These friendly little creatures make interesting pets for children. They only have a short lifespan, which is an advantage in many ways, but can be difficult if your child gets very attached to their pet. Due to their small size, mouse cages don’t take up much space but can become smelly if not cleaned out regularly. Mice are quick and lively, and love to climb. This can make them tricky for small children to handle, but with adequate parental supervision they can still provide lots of fun. Mice are social animals so you should try to buy a same-sex pair or group (preferably female – males have quite a strong smell and tend to fight if kept in groups).
Top tips for adopting a mouse:
- Mice like company, so it’s best to buy them in single-sex pairs or groups. Mice can get stressed if they are left alone. Female mice generally fight less than males, so can make calmer pets.
- Before buying your mice, have the cage and equipment ready. Find a space for the cage in a quiet area of the house and make sure that it is away from radiators or draughts. Your mice will need a cage with a deep base filled with bedding material that they can burrow down into and it also needs to have a few places for your mice to hide away from each other, like dens or tunnels.
- Baby mice are ready to leave mum at 5 weeks of age. Be very careful if you suspect that the breeder or retailer you are buying from keeps the mice in mixed-sex groups – you may be coming home with a pregnant female! Mice breed very quickly so think twice before buying a breeding pair.
- Arrange a time to look at the mice first, and select your own from those available. Make sure you check the environment that the mice are being kept in to ensure that none of them look ill (key signs are ruffled fur, runny eyes or nose, or a dirty bottom), and that they are in clean and hygienic conditions.
- Take a good look at your mouse to check that they are healthy before agreeing to buy: They should be active, bright eyed and breathing quietly. Their eyes and nose should be clear and free of discharge, their skin should look healthy (no flaky patches), and they should have a clean bottom, well-aligned teeth and a nice plump body with no lumps or swellings.
Settling in at home:
- All animals find moving house stressful and they will need time to adjust to their new surroundings. Put your mice into the cage with all of the essentials like bedding, food and water, and allow them to settle in over a couple of days, undisturbed.
- After giving your mice time to settle into their new home, you can start quietly talking to them, and putting your hand into the cage to feed them treats. Take this stage slowly, so that they learn that you are not a threat. Eventually they will come to your hand for treats, and then you can think about picking them up for the first time.
- Wash your hands before picking your mouse up for the first time. They can find food smells exciting and may try to bite if your hands aren’t clean! They can be quite difficult to catch, as they are so quick. If you take things slowly, your mouse will eventually crawl into your cupped hand if you place it gently in the cage. If you really need to catch your mouse, do it by holding onto her at the base of her tail (not the end of the tail, as this can harm them). When you catch your mouse, gently cup your hands around him so that he can’t escape, but don’t hold too tight!
Essential care:
- Your mice will need fresh food and water every day. Allow a small amount of special mouse food and a few fresh greens per day. They will really enjoy it if you hide some mouse food around the cage for them to find. Watch your mouse store his food in little hidey-holes for later!
- Clean the cage every week. Remove bedding and nesting material and wipe the cage with a damp cloth and pet-safe detergent before putting in fresh bedding. Mice rely on scent-marking to feel at home, so you may want to replace a small amount of old bedding material into the clean cage so that they do not feel stressed. It’s a good idea to cover the floor of the cage with newspaper, as this makes it much easier to clean!
Team Shanklinpets
