African Pygmy Mouse

African pygmy mice are delightful little critters with a very fast-paced lifestyle. They are very active and have very high metabolisms. It is nearly impossible to get them to sit still, which makes handling them a little tricky. They are lightning fast and can easily clear the wall of a 10-gal aquarium, but this shouldn't discourage potential owners. True you have to be a little more careful about handling them, but like with any other mouse they settle down once they get to know you. On the other hand they can also make an adorable 'look but don't touch' pet. These are NOT pets for children as they are very delicate.

Scientific name: Mus Minutoides
Size: 5-7 cm long including tail
Lifespan: 1-3 years
Natural range: throughout Africa south of the Sahara

Housing

• aquarium with a mesh lid as they can escape from any cage
• allow 5 gal of space per trio
• females should never be kept alone and can live in pairs or colonies
• males can be housed together if introduced at a young age
• Bedding: aspen
• Accessories: wheel, branches, hideaway, tubes

Food

• feed a mixture of crushed rodent blocks and high quality commercial finch or canary seed mix
• occassional veggies

Breeding

• Maturity: 5-6 weeks
• Gestation: 20-21 days
• Litter size: 2-8
• eyes open around 14 days
• should be fully weaned by 4 weeks old