Where to Get the Mouse From?
You & Mice
Pet Shop? Breeder?
Choosing the Mouse
First of all, think over if you would like a "purely" pet mouse, or possibly a mouse to attend shows with. As a pet and in pet classes it does not make any difference if the mouse is of Pet (American, Swedish.. the name varies)- or English type. In standard classes the mouse should be as close to the standard both when it comes to the coat, color, markings, type and size. Usually the required type is English.
Breeders
The best way of obtaining a standard class show mouse is from a reputable mouse breeder. Mouse clubs usually list breeders and you can contact them for reference. With breeders you will get information on the mouse's background and family, many will provide you with a pedigree. In some countries a mouse has to be registered in order for you to show it and breeders will have the mice ready and registered. Good breeders are also able to help you with all kinds of questions regarding mouse keeping.
Hypo Hiiri (2½ y.o.) |
Many breeders have excellent and fun looking pet mice as well, as "pet mice" (as opposed to mice who can take part in standard classes!) are always being born in litters. Some breeders also will let you have a joint ownership or similar to offer. Sometimes even very good show mice, usually bucks, are rehomed for responsible mouse owners for free.
When you get a mouse from a good breeder, you will know the exact time of birth and you are able to avoid many unpleasant surprises which may happen with a pet shop. A breeder will tell you the mouse's sex for you, she will not sell you a male - female couple instead of two females, or a female that is already pregnant. To put it short: it pays to use the service of a breeder!
Last but not least: there are all kinds of breeders around. Some are responsible and have a good reputation. Others could be better classed as mouse millers. Ask around for references, especially clubs. If possible, go and visit the breeder and keep your eyes open!
Pet Shops
You can get a perfectly nice mouse for yourself from a pet shop, especially if the shop is of good quality and run by knowledgeable people. If the conditions in the shop aren't very good - mice are housed in cramped and dirty cages and especially if you can spot males and females living together; be very careful.
Mice are ready for new homes at one month of age. You should not sell nor buy mice younger than this. Mice who are old enough to be sold already have the looks of a young adult. They don't look like babies with large heads and skinny legs. You should be able to determine the sex quite easily; buck will have their testicles showing, females do not. Females have a short distance between the anus and the urethra and you may be able to spot two rows of teats on both sides of the belly. Young males can lift their testicles back up so you can't see them, if they get scared, but you will still be able to determine a male from a female by the longer distance between the anus and the urethra.
When in a shop, it is best to ask when the babies were born. They should know this fact, at least roughly. Do not buy too young a mouse! If there were males and females housed in the same tank, be prepared for babies if you decide to get a females. Even though it is possible that a female mouse gets pregnant at one month of age, she is not ready for pregnancy until much older, 3-4 months old.
Mira's New Fashion |
What to Look For When Getting Your Mice?
As has been pointed out earler, you can get a new pet either from a breeder -- directly from her home or at a show -- or from a pet shop. Unfortunately there are shops who couldn't care less about the well-being of animals sold there and you may end up getting a pet that was sold too young, that is already pregnant, is older than you're told, is sick or infested with parasites. Then there are, unfortunately, irresponsible breeders, although 'producer' would describe these people better.
How to tell a good shop from a bad one?
Basic things have to be in order:
Animals have good food and fresh water: They have either rat/mouse lab block or good seed mix (preferrably without green rabbit / cavy pellets). Water bottles are clean and there's water in them. Furthermore everyone in the cage/tank has to be able to reach the bottle.
Clean conditions: Beddings are clean and don't smell dirty.
Enough room for the animals: There shouldn't be too many animals in one cage / tank. There should be only few older animals in tank. There can be a little larger group of younger animals without it causing troubles, but this doesn't mean that there's should be a huge crowd! It is a good thing if there aren't animals of mixed ages in a tank, as older ones may bully youngsters, thus making it impossible for the young ones to get enough food. Even though a pet shop is only a temporary dwelling for the animals on their way to the future homes, the animals should have as stress-free environment as possible!
Number of animals: There shouldn't be an excessive amount of any species, because in this case the animals will probably not get handled, which leads to the future owner having difficulties with taming her new pet.
Selling age: Mouse has to be at least one month of age before it is sold, even though it has been weaned earlier, spiny mice and zebra mice are ready to go at six weeks. There should not be animals younger than that sold! Some pet stores have horribly wrong ideas about weaning and selling ages of different animals, for example that it's OK to sell a rabbit at 4 weeks. This is NOT the case! A baby that is ready to go to a new home already looks like a miniature adult - if the baby has out-of-proportion head and 'twiggy-style' legs, it isn't ready to even leave to mother. A baby that has been weaned too young may suffer the rest of its life from physical and mental damages, which could've been prevented by following rules on weaning ages.
Sexes are kept separate: This is important! Since the weaning age all small pet rodents should be kept in single sex groups. Females may get pregnant at a very young age while they are still kids themselves. If you can see males and females together in a tank or there are visibly pregnant females, the shop is an irresponsible one! When buying a female you can get a dozen or more little babies. If the shopkeeper tells that the animals are best kept in couples of a male and a female, do not believe it. This isn't true.
Agapetus |
Furthermore:
Origins of the animals: The shop keeper should be able to tell you where the animals came from; were they born in the shop, do they come from a breeder (and who!), animal wholesaler or have they been imported.
Handling: Without a doubt, the shopkeeper must be able to handle the animals he's selling and to handle them in a proper way. This means no lifting spiny mice, zebra mice, gerbils, rats etc from the tail or rabbits by the ears!! The animals shouldn't be overtly shy either.
Instructions on care: It is a good sign that the shopkeeper is interested in the home he's selling the animal to. He must tell you on the specific needs of the pet and know what kind of housing suits best for its needs and what it should be fed with. He shouldn't try and sell the smallest possible cage/tank available.
Pets only: This means NO selling live animals to be reptile food. Reptiles do not need to be fed live and the shopkeepers have to know this. In some countries live feeding is illegal.
What about a good breeder?
The above is true when it comes to breeders as well, only that it is OK for them to have pregnant females every now and then and male-female couples. However, may be a bad sign that you can see female with a litter and the father together, as this means the female has got pregnant immediately after giving birth to the first litter. If you see something like this, do ask the breeder for a reason. For example this is a common practice with gerbils, where first-time mother may not know how to take care of babies causing the first litter to die, while the second will do well. Two litters after each others isn't that bad with mice - more than that falls into the category of animal abuse.
Openness: A good breeder lets you see your future pet's family and tells you about them. Not only show results, but about their temperaments. She also tells you if there have been some kind of troubles with health or otherwise. She will be honest with the possible show career of your pet; if the breeder thinks your pet will have good possibilities on the show bench, she will often ask you to attend at least one show. If the breeder thinks your pet doesn't meet the requirements of standard class shows, she should mention about this and tell you about pet classes. You should definitely get instructions on how to take care of your pet, preferably by giving written instructions. She should also tell you about clubs to join in, gatherings, shows and other activities available for you and your pet.
On to part 3: Choosing the mouse - male or female, mouse's condition...
Text by Satu Karhumaa