How To Care for Pet Mice

So you have decided to own pet mice. What now? Not just because they are smaller creatures does it mean that they require less care and attention. Pet mice are very playful and intelligent by nature, some more clever than the others, depending on their breed like curly-haired, satin long-haired and so on. You’ll be surprised at how interesting they will react to certain things.

But before thinking about how much fun you’ll get from your pet mice, here are a couple of things you could do to make your mice’s stay with you more comfortable:
   
Mice are essentially social creatures. This automatically means that the minimum number of mice you bring home should be at least two. Also, you should put into consideration that each mouse has an individual personality that might or might not match with the other mice. It is therefore ideal to be ready to add some more mice in case the ones you got are not getting along very well with each other.

Find a suitable place for your pets. In this case, an aquarium is your best bet. You could also opt for mouse cages if you want to. Be sure to provide wire-rodent covers to keep mice from escaping as they are rather inventive. To make it more than a house, you need to fill it with other necessities that would make it a more livable place for them. Here’s a checklist of what you should include in your mouse-home:

• Bedding. Not only does this give warmth and insulation, it catches your mice’s waste materials. This should be changed once a week and could be composed of paper towels, shredded paper or toilet paper, all of which should be unscented. You could also try wood shavings. Aspen works well, but avoid pine or cedar shavings as their oil could irritate their eyes and skin.
• Entertainment. Rodents easily get bored and so the need for entertainment in their house is necessary. You could put levels and dividers so they can establish a colony or a place of their own. You could also include toys, wheels and balls - all of them available in your local pet stores.
• Feeding options. Give your mice fresh water at least once a day. You could put it in a bottle or tube and attach it to a side of its home. Do not give water to your mice in a dish. As for its meals, you could feed it a mixture of seeds and pellets. Bear in mind that rodents have their own individual tastes and appetite. You may have to adjust the seed or pellet contents once in a while.
• Feisty rodents. There are times when a mice’s colony is threatened, it tends to attack the other mice. When this happens, you should separate the aggressive mouse for a short time until it calms down.

Get familiarized with your mice. It takes some time for mice to get accustomed to scents and people. Never use force on your mice. Be patient until they are comfortable with your presence and are relaxed enough to go near you. To handle your mice, scoop them up by the belly and never pick them up by the tail.

A wild mouse’s life expectancy can be as short as weeks to a few months, while a pet mouse’s life span can range from 3-5 years, if properly cared for.