Male or Female? One or Several?
You & Mice
Pet Shop? Breeder?
Choosing the Mouse
Male and female mice are both perfectly suitable for keeping as pets. There are certain differences between the two sexes, which you should consider before actually getting a mouse. Otherwise the decision is totally up to you. Mice are very social animals, so if you do get a single mouse, you should interact with it a lot. This means each and every day.
Boys
Most males are aggressive towards other male mice, especially after they reach maturity. This is why males are usually kept singly. When you spend a time with a single male daily, you will have a very tame and nice pet who is eager to play on you.
Rapunzel's Orison |
The males, also called bucks, do have a distinct smell. However, the smell really isn't all that bad, especially if you have only one buck. You do get used to it after a while. Regular cleaning of the cage will keep the odor at bay. If you clean too often, you will only make the smell worse with bucks, as the little fellow will hurry up and mark his territory with his wonderful smells again.
It is possible to get a male mouse castrated, which makes it able to live with females or other castrated males. Neutered males smell much less than intact ones and they can be even calmer. However, bear in mind that all kinds of operations are risky for such a small animal as a mouse. If you do have a good vet, who will use gas anesthesia and you can afford the operation and can take a day off to see everything goes fine after the operation, neutering is one option you have. Neutered males cannot be entered in standard classes in shows - pet classes are open for them.
Girls
Female mice prefer living in a group of a few females, so they can keep each others company. The easiest way to establish a group is to get young females of similar ages.
A harmonous group of five does |
There may be difficulties with introducing a new mouse in an established group of females, as the older ones tend to defend their territory. This can be rather aggressive even. Let the mice to meet each others on a neutral ground, a larger show box (plastic tank) will do fine. In the mean time clean the group's cage / tank thoroughly, including all the toys, nests, food bowls and water bottle. Change used cardboard boxes and tubes for new ones. Mice recognize their own territories by the smell, so they won't be as eager to chase the newcomer out if the cage does not smell familiar. It is also a good idea to give the mice something very tasty to eat, so they won't necessarily bother fighting each other with all the goodies around. There can be some quarrel when the group reestablishes their "pecking order", but usually everything goes fine.
Mouse's condition
Always remember to check the condition of the mouse you are buying. Healthy mice are lively, their coats have a healthy shine, their eyes are bright and there is no discharge coming from the nose. The mouse should be clean under the tail and it has to be able to move about with ease. Healthy, level headed mouse does not act aggressively towards you. It also pays to take a peek in the mouse's coat and see if there are any unwanted tenants there - ectoparasites or their eggs.
Final words
Please, be a responsible mouse owner!! Do not breed your mice, if you are not certain that you can find good homes for each and every baby you produce. Dumping the babies to a pet shop does NOT qualify as finding good homes! It is highly irresponsible to get a male and female couple to live in the same tank. The result will be large flow of babies, as mice can have over ten babies every three weeks. Continuous pregnancies are a huge strain on a poor female mouse. You don't want to be called a mouse miller or baby factory and despised by all responsible mouse owners, do you???
It is very easy to avoid unwanted litters of mice. Just keep the males and the females apart. If there is any possibility that someone in your house hold could let the sexes mingle together, get only mice of one sex.
Remember that the mouse or mice have only you to provide them with everything. They are your pets and don't care what you look like or if you are in perfect health. It is your responsibility to love your mice what they are as well. Do not dump a mouse in favor of a "better looking one". Get help - and that does mean contact a vet - if there is something wrong with the mouse. Mice are such small creatures that you do need to act quickly. "I'll just see what happens for a few days before I decide on contacting a vet" -attitude literally costs lives.
Well, that's about it! I'll just say:
"Happy Mousing, everybody!!"
Text by Satu Karhumaa