How To Care For a Pet Mouse
- September 25, 2008
- 16,918 Views
from
Jon Richards
(and 6 others) Subscribe
-
Writer
laurahazardowen
-
Editor / Director / Camera
Jon Richards
- Actress Zoe Hooper
- Mice Chi-Chi & Midna
-
Music
Edison Music Corp
-
Voice Over Artist
Marci Fine
A mouse in the house? Why not? Pet mice are cute, easy to care for, and fun to watch.
You Will Need
- A mouse or two
- A wire cage or ten-gallon glass aquarium
- Aspen shavings, shredded paper, or hay
- Rodent food
- A water bottle
- Untreated wood blocks
- Empty coffee cans, shoeboxes, overturned flowerpots, and cardboard tubes
- Paper towels
- An exercise wheel
- Mouse toys
Step 1: Do your homework
Before you bring home even a little tiny mouse, do your homework. Pet stores can sell you books and magazines about mice. You can also find lots of mouse sites online.
Step 2: Buy mice in pairs
Mice are social animals and shouldn’t live alone. Two female mice make great friends. Two male mice can be buddies if they’re introduced at an early age. Just don’t combine males and females, or you’ll soon be overrun!
Step 3: Prepare a nice mouse home
Keep your mice in a wire cage or a ten-gallon glass aquarium, away from direct sunlight and drafts. Line the cage with plenty of bedding—aspen shavings, shredded paper, or hay work best.
Never use cedar or pine shavings; they contain chemicals that can be dangerous.
Step 4: Offer rodent food
Feed your mice rodent food—which is specially formulated for their nutritional needs and is available at pet stores—as well as small amounts of greens and vegetables. Provide fresh, clean water and remove uneaten fresh food daily.
Like people, mice and other rodents like variety in their meals. “Rodent pellets” get boring for mice and other small creatures.
Step 5: Use untreated wood for chewing
Mice’s teeth grow continuously throughout their lives. So make sure your mouse buddies have plenty of untreated wood to chew.
Step 6: Set up hiding places
Mice need lots of hiding places to play and sleep in. Try empty coffee cans, shoeboxes, overturned flower pots, and cardboard tubes.
Step 7: Offer paper towels for bedding
Provide your mice with plenty of clean paper towels that they can shred up and use for bedding.
Step 8: Buy exercise wheel
Mice love to run on exercise wheels. Put a wheel or two in your mice’s cage and make sure they can use them easily.
A solid plastic exercise wheel is better for rodents’ feet than a wire wheel.
Step 9: Play with your mice
Tame your mice by handling them every day and letting them run around in a safe, enclosed area.
Never pick up a mouse by its tail—you could tear the skin.
Step 10: Offer mouse toys
Like all rodents, mice love toys and tubes. Give your mice as many toys as their cage will hold.
Step 11: Treat your mouse well
There’s more to a pet mouse than you’d expect. Treat him well, and you’ll enjoy this adorable pet for a long time to come.
Mice can be trained to ride on a person’s shoulder.
Something wrong? Report this How-To
Comments (3)
Mouse are so cute
over 3 years ago by ruin550
EASY CARE 4 MICE........1rst of all by more than 1 or 2. mice hate to be alone and love the company of others. i have 4 males and they get along grate. second...DONT handle the mice. yea they liked to be watched and talked 2 but dont pick them up nd pet them and try 2 snuggle with them. mice will never get used to it and your only gunna freak them out. i only take them out EVERY OTHER DAY to clean the tank. this is a prosses they will get used 2. they no everytime i reach in im takeing them out and wen they get put back in there place is cleaner. EVERY OTHER DAY PEOPLE>; a clean mouse is a happy mouse! keep them in a 10 or 12 gallon fish tank (the top that comes with the tank is ok 2 use if u cover any holes 75% but leave them a bit open 4 enolation.......a better idea is to got 2 wal-mart and buy a $12 screen top for ur fish tank) the tank should have the following things in it esides the mice......at least 1 if not 2 wheels.......mice food (found at pet store)frsh watter bottle and of course a nest ($7-$10 bucks at ur local pet store). now 2 days have past and its time to clean the cage wat a drag........or is it!? simple lift