Mary Allen
Mice are very popular as pets. The house and color mouse are particularly suitable as a species to be kept in a sufficiently large aquarium or cage in the apartment. But watch out: mice are not cuddly toys. Anyone who chooses them as a pet should be satisfied with being able to watch and feed the little rodents. You should keep the following things in mind when maintaining your posture.
The House Mouse
The house mouse originally felt at home in the steppes and deserts of North Africa and Asia. For centuries it has also been at home in Europe and has found its way into people’s homes through storage cellars, among other things. There are 50 different types. As a rule, the mouse is up to eleven centimeters long and has a tail almost as long. Well-nourished, the small rodent can reach up to 60 grams. The life expectancy of mice that are kept as pets is two to three years – in the wild, it is much lower. After all, mice are popular prey for birds of prey, cats, snakes, and martens.
The Cage Serves as a Gym
If you want to keep a mouse as a pet, you have to offer it home with lots of employment opportunities – mice that do not move enough can quickly become susceptible to disease. A partner, preferably a whole clan of conspecifics, is also important for mice. You can use a terrarium, aquarium, or cage as a home for your mouse, which should be at least 80 by 40 centimeters in size. In an aquarium or terrarium, a wire mesh should replace the lid so that the small rodents get enough air. The bars of a cage should not be more than seven millimeters apart. Litter belongs on the floor – sand, sawdust, litter for small animals or even torn paper go without printer’s ink. Feeding bowls, drinking bottles, sleeping houses, and lots of toys such as a balance bike, ropes, pipes and ladders make the mouse home perfect. The cage should be cleaned of dirty bedding daily and completely cleaned once a week.
The Little Rodents Like That
Mice are nocturnal: you should therefore feed them at dusk. Grain mixtures from specialist shops are a good basic feed that you should regularly supplement with fresh things such as apples, pears, grapes, carrots, lettuce, or dandelions. Every now and then a mouse needs protein-rich food: Quark, a boiled egg, or chicken are important in small portions every one to two weeks. Water should be available to the mouse throughout the day.
Up to 100 Babies Per Mouse are Possible
Mice are sexually mature at six weeks of age and can reproduce all year round. It takes about three weeks from fertilization to birth – there are usually three to eight babies per litter. The young animals stay with their mother for three weeks, only then can they be given away. Anyone who keeps mice should therefore be clear: Each of the small rodents can produce around 100 offspring in their lifetime – the cage will then fill up quickly. If you do not want to be a breeder involuntarily, you should keep two same-sex mice.
Mice Health: Strong Dudes
Mice are usually very robust animals if they are kept in a species-appropriate manner. You shouldn’t put the cage in direct sunlight: mice need room temperature. If your little rodents are attentive, run around, are active, eat and drink, then they are also healthy. Mice are afraid of people. If you want to play with them, try making them crawl onto your hand or place them in the palm of your hand. If the mouse squirms and gets nervous, stop. With a lot of training and habituation, the little rodents can build a bond with humans – but the way there means a lot of stress for the mice. Ideally, it is enough for you to keep them busy with toys in the cage and watch them.