How to Take Care of Pet
Mice
Domestic common mice are called pet fancy mice; the
word fancy denotes mice maintained as a hobby. The house
mouse, mus musculus is one of the several species of
common mouse. Pet mice socialize easily and it is better to have them in
pairs. Pet mice are easy to maintain and children can handle them with
ease.
When buying Pet mice, make sure that the coat is
smooth and ears and tail skin are clean and pink. Anal area of the pet
mice should be clean to ensure that the mice maintenance is hygienic.
The mice should be free of discharge from nose as well as eyes.
Breathing of the mice should not be noisy and the mice should breathe
easily. It is better to buy mice from pet shop that maintains separate
enclosures for young males and females.
Pet mice are available in several varieties
and colors with live span ranging d from 12 to 30 months. Males are more
aggressive towards other males. Mice are kept in pairs of same sex from
their birth. If the mice are kept in pairs of opposite sex, they
tend to breed every month. If the mice are taken in hand and fondled
from young, they allow to be petted and accept food from the owner’s
hand.
Pet mice rats are easy to maintain; rats live between
24 to 36 months and grow to the body length of 9 to 11 inches. Rats are
nocturnal but adapt to the owners and are playful during day. Rats are
also easy to tame if bought and handled as young.
Pet mice cages are available in various sizes. To
tend a pair of mice or a small group, the size of Pet mice cage has to
be 2 square feet. For mice, wire cages and glass aquarium with
tight fitting mesh lid are most suited. In a mice cage, ammonia and
other fumes build up. It is better to use tight closing mesh lid on
aquarium or cage encased in plastic walls to let the gas escape out.
The cage floor has to be solid and spacing between
the bars should be 1/4 inches to prevent the mice from escaping. The
cage should have several levels and lot of bars for the pet mice to
climb and play. The door has to be convenient gap to take out the pet
when needed. Cage should be placed away from sunlight and wind draft. It
is better to place the cage in an area where it will have contact with
human beings. This will help in taming the mice easily.
A layer of wooden shaving is placed for Pet mouse
bedding. Aspen wood shaving or other hard wood shaving is preferable and
wood shavings that release strong volatile oil have to be avoided. Hay
and facial tissues can be left in for the mice to shred as nesting
material. Cotton bedding material should be avoided to prevent the nail
of pet mice from getting stuck in the strands.
Mice love to play running on wheels, and are
convenient on a wheel with hard surface to run instead of wire mesh. Pet
mice have to run, play and exercise a lot. Tunnels made out of plastic
tubes, cardboard boxes and ladder provide lot of activities for the
mice. Shallow porcelain food bowl and gravity fed water bottle will keep
the rat comfortable.
Caring pet mice is not so difficult but special
attention should be given to provide comfort and nutrition. Commercially
available rodent mix, and mice pellets give a balanced diet but it is
not advisable to feed pellets for every feed. Multiple grains and sun
flower seed can be fed but it is better to give less of sun flower seed
and fatty food. Vegetables such as carrot, broccoli and fruits like
green apple make ideal food for the mice. If the mice develop diarrhoea,
it is recommended to stop feeding that food. Chocolates, chips and junk
foods should be avoided. If any discharge or abnormality is found in the
mice, consult a veterinarian immediately.
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