Handling:
Mice are usually friendly and enjoy human contact
but can occasionally be timid. If this is the case,
place your hand in the cage whilst holding a treat
(a few sunflower seeds). Your Mouse will become more
confident once he gets used to accepting the treats.
You can pick up a Mouse by gently holding the base
of the tail, lifting the back carefully,
and sliding your hand under its body.
Breeding:
Mice can breed extremely quickly from a young age,
producing a litter of 8-10 babies every 3 to 4
weeks! You should therefore seek expert advice
before considering keeping a breeding pair and only
if you’re certain you can find good homes for the
babies.
Tips for a happy healthy Mouse
Community:
Mice naturally live in groups and need their own
kind as company. Never try mixing Mice with other
species of rodent such as rats – they will fight.
Two or more Mice of the same sex, from the same
litter, should get on well. Female Mice under 12
weeks can be mixed even if from different litters,
but males should always be from the same litter.
Male Mice emit a musky smell for marking their
territory. It’s not unpleasant, but some people
prefer keeping female Mice for this reason.
Health:
Mice are generally healthy creatures but as with all
pets, if you are worried about any aspect of their
health, seek veterinary advice. Mice have a short
lifespan so most health issues will be caused by the
aging process. For a healthy life, your Mice need
the following:
- A good balanced diet of rodent mix and small
amounts of fresh food
- Clean dry housing, cleaned once a week with
a mild disinfectant
- No extreme or sudden changes in temperature
- Water bottle and feed bowls cleaned daily
- Gnawing block or fruit tree branch to help
wear their continually growing teeth
- Other Mice for company
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