Basic Mouse Care

Mouse 101

Mice have a very long history of cohabitation with us. The Egyptians revered them, and in ancient China, they were kept in beautiful, ornate mouse-sized palaces. It was fashionable for Victorian ladies to keep 'fancy' mice and display them in mouse shows.Mice are intelligent (while not like rats, they are still smart little things) and social creatures that are fascinating to keep and observe.

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Female mice do best in a colony together (I recommend at 2, 3 or more is even better) while males are territorial and should always live by themselves. They can be handled and are able to become affectionate pets with proper handling and care. I feed my mice the same diet as my rats, but to help satisfy their natural urge to forage, I scatter their food all over their cage for them to find.

Wire cages with narrow bar spacing and DIY'd tubs are appropriate housing, the bigger the better, as mice as very active. Mice readily drink from water bottles and there are mouse sized bottles available at pet store for them. Keep them in deep, soft bedding so that they can burrow and dig networks of tunnels throughout their cages. Wheels are important for exercise, as are lots of hiding places and toys to chew on (their teeth constantly grow.)

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To find out more, go check out the Rat & Mouse Guide for more articles!

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